Before You Read. Кафедра «Социально-правовые и гуманитарные науки»
Филиал в г. Златоусте
Кафедра «Социально-правовые и гуманитарные науки»
Ш143.21-9
Х162
Г.Ш. Хакимова
АНГЛИЙСКИЙ ЯЗЫК. ОБРАЗОВАНИЕ.
Учебное пособие по развитию коммуникативных навыков
Челябинск
Издательство ЮУрГУ
Chapter I. EDUCATION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Unit 1. Schooling in Great Britain
Before You Read
I. Study the table to find out the stages of schooling in the United Kingdom.
Education in Britain
| Class | School | Age | |
| Reception class | Nursery school, playgroup or kindergarten (optional) | 3–4 | |
| Year 1 | Infant school | Primary school | 5–6 |
| Year 2 | 6–7 | ||
| Year 3 | Junior school | 7–8 | |
| Year 4 | 8–9 | ||
| Year 5 | 9–10 | ||
| Year 6 | 10–11 | ||
| Year 7 | Secondary school | 11–12 | |
| Year 8 | 12–13 | ||
| Year 9 | 13–14 | ||
| Year 10 | 14–15 | ||
| Year 11 | 15–16 | ||
| Year 12 | Sixth form | Secondary school or Sixth form college | 16–17 |
| Year 13 | 17–18 | ||
| First year (fresher) second year third/final year | University or polytechnic | 18–19 | |
| 19–20 | |||
| 20–21 | |||
| Postgraduate | University | 21–22 | |
| 22–23 |
II. Study the cultural notes on British secondary education:
nursery school – дошкольное учреждение (детский сад для детей от 2 до 5 лет; государственный);
infant school – школа для малышей для детей от 5 до 7 лет (государственная, существует самостоятельно или в составе общей начальной школы);
junior school – начальная школа для детей от 7 до 11 лет (государственная, существует самостоятельно или в составе общей начальной школы);
secondary modern school – современная школа (государственная средняя школа, дающая неакадемическое образование с практическим уклоном; не дает права на поступление в университет);
technical school – техническая школа (средняя общеобразовательная школа, дающая образование с профессиональным (техническим уклоном) для учащихся с 11 до 16 или 18 лет ; дает право на поступление в университет);
grammar school – классическая школа (государственная или частная средняя школа для учащихся с 11 до 18 лет, предоставляющая сильное классическое образование; дает право на поступление в университет);
the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) – аттестат о среднем образовании нового образца (введен с 1988 года) или выпускные экзамены, сдаваемые учащимися в возрасте 16 лет по окончании средней школы;
the General Certificate of Education at Advanced level (GCE “A”level) –аттестат о среднем образовании продвинутого уровня или экзамены по программе средней школы повышенного уровня (дают право на поступление в университет);
comprehensive school – единая средняя школа (государственная школа для детей с разными способностями, проживающих в одном районе, и сочетающая в себе классический, технический и неакадемический типы среднего образования);
public school – паблик скул, привилегированная частная средняя школа (платная школа для детей от 11 или 13 до 18 лет; закрытая; чаще школа-интернат; многие частные школы Великобритании имеют многовековые традиции и готовят своих выпускников к поступлению в лучшие университеты страны; часто являются школами раздельного для юношей и девушек образования; название «public school» («общественная школа») восходит к тому времени, когда школы этого типа впервые стали принимать детей не только из близлежащих местностей);
independent school – независимая школа (общее название для школ, самостоятельных в финансовом отношении, т.е. частных школ);
preparatory school (prep school) – приготовительная школа (частная школа для детей от 7-8 до 13 лет; может входить в состав привилегированной частной средней школы (public school) или существовать отдельно);
the old school tie –галстук старой школы (обычно выпускников привилегированных частных средних школ);
the old-boy network – круг бывших одноклассников, узы старой дружбы (широко используются выпускниками привилегированных частных средних школ для взаимной поддержки и осуществления общих интересов).
III. Scan the text and render it into Russian using the vocabulary given below and the cultural notes.
Education in Britain: Age five to sixteen
The overall approach to education in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is broadly similar, but education is administered separately in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. This passage refers mainly to state (non-private) education in England and Wales, although much will be true of education in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Before the age of 5 children may attend nursery schools, and in fact nearly one-half of three- and four-year-olds attend nursery school.
Education is compulsory for children from the age of five until the age of sixteen. This period of education aims to develop children for life and for work. Children develop language skills, numeracy, knowledge of science and a familiarity with technology. It also aims to develop children's minds and bodies through art classes, religious study and sport.
Ninety-three per cent of children receive free education at state schools, and the remainder attends non-state, private fee-paying schools (also known as “independent” and “public” schools). They usually charge high fees. Private education can cost from £ 300 a term for nursery education to £ 4,000 a term for senior boarding pupils.
Within the state system parents can try to get their children to what they consider to be the best school in their region, but there is no guarantee that the chosen school will have free places. The average size of a class in Britain is 17 although classes are often much larger. Today in most schools boys and girls are taught together.
From the age of 5, when compulsory education begins, children usually attend an infants’ school; at seven children transfer to a junior school until the age of 11. This stage of education is known as “primary” education. At the age of eleven children usually transfer to a secondary school.
Until the 1960s and 1970s secondary education in Britain was selective. This meant that children were separated at the age of 11 on the basis of ability, with the “best'” pupils going on to grammar schools and the less able attending secondary modern schools. The grammar schools provided a traditional academic education and the secondary moderns a broader less academic education. Today there are few grammar and secondary modern schools left. In the 1960s and 1970s comprehensive schools were introduced. The comprehensive system was seen as fairer since pupils were not separated according to ability. Nearly ninety per cent of secondary schools in Britain are comprehensive schools and take children of all abilities.
Comprehensive schools can be organized in a number of ways. They include schools which take the full secondary age-range of 11 to 18; middle schools, whose pupils move to senior-comprehensive schools at 12, 13 or 14; and schools with an age-range of 11 to 16 combined with a sixth-form or a college for pupils over 16.
Until the age of 14 children have little choice which subjects to study. The government demands that schools teach nine subjects to children aged 5 to 14 (English, mathematics, science, technology, history, geography, music, art and physical education), and in addition demands that children study a foreign language at the age of 11. Children are assessed at the age of 7, 11, 14 and 16.
At 14 children begin to specialize, and the number of compulsory subjects is reduced from ten to seven. This gives children limited opportunity to stop studying certain subjects. This specialism enables pupils to prepare for the main school examination, the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), which is taken at the age of 16. The average school candidate takes six or seven GCSEs, the most common subjects being English, history, geography, French, German, mathematics, chemistry, physics and biology. Pupils are awarded a grade in each subject on a seven-point scale, A to G. The GCSE result is based on a final examination, and on work done during the previous two years. The GCSE examinations are extremely important, and often determine whether children leave school to work or continue to study.
A further examination, normally taken two years after GCSE, is the A-level (“A” meaning “Advanced”). This is usually done in two or three subjects only. The GCSE examinations are national examinations but GCE “A” level examinations are still set and marked by various examining boards appointed by universities or groups of universities. Schools can choose which board they like. Both GCSEs and “A” levels can be taken in almost any subject. Three A-levels are enough to get school leavers into most universities. Which university accepts them depends on how good their “A” level results are. For others, such as Oxford and Cambridge, you have to take special exams as well [1].