SCHOOLS- WHAT’S THE PLAN?
British students spend ages 5-10 in primary schools. Secondary schools have students ages 11-18. There are no middle schools, unlike America. Until recently, British schools were compulsory for kids until they were only sixteen years old.
In America, we say students are in ‘Seventh Grade.’ British students of the same age are in ‘Year 8’. They are labeled a higher number in comparison to the US because we call the first formal year of school ‘Kindergarten’, which is the equivalent to ‘Year 1’ in England.
British school years are further broken in to groups called Key Stages. For example, Years 7-9 are classified as Key Stage 3. Students ages 16-18 are in Key Stage 5, which is called Sixth Form.
When looking at study plans as differences between British and American schools, there is more unity in the British course of study. Schools (unless they are independent) must follow the National Curriculum. American school teachers experience a substantial amount of freedom in comparison to what they can teach and when against their British counterparts.
Instruction for British secondary students focuses on the GCSE subject exams and the A Levels. In America, the SAT and ACT are the only real standardized tests that students take at a national level.
The SAT is most popular and is taken on a Saturday morning, usually at the beginning of a student’s junior year. It is quite honestly- dreadful. It features three sections: math, critical reading and writing. For nearly four hours, students struggle to answer questions that seem to have no reflection on what they study in school each day. However, the results of this test have a substantial effect on a student’s ability to apply for a university.
Most American expat students in London tend to receive their education at International Baccalaureate schools because the work is transferable in all countries and universities.
At the end of a class period, British students must stand at their desks and wait for a teacher to say they are dismissed. In America, when the bell rings, you run. The end.