Comparison of education in Great Britain and Russia. Education is very important in England, as it is in Wales and Scotland too. British children are required by law to have an education until they are 16 years old. Education is compulsory, but school is not, children are not required to attend school. They could be educated at home. Education is free for all children from 5 to 18. About 94 per cent of pupils in England, and the rest of the UK, receive free education from public funds, while 6 per cent attend independent fee paying schools, Citizens of Russia have the right to education which is guaranteed by the Constitution and ensured by the broad development of compulsory secondary education, vocational, specialized secondary and higher education Types of schools in Great Britain. Children's education in England is normally divided into two separate stages. They begin with primary education at the age of five and this usually lasts until they are eleven. Then they move to secondary school, there they stay until they reach sixteen, seventeen or eighteen years of age. The main categories of school are: local authority maintained schools (State Schools) Free to all children between the ages of 5-16 independent schools (Private/Public Schools) Parents pay for their children's' education State schools. In the UK 93% of the children in England and Wales go to "state schools", State schools are non fee-paying funded from taxes and most are organized by Local Authorities (LA). Parents are expected to make sure that their child has a pen, pencil, ruler etc. but the cost of other more specialized equipment, books, examination fees are covered by the school. Parents are, however, expected to pay for their child's school uniform and items of sports wear. Charges may also be made for music lessons and for board and lodgings on residential trips. Schools may ask for voluntary contributions for school time activities but no pupil may be left out of an activity if their parents or guardian cannot or do not contribute. Primary schools (5-11 year olds) In the UK, the first level of education is known as primary education. These are almost always mixed sex, and usually located close to the child's home. Children tend to be with the same group throughout the day, and one teacher has responsibility for most of the work they do. Parents are strongly encouraged to help their children, particularly with reading and writing, and small amounts of homework are set to all children, even during the early years at school. Secondary schools (11-16 year olds) Most children transfer at the age of 11 usually to their nearest secondary school, though the law allows parents in England and Wales to express preferences for other schools too. A place has to be offered at the parents' preferred school unless the school has more applicants than places; in that case it will admit the children who have the highest priority under its published admission arrangements which can vary a little in different places. Most secondary schools cater for both sexes. They tend to be much larger than primary schools. Nearly 88 per cent of secondary school pupils in England go to comprehensive schools, as do all pupils in Wales. These take children of all abilities and provide a wide range of secondary education for all or most of the children in a district from 11 to 16 or 18. Grammar Schools are selective, they offer academically oriented general education. Entrance is based on a test of ability, usually at 11 (11+). Grammar schools are single sexed schools ie. children either go to a Boys Grammar School or a Girls Grammar School. There are grammar schools in Northern Ireland and some parts of England. Fee Paying Schools Independent Schools 7% of the children in England go to independent schools. Independent schools are known as private schools and public schools Parents pay for their children to attend these schools. Prep Schools A preparatory school is a school to prepare pupils to go to a public school Public Schools A public school is an independent secondary school. Public schools in England are not run by the government. The entrance exams used by most public schools are known as Common Entrance exams and are taken at the age of 11 (girls) or 13 (boys). The most famous public schools are Eton, Harrow and Winchester. Higher Education Around 30% of the 18 to 19 year olds enter full-time higher education. The formal entry requirements to most degree courses are two A-levels at grade E or above. In practice, most offers of places require qualifications in excess of this. school year 3 Nursery school 4 Infant school 6 2 7 Primary school Junior school 9 5 10 6 THE BRITISH SCHOOL SYSTEM 5 form degrees 11 7 first 12 Secondary school (Compre-hensive or Grammar school) 13 Secondary school 8 second 9 third 14 10 fourth 15 11 fifth Ordinary) Level GOSE 16 17 Sixth form college 12 lower sixth 13 upper sixth Advanced) Level GCSE 18 1 19 20 University Bachelor of Arts/Science 21 Master of Arts / Science Doctor of Philosophy General Certificate of Secondary Education. A school year in England consists of three terms (trimesters). The beginning of the school year is always in September, whereby each school has its own term dates. The schools generally begin their lessons in the first two weeks of September. After a half of the teaching period, i.e. after approximately 6 weeks, pupils have their first holiday, which is referred to as "half term". During this time the school is closed, and the children generally go home. Education in Russia is organized and coordinated by the state, which ensures that general education is free and available for everyone. Most schools are state schools but private schools have also been established in recent years. Education usually begins with pre-school before the age of six, although it is not compulsory. Children typically go to kindergartens or other pre-schools which focus on both intellectual and physical activities. The next step is primary school, which is part of the general education programme. General education in Russia comprises three stages: primary education, which lasts for four years, basic general education lasting for five years and secondary education which lasts for two to three years. Russian general education is aimed at the intellectual, emotional, moral and physical development of the individual. It aims to develop the abilities that will allow a student to adapt to life in society as well as helping individuals to make conscious choices concerning professional education. The academic year typically runs from 1 September to the beginning of June. School examinations are in June. The language of instruction is Russian in all state-accredited educational institutions, except in pro schools. Citizens of the Russian Federation also have the right to receive their basic general education in their native languages. General education is compulsory. The basic curriculum has some compulsory fields of study such as the Russian language, foreign languages, mathematics, history, politics, natural sciences etc. Every school designs its own curriculum, which is based on state requirements, and there can be some extra or optional disciplines. In Moscow, there are also schools that specialise in certain subjects, such as maths, music, arts, and sports. After completing primary and basic general education, the students participate in final examinations. They are awarded a Certificate of Basic General Education, Attestat ob Osnovom Obshchem Obrazovani, which entitles the student to be admitted to either secondary general education, to vocational education or to non-university level higher education. After completing the secondary general education, the students need to pass the State final attestation (final examinations), after which they will be awarded a Certificate of Secondary General Education, Attestat o Sredem Obshchem Obrazovanii. This school leaving certificate will allow students to continue to higher education: either vocational education or both non-university and university level education. Recently, new types of secondary schools have emerged called gymnasium and lyceum, which can be both state owned or private. The duration of studies can exceed that of secondary general schools, and the educational programmes can be more advanced. In total, general education takes 11 years to complete. Children are enrolled in schools at the age of six and normally they finish school by the age of 17. The Russian school year is comprised of 4 terms with vacations in between; 1 week in November, 2 weeks in January, I week in March and nearly 3 months in summer. School is held from September 1 until the final week of May, with exams in June. The school day normally starts at 8 a.m. and finishes at 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Students generally attend class 5 days a week, although some schools require extra study on Saturdays. A typical lesson lasts 40-45 minutes with a 5-15 minute break in between. In primary school students have 4 classes a day. This increases to 5 or 6 classes a day in secondary school, and 6 or 7 at a senior high school. A normal class consists of 20-30 students. In primary school, pupils have one teacher for all the subjects taught. As you can see generally there are not so many differences between the education in the UK and Russia. Of course, there are some aspects which differ from each other, but not so much. But I am going to tell you about Montessori school and share the information with you which I got from Anna Marie. 1.написать сходство и различие школ россии и Великобритании.