British, Czech and American education system

British education

There is a compulsory schooling in Great Britain. Children have eleven years of obligatory school together. Their school day starts generally at 9 a. m. and they finish at about 4 p. m. Quite opposite to us, the British have just six weeks of summer holiday but they more holidays during the school year, e. g. at Easter.

At the age of eleven they can continue at secondary school. When they are sixteen, all students have to take GCSE exams, which is a General Certificate of Secondary Education. After that they can leave school and star work, go on for vocational training or go to study at a university. If they want to study at a university, they have stay two more years on their school as “six formers” and take the “A-levels”, meaning advanced level, an exam take in two or three subjects.

There are many types of school in Britain, e. g. Secondary Modern School, Grammar School for more gifted pupils and Comprehensive Schools, which are non-selective and most spread as they are for all children of all abilities.

Private schools in the UK are very expensive. Most of them are boarding schools. These schools are single-sex and they have uniforms which are students usually proud of.

Czech education

In the Czech Republic, we have nine years of compulsory education from the age of six to fifteen. We start our education for at basic school. There are two grades if the basic schools. In the first grade children learn to read and write.

The academic year in the Czech Republic starts on the 1st September and ends on the 30th June. There are several breaks throughout the year. The summer holidays are two months long.

Most Czech schools are administered by the state. The schools are free of charge.

Having left primary school, children can enroll at grammar schools, apprenticeship centers, vocational or other professional schools or art schools.

At apprenticeship centers, trainees obtain a certificate and become qualified workers and craftsmen. The training take three years, and days spent in school and alternate with those that the trainees spend doing practical work.

When the students end their grammar schools and professional school by school-leaving exam, they can continue at a university.

Most of Czech schools are public in compare to the UK or USA.

American education

When American children finish nursery school and kindergarten, they start elementary school at the age of 6. Every child gets minimum 13 years of education. Secondary school /high school/ -usually divided into junior /at 11 to14/ and senior high school. They get a high school diploma. If they want to go to a university, they are required to pass the SAT exam (Scholastic Aptitude Test), which include Math and English.

There are both public and private school in the States. The rule is that the more you pay the better education you get. So at public schools there are usually children from poor families and the quality of education is usually very low.

Among the most famous universities are Yale University, Harward University or Princeton.

vocational training – nevím, jak to říct česky J – doplním

more gifted – nadanější

most spread – nejrozšířenejší

boarding schools – internátní škola

administered – spravovány

apprenticeship – učňák

vocational/professional schools – odborné školy

qualified workers – kvalifikovaní pracovníci

craftsmen – řemeslník

required – požadovány