Schools in Britain.

SCHOOL

School systems vary in different countries. The subjects differ as well as the length of the school year and school day. In some countries schoolchildren wear a uniform, in some countries it’s not necessary. To my mind the common thing is that in all countries and all school there are school rules. Pupils must be polite, come on time, bring their record books, exercise book and textbooks, do their homework, behave well. But sometimes children violate rules. For example some of my classmates wear jeans. They don’t always do their homework. As for me I …

Let’s discuss schools in Britain, the USA and Belarus.

Schools in Britain.

In Great Britain boys and girls go to school from the age of three to fifteen; some go up to sixteen or

eighteen. School education consists of three steps. At the age of three they start nursery school where they learn to read and write. At 5 they continue at primary school. On average there are 27 children in a class. English children begin to go to a secondary school when they are eleven and can leave school at 16. At this age students take GCSE exam (General Certificate of Secondary Education). They can get a job, go to college or stay at school until 18. After that they take A-level exams (advanced).

The school year in Great Britain begins in the middle of September and it is over in July. English schools are open five days a week.

On Saturdays and Sundays there are no lessons. The school year has three terms. After a term pupils have holidays. So they have winter holidays which begin in December, spring holidays are in April, and summer holidaysare in August and the first half of September. So they are six weeks long.

The children stay at school from 9 till 16. 15. At 12 they have a lunch break or dinner-time. Some students go home, some have lunch in a school canteen and some take a sandwich, an apple and a drink from home.

After 16. 15 they go home. Sometimes after school they have different activities such as rugby, netball or volleyball, music or drama classes.

English children learn subjects like: English, mathematics (which includes arithmetic, algebra and

geometry), history, geography, science (which includes biology, zoology, botany, chemistry and physics) foreign languages, drawing, singing. They also have such subjects as Food Technology, Design and Technology, computer Studies, English Literature and Religion. The most popular foreign languages are French, Spanish and Italian.

Some secondary schools are only for boys, some are only for girls and some are mixed: for boys and girls. Grammar school, one of the types of secondary school, prepares pupils for the university. Pupils stay at this type of school from eleven till eighteen.

One of the most famous schools for boys is Eton. It was founded in 1441 by King Henry VI. In the past school life at Eton was spartan. For example studies started at six. And pupils had to speak Latin all day long. They slept two or three in one bed. In winter they had holidays but they weren’t allowed to go home. But it was still a very popular school. Today rules are also quite strict. Students have an assembly at 8 a.m. they all must wear their uniform. It’s a tailcoat with a shirt and trousers. Eton is a boarding school which means that students live there. They have special dormitories. Twenty famous British Prime Ministers graduated from Eton. One of them is Duke of Wellington, who won the battle of Waterloo and later became Prime Minister. Other well-known graduates include scientists and writers from Gray, Shelley and Fielding to Huxley and Orwell. By the way Prince William and Prince Harry were students of Eton. Eton is an independent school which means that parents pay for the education of their children. There are also state schools in Britain where government pays. 90 per cent of schools are state and 10 per cent are independent.

The pupils of all schools have uniforms. Each school may have a different uniform. They wear dark grey,dark green or dark blue uniforms. The pupils of many schools have stripedties, only the colors are different for each school. Very often pupils have their school badges on the left breast pockets and berets.

The American system of school education differs from the systems in other countries. There are state public schools, private elementary schools and private secondary schools. Public schools are free and private schools are fee-paying. Each state has its own system of public schools. There is neither a uniform school system in the USA, nor a uniform curriculum. Each state has its own system of schools. American students have winter, spring and summer holidays which last 2 or 3 weeks and 6 or 8 weeks, respectively. The length of the school year varies among the states as well as the day length. Students go to school 5 days a week.

The American education system consists of 3 basic components: elementary, secondary and higher education. There is also preschool education. At the age of 4 or 5 children just get acquainted with the formal education in a nursery school. The preschool education programme aims to prepare children for elementary school through playing and help them to acquire the experience of association. It lasts for one year. Then they go to the first grade (or grade 1).

Compulsory education begins at the age of 6 in most states and continues usually until 16. However, some states require attendance from 6 to 18.

The academic year usually begins in September and continues through the first or second week of June. The children attend classes 5 days a week. The school is about 6 hours long, usually from 8.30am to 3.30pm.

Elementary and secondary schools consist of 12 grades: 6 years of elementary school, 3 years of junior high school and 3 years of high school, but this plan may be different in different states. Elementary and high schools have separate buildings.

At the age of sixteen schoolchildren leave the elementary school and may continue their education at one of the secondary schools or high schools, as they call them. The secondary school curriculum is built around specific subjects rather than general skills. Most secondary schools have the same number of required "basic" subjects: English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and Physical Education. The programme of studies in the elementary school includes English, Arithmetic, Geography, History of the USA, Natural sciences and, besides, Physical Training, Singing, Drawing, wood or metal work, etc. Sometimes they learn a foreign language and general history.

After graduating from secondary schools a growing number of Americans go on to higher education.

Secondary school students have also elective subjects, which are not necessary for everybody. A student chooses the electives which will be necessary for him for his future work or further education at university or college. The elective courses differ from school to school.

In our country school education has three steps: primary, middle and secondary education. Education in Belarus is free and compulsory from age 6 to 15. From age 6 to 10 children attend primary school where they receive basic skills.

Thereafter pupils go on to basic secondary school for 5 years, take exams and get a certificate of basic education at age 15. The curriculum has compulsory subjects. But sometimes students can choose additional subjects. In our school we can study French, German or Spanish as the second foreign language, we can study English Literature or get translation skills.

At the age of 16 they can study for two more years, then gain take exams and only after that enter university.

My school is a gymnasium. I went to school at the age of … after the 4^th year we had to take exams. I passed all the exams and got good/excellent marks. Those who failed the exams changed the school. The academic year starts on the 1^st of September and is over on the 31^st of May. We have holidays in autumn, winter and spring which last for a week or 2 and 3 months of summer holidays. We attend school five days a week. Our school day starts at 8 a.m. The lessons last 45 minutes. After the second lesson we have a break for lunch. I usually eat …

We have 5-6 lessons a day. I always/not very often work hard and do my best to get good grades. I’m good at … but I have some problems with … The teachers are great and the lessons are exciting. My favourite subject is … because …

We don’t have a uniform but we must wear black and white clothes and no jeans. There are pros and cons about school uniforms. Pros: All pupils are equal, social distinctions are not visible. There is no envy among pupils. It is not necessary to think what clothes to wear today.

Cons: Pupils become grey and boring. Let us think that I spoilt my uniform. What shall I do? There is no individuality.

I have solved for myself that the school uniform is not necessary but pupils should wear clothes according to some school rules. Each pupil should be clean and accurate. I think that you can’t go to school in clothes of bright colours, such as bright yellow or bright-pink. In fact the teacher’s job is very hard. It is hard for teachers to concentrate on their subjects when they see pupils in different bright clothes. At home everyone can put on the clothes he wants, but at school everyone should obey school rules.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14