42 Unit 03 | Learning and teaching Read either text 1 or text 2 (your teacher will tell you). Take notes of the most important information about the UK/US school system. Then compare notes with a partner who has read the same text and visualise the information (in a table, for example). Consider the following questions: READING 13a School systems in the UK and the US 1 At what age do children start/leave school? 2 What exams can students take? Text 1 Education in the UK Some general information The majority of children start school full time in the September after their 4th birthday. This means that they will turn 5 during their first school year (‘Foundation Stage’), and they must stay at school until they are 16 (‘Year 11’). The school curriculum is divided into 5 ‘key stages’: Key stage 1 is for students aged 5 to 7 who attend primary school (known in some areas as ‘infant school’). Key stage 2 is for students aged 7 to 11 who attend primary school (known in some areas as ‘junior school’). Key stages 3 and 4 are for students aged 11 to 16 who attend secondary school (known in some areas as ‘high school’). Key stage 5 is for 16- to 18-year-olds at secondary school (also known as ‘sixth form’). The main exams that students study for in secondary school are called ‘GCSE’ (General Certificate of Secondary Education), which they take when they are 16. From ages 16 to 18, many students stay at school to study for A (Advanced) levels. Students can take AS (Advanced Subsidiary) levels after one year at the end of year 12, and A levels at the end of year 13, when they have to take exams. Depending on the school, sixth-form students can study A levels in a wide range of subjects, such as archaeology, film studies, law, politics and electronics as well as English and maths, though pupils do not have to study English or maths. The different types of school In the UK there are free schools (state schools) and ones you have to pay for (private schools). Secondary schools The majority of students attend secondary schools. There are different types of secondary school, such as community schools, foundation schools, academies, free schools and faith schools. Community schools are controlled by the local council, but some schools are privately funded by businesses or religious groups and control their own budgets. Grammar schools A small percentage of students attend these. Not everyone can go to grammar school; students have to pass a special entrance exam called ‘the 11-plus’ (when they are 11) to get into them. Private schools Private schools are also called ‘public schools’, which is quite confusing. Students have to pay to go to these schools, and they can cost anything from a few thousand pounds a year to nearly £40,000 a year. The most famous ones are Eton and Harrow. Male members of the royal family often go to Eton. At Eton the boys have to wear a unique uniform with a special jacket and striped trousers. Public schools can be day schools where students go home at night or boarding schools where they live during term time and may go home at weekends and during holidays. (Note that Harry Potter’s Hogwarts is a boarding school too!) 3 What choice of schools/subjects do students have? 4 What else do you find relevant? Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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