SCHOOLS IN ENGLAND
You are about to learn about the schools in England! The following subjects are things you will discover on this website:
- What does the school system look like in England?
- What happens before the first day of school?
- What are all the different type of schools in England?
- What is different with Belgian schools?
- ...
First up: a day in the life of a pupil in England
Alexander tells you everything about British schools. Read about it and start the exercises.
My name is Alexander and I am British. The school year starts in September. I am at boarding school at Eton. Students at Eton wear a very traditional uniform. To enter the school I have to take a test, do an interview and my parents have to pay a large school fee. Not everyone can go to Eton. It is an independent school.
EXERCISE 1: Do the quiz.
Like I said before, I go to an independent school. These schools are independent of Government funding or control. They charge fees for pupils to attend. They don't have to follow the National Curriculum, but they do have to be registered with the Government and inspected regularly.
Besides independent schools, there are also state schools, community schools, foundation and voluntary schools, faith schools, free schools, academies, grammar schools, public schools and special schools. It is a lot, I know. Let me explain you the differences between these schools.
State schools are schools that are funded by the Government and provide a free education for children aged 16 and under.
A community school is a type of maintained school that's controlled by the local authority (LA), rather than by a business, religious organisation or charity. The LA employs the staff, controls admissions and has overall control of budgets.
A foundation and voluntary school is also a state school, just like community school. The schools receive their funding from the LA. The main difference is that rather than being run by the LA, they're run by the governing body. The governing body employs the staff and controls admissions.
Faith schools are also state schools, but they are related with a certain religion or religious body, such as the Church of England.
Free schools are schools that are funded by the Government but are run by an independent body such as a charity, business, university, faith or community group, or even a group of parents or teachers. This gives them more control over their day-to-day running: they don't have to follow the National Curriculum, and can set their own pay and conditions for staff, and change the length of the school day and school terms.
Academies are state schools that are funded by the Government but run by an academy trust: a charitable body that controls how the budget is spent and how the school is run.
Grammar schools are state schools that are free to attend but select all or most of their pupils on the basis of academic ability. Children take an entrance exam known as the 11+ at the beginning of Year 6 before applying to attend the grammar school. The content varies between schools and areas, but the test typically includes verbal and non-verbal reasoning, maths and English elements. Some schools also offer places to students who have a particular aptitude for sport, music, languages or another subject.
Confusingly, public schools are not those that are open to the public. The term refers to the most exclusive and academic private schools in the UK, such as Eton, Harrow, Rugby and Winchester College. Many of them are single sex, and all of them select pupils on the basis of ability.
At last, special schools are schools for children aged 11 and over with special educational needs. They can specialise in one of four areas: communication and interaction, cognition and learning, social, emotional and mental health, or sensory and physical needs. Within each category, they can specialise further.
EXERCISE 2: Place the different type of schools in the right category.
EXERCISE 3: Make a little summary/mindmap of the different kinds of schools in England.
Second: differences with the schools in Belgium
Alexander told you a lot about the schools from England Take a look at the following websites to see the differences between the Belgian school system and that of England.
- School holidays England: https://publicholidays.co.uk/school-holidays/england/ --> Choose at least 3 location.
- School holidays Belgium: https://www.feiertagskalender.ch/ferien.php?geo=3285&jahr=2023&hl=en
- English school system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV3tImRJVU8
- Belgian school system: https://www.expatica.com/be/education/children-education/education-in-belgium-100088/
EXERCISE 4: Write down at least 3 differences between the schools in Belgium and England.
EXERCISE 5: Write down at least 3 similarities between the schools in Belgium and England.
Did you finish every exercise? Then you know a lot about the schools in England! Now it's up to you to do something with that knowledge. You will be making your own game. You will be using this game to test your fellow pupils' knowledge. To start creating your own game, go to this page.