Educational System in Great Britain

There are three stages of education in Great Britain: primary, secondary and further education. Primary and secondary stages are school education. Further education means post school education.

Compulsory school education lasts 11 years, from the age of 5 to 16.

After the age of 16, young people can take further education. They can leave school but continue their education in a college, or they can continue studying at school until 18 years and then enter institutions of higher education and universities.

There are schools maintained by state and private schools in Great Britain. Studying in state schools is free, in private (or independent) schools parents have to pay for their children.

Great Britain has a great number of various types of schools.

Primary school may be divided into two parts: infant and junior.

At infant school children learn reading, writing, arithmetic. They also sing, draw and do physical exercises. At junior school children have reading, writing, arithmetic, composition, history, geography, nature study, art, music and physical training.

There are different types of secondary schools: grammar, technical, modern and comprehensive schools.

Grammar schools take only children who have good results of the “11 plus examination”. Grammar schools give academic education for the selected pupils and prepare them for higher education. The schools teach English, Literature, modern languages, Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography, and others. The general level of education in these schools is very high.

Technical as well as grammar schools educate selective pupils. But they are specialized in technical studies. The main subjects are Science and Math.

Secondary modern schools give a general, non-academic education. After finishing these school pupils can not enter higher educational establishments.

Comprehensive Schools are the most popular schools in Great Britain today. These schools take all the children in a given area without selecting examinations. At the same time they offer all the courses taught in the three traditional schools described above – academic and practical subjects.

All state schools have a National Curriculum. It consists of 10 subjects which all the children must study at school. The National Curriculum aims to ensure that all children study basic subjects and have a better all-round-education.

 

2. Прочтите и переведите письменно текст, выпишите транскрипцию и перевод слов, значение которых вы не знаете.

 

British University

There are more than forty universities in Britain, of which 36 are in England, 8 in Scotland, 2 in Northern Ireland and 1 in Wales. The two oldest universities in England are Oxford and Cambridge. These date from the Middle Ages. Oxford is the oldest of these two universities; it is more philosophical, classical, theological. The history of Oxford began in 1249, that of Cambridge - in 1348. Among the English universities Oxford and Cambridge are special and different from the others.

England had no other universities, apart from Oxford and Cambridge, until the nineteenth century. The universities which were founded between 1850 and 1930, including London University, are known as redbrick universities (they were called so because that was the favorite building material of the time). They are in London, Durham, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, Nottingham, etc. The University of London is the largest of them. The division between Oxford and Redbrick is sharp. The division is essentially a class one. Redbrick universities were built to provide liberal education for the poorer boys and to give technological training. Oxford and Cambridge graduates scorned them.

The universities which were founded after the Second World War are called “the new universities”. They are in Staffordshire, Kent, Essex, Lancaster, Sussex, and York. Some of them quickly became popular because of their modern approach to university courses.

All British Universities are private institutions. Every university is independent, autonomous and responsible only to its own governing council. Although they all receive financial support from the state, the Department of Education and Science has no control over their regulations, curriculum, examinations, appointment of staff, or the way they spend money. The number and type of faculties differ from university to university. Each university decides each year how many students it is going to admit. The admission to universities is by examination or selection (interviews). The students receive grants. They have to pay fees and living costs* but every student may receive from the local authority of the place where he lives a personal grant which is enough to pay lodging and food — unless his parents are rich. Most students take jobs in the summer for about six weeks, but they do not normally do outside work during the academic session. Students who pass examinations at the end of three or four years of study get Bachelor's degree. The first postgraduate degree is normally that of Master conferred for a thesis based on at least one year's fulltime work. Universities are centers of research and many postgraduates are engaged in research for higher degree, usually Doctorates.

The British government is not going to build more new universities. There is a tendency to expand the older ones. The most interesting innovation is Open University.

Note: * to pay fees and living costs – платить за обучение и жилье

 

3. Прочитайте интернациональные слова и догадайтесь о значении.

theological, faculty, normal, institution, education, modern, material, university, history, popular, Philosophy, technological, course, special, autonomous, centre, examination, interview, private, session, selection, innovation, theology, liberal,

department, interesting, finance, student.

 

4. Найдите в тексте эквиваленты следующим предложениям:

1. Оксфорд и Кембридж – два старинных университета в Англии.

2. В Англии не было других университетов кроме Оксфорда и Кембриджа до ХIХ века.

3. Университеты, которые были основаны между 1850 и 1930, включая Лондонский университет, известны как краснокирпичные университеты.

4. Разница огромна – это классовое различие.

5. Университеты, основанные после Второй мировой войны, называются «новые университеты».

6. Все Британские университеты – это частные заведения.

7. Несмотря на то, что все университеты получают финансовую поддержку от государства, Отдел образования и науки не контролирует устав, учебный план, экзамены, назначения профессорско-преподавательского состава, каким образом они тратят деньги.

8. Зачисление в институт осуществляется посредством экзаменов или собеседования.

9. Большинство студентов работает во время летних каникул, но обычно они не работают за пределами университета во время учебного года.

10. Британское правительство не думает о строительстве новых университетов.

 

5. Подберите соответствия из правой колонки к словам из левой колонки.

1. higher education 2. private institutions 3. university curriculum 4. to receive grants 5. local authority 6. academic session 7. to pass exams 8. research centre

a. получать стипендию b. местные власти c. учебный триместр d. сдать экзамены e. учебный план университета f. высшее образование g. научно-исследовательский центр h. частные учебные заведения

 

6. Выберите правильный вариант.

1. Oxford is... of all British universities.

a) the youngest b) the oldest c) the poorest

2. All British universities are... institutions.

a) state b) old c) private

3. The... to the Universities is by examination or selection.

a) admission b) regulation c) innovation

4. Most students take... in the summer for about six weeks.

a) exams b) job c) accommodation

5. The students... grants.

a) spend b) receive c) pay.

 

7. Закончите предложения.

1. The oldest Universities in Britain are....

2. There is a sharp division between....

3. New universities became popular because....

4. Every university is independent, and responsible only to....

5. Students who pass exams after three or four years of studies get....

6. There is a tendency to expand....

 

8. Ответьте на вопросы.

1. How many universities are there in Great Britain?

2. What are the oldest British universities?

3. What Redbrick universities can you name?

4. Why did “the new universities” quickly become popular?

5. All British universities are private institutions, aren't they?

6. What university degrees do you know?

7. Are universities centers of research?

 

10. Переведите письменно текст.