english schoolsystem explained?

[SusiS]

hi, i was just wondering if somebody could explain to me how the english schoolsystem works.
i understand with what age you go to what school but what i really want to know is how pupils get tested.
are there verbal/written tests during the year?
homeexercise?? (i never see kids with any big bags on the street to carry books from school home or back to school!?)
do they pass each year wether they are good or not??? how do they get graded??
oh and at school: do they have one teacher only? or diff teachers for diff subjects?

nobody really could explain it to me so far

thanks

[roisin]

What a lot of questions!

Children do not have to pass each year, they automatically go up each year, except under exceptional circumstances, (i.e. special educational needs). In our primary school of 500 pupils, there are only 2 or 3 children in total who are not with their peer year group.

Usually in primary school children will have one teacher all day every day, occasionally some specialist input for say music, IT, and PE.

[roisin]

Homework - primary school children do have homework, though the quantities vary according to the school. Mine (5 and 7) get reading every night, plus spellings once a week, then in addition they have a sheet which takes about 20 mins once a week for 5 yr-old, twice a week for 7-yr-old.

[roisin]

Testing is a hot potato. There have been compulsory, independently marked tests (SATs) for 7 and 11 yr-olds, but some (all?) of these are in the process of being scrapped. There are also voluntary SATs tests for 8, 9, and 10 yr-olds too.

But in order to comply with regulations, and do well at Ofsted, schools have to keep track of children's progress. In future they may have more flexibility in how they choose to do this. Some use voluntary SATs, also reading-age and spelling-age tests, and others.

How old are your children? Are you more interested in the secondary school system?

[SusiS]

wow. very different!!
i am from austria and moved to england a few years ago.
ds is only 6 months
but always interested me how it works here.

and i understand kids here start school with 5yrs?

in austria they start with 6 and till 10 i think what you call primary. - kids just have one teacher with the odd specialists and just do their 4 years. - just as you described

then they move to gymnasium (secondary here?)
how about testing here?
in austria kids have diff teachers for diff subjects and get tested in each subject on a regular basis (verbal/written test 3-4 throughout the year) at the end of the year they have to have learnt a certain percentage and only then they can move up to the next class. although mostly they will get a last chance (and a letter to the parents to inform them about their childs "problem") in form of a last test.

so it's not uncommon that kids repeat a class.

homework seems to be similar for primary - not really too overwhelming.

but secondary is quite alot!

[JulieF]

Children are actually entitled to a place the Sept after they are 4 but its not compulsory to send them until the term after they are 5. (Some schools take them in Jan or Apr too).

They don't repeat a year in secondary. Depending on the school they may be set for different subjects.

If they failed their GCSE's at 16 they may repeat those at 6th form or repeat the lower 6th year.

[hmb]

In secondary children have to study english, maths and science. Schools will have different requirements after that . I think that modern languages are no longer compulsory, but someine could correct me on that one, In the school I work in all children have to do at least one MFL. These compulsory sunjects can amount to 6 of the 9 GCSEs that they sit.

Children can also study for more vocational subjects in GNVQs

[SusiS]

gsce/mfl/gnvq ... well, doesn't mean anything to me

is there maybe a site you could refer me to to get all that explained???


and thank you all so much for explaining!

[JulieF]

GCSE = General Certificate in Secondary Education (the exams children take at age 16) They are graded A-G with grades A-c needed to go on to A level

A level = the exams they take at age 18 (university entrance requirments) they also now take AS levels at 17 (half an A level)just to confuse matters (supposedly so they follow a more broad curriculum)

GNVQ = General National Vocational Qualification these can be at a variety of levels, some are lower than GCSE, some equivalent to A level etc. They are supposed to be more work/practical based.