STATE EDUCATION IN BRITAIN
All state schools in Britain are free, and schools provide their pupils with books and equipment for their studies.
Nine million children attend 35.000 schools in Britain. Education is compulsory from 5 till 16 years. Parents can choose to send their children to a nursery school or a pre-school playgroup to prepare them for the start of compulsory education. Children start primary school at 5 and continue until they are 11. Most children are taught together, boys and girls in the same class. At 11 most pupils go to secondary schools called comprehensives which accept a wide range of children from all backgrounds and religious and ethnic groups. Ninety per cent of secondary schools in England, Scotland and Wales are co-educational.
At 16 pupils take a national exam called G.C.S.E. (General Certificate of Secondary Education) and then they can leave school if they wish. This is the end of compulsory education.
Some 16-year-olds continue their studies in the sixth form at school or at a sixth form college. The sixth form prepares pupils for a national exam called A level (advanced level) at 18. You need A level to enter a university. Other 16-yearolds choose to go to a college of further education to study for more practical (vocational) diplomas relating to the world of work, such as hairdressing, typing or mechanics.
Universities and colleges of higher education accept students with A levels from 18. Students study for a degree which takes on average three years of full-time study. Most students graduate at 21 or 22 and are given their degree at a special graduation ceremony.
Vocabulary:
compulsory
primary
comprehensive
co-educational schools
to graduate
to accept
Questions:
1. What do state schools in Britain provide their pupils with?
2. What can parents choose?
3. When do children start primary school?
4. When do pupils take a national exam called GCSE?
5. What prepares pupils for a national exam called A level?
6. How long students study for a degree?
7. Whom do universities and colleges of higher education accept?
THE BRITISH EDUCATION SYSTEM
PRIVATE EDUCATION
Seven per cent of British schoolchildren go to private schools called independent schools. There are 2.400 independent schools and they have been growing in number and popularity since the mid-1980.
Parents pay for these schools, and fees vary from about 250 pounds a term for a private nursery to 3.000 pounds a term or more for a secondary boarding school. Most independent schools are called prep (preparatory) schools because they prepare the children for the Common Entrance Exam which they take at the age of 11. This exam is for entry into the best schools.
The most famous schools are called public schools and they have a long history and traditions. It is often necessary to put your child's name on a waiting list at birth to be sure he or she gets a place. Children of wealthy or aristocratic families often go to the same public school as their parents and their grandparents. Eton is the best known of these schools.
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The majority of independent secondary schools, including public schools, are single-sex, although in recent years girls have been allowed to join the sixth forms of boys' schools. Independent schools also include religious schools (Jewish, Catholic, Muslim etc.) and schools for ethnic minorities.
Vocabulary:
fee
to prepare
pound ()
boarding school -
Questions:
1. How many independent schools are there in Britain?
2. Why are the most independent schools called preparatory schools?
3. What school is the best known public school?
CAMBRIDGE
Cambridge is one of the best known towns in the world and it can be found on most tourists' lists of places to visit. Cambridge is famous for its university, which started during the 13th century and grew steadily, until today there are more than twenty colleges.
The oldest one is Peterhouse, which was founded in 1284. And the most recent is Robinson College, which was opened in 1977. But the most famous is King's College, because of its magnificent chapel. Its choir of boys and undergraduates is well known all over the world. The Universities were only for men until 19th century when the first women's college was opened. Later the doors of colleges were opened to both men and women. Nowadays almost all the colleges are mixed.
To the north of Cambridge is the Cambridge Science Park, the modern face of the University. This park has developed in response to the need of universities to increase their contact with high technology industry. It is now home to more than sixty companies and research institutes. The whole area is in fact very attractively designed, with a lot of space between each building. The planners thought that it was important for people to have a pleasant, park like environment in which to work.
Every year thousands of students come to Cambridge from Overseas to study English.
Vocabulary:
chapel
choir
response ,
to increase
Questions:
1. What is Cambridge famous for?
2. What is the oldest college in Cambridge?
3. The most famous is Kings College, isnt it?
4. What can you tell about Cambridge Science Park?
5. Are there many companies and research institutes in that Park?
