The British school system

The English school system has different stages depending on the age of the students and differs according to the training path that each individual child intends to follow. The education cycle in Great Britain is divided into five phases:

01

Nursery School

State kindergartens do not exist. Those wishing to enroll young children must opt ​​for the very expensive private facilities. Children aged 3 to 5, on the other hand, attend kindergarten. Both types of structures are not mandatory.

02
Primary Education

Children aged 6 to 11 have access to primary education. This is in turn divided into Infant School, for children aged 5 to 7, and Junior School, for those aged 7 to 11.

03
Secondary Education

Children aged 11 to 16 begin secondary education, which ends with compulsory schooling. They can choose between high schools (Grammar Schools), technical schools (Technical Schools), professional (Modern Schools) and Public Schools, very expensive private schools. Among the subjects that can be attended there are also civic, professional and sexual education.

04
College

After the age of sixteen, 16 to 18 year olds must attend English colleges to access the University. This introductory two-year course is called Sixth Form in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Highers in Scotland. Italian kids who participate in a school program in the UK typically enroll in college.

05
University

Finally, access to Higher Education, obviously optional. The universities are all limited, which is why it is very difficult to access the most prestigious ones such as Oxford and Cambridge.

The school calendar and the daily timetable of the English school

The school year in a British high school is divided into four terms (terms), starting between August and early September and ending between the end of May and the end of June. In addition to the summer break, there are two weeks of vacation at Christmas and Easter and a one-week break in the middle of each quarter (half-term) in February, May and October.

High schools generally have at least 25 hours of lessons per week. Although the timetable may vary every day depending on the subjects attended by each individual student, courses start between 8:00 and 9:00 in the morning, are interspersed with an interval and end at 12:00 for the lunch break. which is eaten in the canteen or with food brought from home; the lessons then resume in the afternoon for a maximum of two hours. The workload to be done at home is decidedly less than that entrusted to Italian students.

The subjects and curriculum in the UK

As regards Secondary Education (and therefore the High School that is attended from 11 to 16 years, in the first 3 three years (Year 7, 8 and 9) you receive general training, following the teaching plan provided by the type of High School In any case, mathematics, science, English and physical education are always required as compulsory subjects during the last two years (Year 10, 11), and four other subjects are then chosen.

Typically during college – sixth form – three or four subjects are studied each year. Students can create their own study plan by selecting which courses to attend, based on personal interests. In addition to some compulsory subjects (core subjects) that are the same for everyone, the choice is very wide and includes science, technology, art, film studies, fashion design and cooking class! The choice determines one’s future path.

Extracurricular activities

The English school system offers various extracurricular activities. The high schools are in fact divided into houses (like Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff in Harry Potter!); these collect points based on the diligence and extracurricular commitment of the children belonging to them. In the uniform – almost always present in high school and almost never in college sixth form – badges are also hung with various titles such as prefect of the house, library nerd, basketball ace … The college also provides various extracurricular activities and clubs but they are often not frequented because the students prefer to study by organizing their time independently. Especially on days when they have a few hours they tend to go home after class.