Sharing GB education with USA

[USAlearners]

Hi. My wife and I are now retired (career in education) and are looking to learn a bit more about education in Great Britain before eventually venturing over for a visit in a year or so. Several years ago we knew we wanted to one day visit GB. We emailed a church there, asking if they knew of another couple who might want to be email pen pals with a couple in the USA. From that we became wonderful friends with a couple (they are not in education careers however) in England and communicate regularly. In fact we have gotten along so well that they have planned a trip here to visit next spring. At any rate, we are looking to learn about teaching and education in GB and would enjoy communicating with another couple who might be able to share with us about your system

6th forms (generally part of a high school) will also accept new students to the school at this point.

College always refers to educational years 12 & 13 not taken at a 6th form. Unlike 6th forms, colleges will also accept adult students who are either returning to education with the aim of getting the qualifications needed for university or other studies.

6th forms tend to have an academic focus only. Colleges will also provide vocational qualifications.

For example, a student wishing to obtain a beauty or catering qualification, will get this from a college not a 6th form.

A bit of history for you, many high schools are former grammar schools. Grammar schools were state-funded selective schools for the brightest students of all social classes. So many high schools retain the academic reputation of being a former grammar school, which is probably why 6th forms focus on academic A levels and won't generally provide vocational qualifications (although there might be exceptions to this?)

So, a British person moving to the US between A levels & university will enter into the 2nd year of American university rather than the first.

I don't think this is correct. I know a few people who have gone to US universities and they all just did the complete course like any other student.

It is true that A Levels can require a bit more depth than high school courses in the US, but on the other hand US students will have studied a wider range of subjects until 18.

Oh really? Quite the opposite for the people I know 🤷‍♂️

It sounds like a terrible idea on a number of levels! Is this recent experience?

It’s worth saying here that pretty much every person who is saying UK system is actually referring to England.

Scotland is completely different and NI is different again. I admit I have little knowledge of the system in Wales so cannot speak to that.

In Scotland (unlike the rest of the UK) there are 13 years of schooling - 11 of which are compulsory.

Primary school is split into 7 year groups - Primary 1 (P1) - Primary 7 (P7). Pupils start somewhere between 4.5-5.5 depending on when their birthday is.

Secondary school is split into 6 year groups - Secondary 1 (S1) - Secondary 6 (S6). In S1-S2 pupils will generally study approx 10-12 subjects depending on the school. They will start to specialise usually in S3 and drop to 8-10 subjects.

National Exam years in Scotland are S4-S6. S4 is National 5s although there are Nat 4s for those of a lower ability which do not involve any final exams. Most pupils will study 6-8 subjects in this year. Maths and English are compulsory. After S4 pupils can leave school provided they are 16 years old.

If they choose to stay on they study Highers in S5 & Advanced Highers in S6, although they can also take additional Nat 5s and Highers. It is Higher grades which are used for University applications so pupils who choose to stay on for 6th form will apply to university with their grades already achieved which is different from the majority of pupils in the rest of the UK. Usually pupils will take 5 Highers in S5 and university offers are based on 5 Higher grades. (This is different to A levels where university offers are based on 3 subjects)

In Northern Ireland there are 14 years of schooling (like England and Wales) with 12 being compulsory.

Primary education is named the same as in Scotland (P1-P7).

Secondary school is named either Yr8-Yr14 or in some more traditional schools Form 1-Upper 6th.

The biggest difference is that we still have Grammar schools across the whole country and approx 45% of pupils go to a Grammar school. In the final year of primary pupils can choose to sit transfer tests and their scores on these tests then lead them to applying to secondary schools with their admittance based on the rank order of their scores. Some pupils will choose not to sit the tests or may sit them and not perform as well as hoped - those pupils will go to Non-selective secondaries. We also have Catholic schools and Integrated schools where admittance is based on an equal mix of Protestant, Catholic and none/other pupils.

All secondaries teach the same base subjects and teach towards GCSEs at age 16, but Grammars will tend to go quicker through the material and pupils are expected to be more self-motivated/independent. Non-selective schools will also tend to offer some less academic subjects in older year groups.

The vast majority of schools go through to age 18 with a sixth form included, but some non-selectives stop after 5th form/Yr 12 which is the end of compulsory education. Sixth form colleges are not a thing in NI. If people choose not to stay on for sixth form in school they may go to a further education college (which is very rarely actually referred to as college here) to study more vocational subjects, although some may choose to study A levels there.

It’s worth saying that GCSE and A levels are National Exams. (Our friends in the US are baffled by this concept) There are a few different exam boards (1 in NI, 1 in Wales and (I think) 3 in England?) but they all have to meet certain standards and are all overseen by the JCQ. There is a set curriculum which all pupils follow, and exams are set and marked nationally by external examiners - not by their teachers. Exams take place in May/June each year and then results are released in mid-late August.

Just to muddy the waters further, students can actually go to college at 14. Very few do but it is possible.

Also on the subject of colleges, they have much better facilities for vocational courses. I've taught in two that had part of an aircraft interior for aspiring flight attendants.

Most also have services available to the public so you can have a hair cut / massage / 3 course meal cheaper than in a commercial business.

I'm disabled and went to a college for a hair cut, I'd booked the cheapest (first year student) but the teacher got quite excited at the opportunity to teach the students about customers with additional needs. I ended up having a haircut by the lecturer surrounded by a group of students asking questions.

Thanks. That makes sense. Here in the USA the word school almost always refers to grades K-12. However, the word school does pop up occasionally at the university level. My father-in law was Dean of the largest School of Education in my state at a University (typically in many universities it would be called the College of Education). In undergraduate school (Bachelors degree) my major at the university was in the School of Arts and Sciences -College of Science. I believe while rarely used here, “School” in Higher Education means a collection of or subgroup of colleges within a University.

Just an FYI. I did respond to your PM with a PM response Hope it went through. Thanks.

One of the unis I went to had a 'School of Art and Design'. It was based in one large building, known as 'The SAD building'.

So sorry. Just realized I was one letter off with my email address. Please check your last PM from me and try again with corrected email address. Thanks and again, sorry about that.