Education in Great Britain

The system of education in Great Britain is determined by the National Education Acts. Schools in England are supported from public funds. There are several basic features of public education in Britain. Firstly, there are wide variations between one part of the country and another. Secondly, education in Britain mirrors the country’s social system: it is classdivided and selective. The first division is between those who pay and those who do not pay. Another important feature of schoolchildren. The English school syllabus is divided into Arts and Sciences, which determines the division of the secondary school pupils into study groups. The National Education Act of 1944 provided three stages of education. Compulsory schooling in England and Wales lasts 11 years, from the age of 5 to 16. After the age of 16 a growing number of school students are staying on at school, some until 18 or 19, the age of entry into higher educational universities. British university courses are rather short, generally lasting for 3 years. The cost of education depends on the college and specialty which one chooses.

In some areas of England there are nursery schools for children under 5 years of age. Some children between 2 and 5 receive education in nursery classes or in infant classes in primary schools. Most children start school at 5 in a primary school.

A primary school may be divided into two parts – infants and juniors. At 7 children go on from the infant schools to the junior schools. They study reading, composition, history, geography, Nature Study, Art and Music, Physical Education, Swimming are also on the timetable. The pupils are streamed according to their abilities to learn into A, B, C and streams.

After the age of 11, most children go to comprehensive school of which the majority are for both – boys and girls. About 90% of all state – financed secondary schools are of this type. Most other children receive secondary education in grammar and secondary modern schools. At 18 most public school – leavers gain entry to universities.

The academic year in Britain’s Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education is divided into three terms, which usually run from the beginning of October to the middle of December, from the middle of January to the end of March, and from the middle of April to the end of June or the beginning of July.

There are 46 universities in Britain. English universities greatly differ from each other. They differ in date of foundation, size, history, tradition, general organization, methods of instruction, way of student life. After three years of study a university graduated will leave with the Degree of Bachelor of Arts, Science, Engineering, Medicine, etc. Later he may continue to take the Master’s Degree and then the Doctor’s Degree. Research is an important feature of university work.

III. Give English equivalents to the Russian words and phrases:

1. система образования

2. определять

3. поддерживать

4. основные черты

5. деление

6. обеспечивать

7. стадии образования

8. зависеть

9. среднее образование

10. выпускник школы

11. поступление в университет

12. академический год

13. отличаться

14. выпускник университета

15. исследование

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