American Reacts to the British Education System

I think one of the biggest differences between the school systems is British education includes knowledge beyond our shores. We learn how we fit into the wider world.

The fact that we don’t have to wear bullet-proof backpacks puts us ahead x

What Laurence didn't mention was that many students, instead of staying at school for sixth form, go to outside colleges to study a specific subject. Here they attain diplomas, which are equivalent to GCSE and A level courses.

When I was doing my degree with the Open University one tutor was American; she was very surprised by the amount we were expected to cover in one module. An OU module was half a normal university year because we were studying part-time but she thought it was more than would be expected in a full-time course at an American university.

He’s gonna be shocked when he finds out that most secondary schools are 11-18 years old😭 and some are even 11-19

I believe uniforms are intended to make all the pupils visually similar to discourage bullying or social hierarchy due to family finances. If one kid comes into school in full designer clothing and another comes in wearing second-hand clothes because their family are struggling, it opens up (especially in younger children) feelings of superiority/inferiority that naturally leads to bullying. If everyone is wearing the same uniform, like in the military or in a workplace environment, everyone is equal to each other and social class doesn't interfere as much with education.

Because I'm a 76 year old UK wrinkly I was educated in an older system. What is now called PRIMARY SCHOOL used to be called Infants and Juniors and covered the ages of 4/5 to 11/12. ( side note my class size was 46 pupils ) We then took an exam called the 11 plus. This exam streamed you into 2 forms of SECONDARY SCHOOL Grammar schools which were for the more academically gifted and Secondary modern which were more for vocational education but you still did GCSE's. At a Grammar school you took GCE's ( general certificate of education ) exams and could leave at the age of 16. You could choose to stay on for another 2 years and take your A levels ( advanced levels ) necessary for University entrance. These 2 extra years were called lower and upper sixth form. So armed with 6 GCSE's and 2/3 A levels you then applied for University and did 3 years to gain a B.A. or B.S.C. (4 years for a B. Ed.). I took a slightly different route, I left at 16 and went to Art school for 2 years and gained my 2 A levels there. I then went to Art college and gained a Dip A.D. (diploma in art and design) I later did additional modules to turn my diploma into a fine arts degree. This was of no use at all as I then became a police officer.

My school had a sixth form so we actually had 11 year olds and 18 year olds going to school together. I had an 18 year old friend in year 7 who looked out for me. He was nice, but otherwise it was really overwhelming at first because everyone looked so big and scary

When British schools have non-uniform days, usually for charity, the kids all turn up dressed the same anyway. Having taught for nearly forty years, I am totally in favour of uniform. It really does help to avoid discrimination against students who cannot afford new designer clothes every day. It's not perfect but it's better than the alternatives.

The big difference that he never mentioned was that in the UK, kids do NOT graduate from high school or 6th form! I also think that the term student is more widely known now and not just for college or uni attendees!

I taught at a community college in the US. the courses I taught were for adults. I had students from all over the world. The students from Britain (England and Scotland). Due to their system, a student with a Bachelor’s degree have the equivalent education to a Master’s degree in the US.

The thing you have to remember is it’s only recently that “high school “ was compulsory beyond the age of 16. So up until reasonably recently most of us just started work at 16. And only really brainy kids did 6th form and then uni. Us 16 year olds might go to college either full or part time as part of in work qualification.

17:11 secondary school covers ages 11-18, so it is basically US middle and high school combined. Except without the cheerleaders, obsession with the school sports teams, and endless formal dances every other weekend.

In the UK we use the term 'Primary School', as this is the primary source of learning for your first 7 or so years and it should not only teach you the basics of Maths and English but also give you a general introduction to many other subjects like science, art, music, some languages and sports (as examples). 'Secondary School' is the second level of education where the general leaning from Primary School is more focused and advanced, in preparation for Higher education in college or university. Higher education is also refer to as Tertiary Education. So Primary (1st), Secondary (2nd) and Tertiary (3rd) levels of education in Britain.

When he was shocked about 12 year olds and 16 year olds in the same school I burst out laughing because in my school we had 12 year olds all the way to 18 year olds.😂

Dude being shocked that people learn latin got me. It's actually quite a big thing in England, especially posher areas, and most secondary schools in big cities have it as an option.

In Britain, College is a vague and fluffy word that just refers to a formal collection of people. It could be a school, a trade academy, a university, or a hall within a university, right up to the Royal College of Surgeons, which qualifies and polices the standards and research of top Surgeons.

Britain used to use letters but now Britain uses numbers to grade which was one of the stupidest changes ever because people still compare the numbers to letters.

In most of England we have sixth forms (same age as college) attached directly to the secondary school so we actually have 18 year olds in the same school as 11 year olds. From my experience the sixth formers are often helpful to the younger students and regularly help run activities for the younger years.

It always amazes me that Americans wear a cap and gown just for finishing school. In the UK we get to wear a cap and gown only when we get a degree from a university. We do now have graduation parties at the end of school but no cap and gowns till you get a degree. I guess the Americans are super proud they managed to get to the end of high school, whoopdedo!