Americans React to British vs American Education Systems
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- Опубліковано 12 лют 2024
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Reacting To My Roots
P.O. Box 439
Jasper, Indiana 47547
USA
In this video we react to the American vs British education systems. From uniforms to terminology the British education system is vastly different than what we experienced in school. Public school is considered private? High school is college? What are some of the other unique aspects about education in the UK?
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Im glad we have the uniform system in the UK. There is no need to worry about what to wear every day, no competition between kids for expensive clothes ect everyone looks equal.
...except everyone doesn't look equal because the kids or parents adapt the uniform by wearing better quality shirts, tying the tie in different ways, shortening the skirts, tailoring the blazer, or wearing fashionable shoes. There will always be leaders and followers :-)
@@robertwatford7425 Wasn't my experience, and I went to a state school that was in a very deprived council estate area. My children also go to state school and thankfully in a better area that I went to. The only thing nowadays days with children is who has the latest IPhone..I wish those damned things get banned in school.
I was a perv when i was at school so I was also glad pmsl
Even the kids can see the difference between who's got the brand new jumpers/cardigans and who's got handmedowns, or whose parents bought the pinafores from John Lewis and who got their from Tesco or Primark. Same with shoes, my child had solid shoes from Dr Martens in primary and you could see the difference in quality between those and the cheap ones from ShoeZone. In secondary, again you can tell where the skirts, trousers and shoes come from.
And school bags. You were nothing unless you had a Smiggle rucksack in years 2-4 and after that it had to be a Hype. In secondary they all carry Adidas, Nike etc rucksacks.
But admittedly, it's not as bad as my secondary school days without uniform because if we wore jeans, they had to be Levis etc.
I wonder if this depends on how variable the area is? I went to a mostly very deprived school (most kids with free school meals, 50% unemployment at one point, very very high drug addiction rates) - but in a small town, so the handful of rich kids or as I know know, lower middle class kidswere there too. The differences in uniform were noticeable and everyone knew the status of others based on tiny things (keyrings, hair accessories, brand of black trousers, brand of polo shirt, shoes, jackets) and people were mocked for worn uniforms. It was very competitive, having the wrong skirt (had to be from a certain shop to be cool) was a big deal, and good forbid you had Tesco trainers. Maybe if we'd all been poor/all been rich that would be less true!
You should definitely check out Evan Edinger's videos on education in the UK. He compares curriculums, exams, and differences between the US and UK and he chats with UK friends and researches the subject. He even tries doing a UK GCSE maths exam.
This! I love Evan!
Evan does only videos comparing the UK to his home state of New Jersey, not all 50 US states.
@@marydavis5234 As Lawrence said, you just can't do that. You cannot compare all 50 states to all 4 countries of the UK. One can only compare what they know and what they've time for. The differences would take days to talk about
That's cool! I'm sure we will. We were definitely hoping this one mentioned more about the curriculum.
@@reactingtomyrootsEvan's videos on US v UK education are excellent.
The fact he did this video with classic British sarcasm is awesome
I prefer deadpan sarcasm to smarmy, smart-arse sarcasm. If I see this guy pop up in a reaction video I have to think twice before watching because he annoys the hell out of me! 😁
@@carltaylor6452 me too, he really is a pain in the arse.
@@carltaylor6452 very well put and I agree, he's a 🔔 end 🤣
@@webbsfan1 👍😂
It is not sarcasm, it is facetiousness, which is less biting. But even so it was still unnecessary.
The insane thing for me is that you said you were nearly 6 when you went to kindergarten (or reception in the UK) but at that age many of us in the UK had been in school for at least 2 years and sat our first exams at age 7 😄
In the US , you have to be 5 before August 20th, before you can start Kindergarten, the school I went to did not have kindergarten ,until I was in the 3rd grade.
@@marydavis5234 Ahh interesting. Here in the UK children legally don’t have to attend school until the 31 December, 31 March, or 31 August following their 5th birthday, but most kids will go to nursery age 3 and then start school age 4.
thats my hypothesis as to why young Americans seem to be very childish
@@seandonohue6793 American school start the Monday after Labor Day,
@@marydavis5234 I have no idea when that is 😂
school uniforms are a good thing- it prevents fashion bullying. You have to supply your own clothes. A typical school will have a fairly generic school uniform which is easy to supply- such as black trousers, shoes, white shirt - then school specific items such as school tie (available at school but also local clothing shops), blazer, jumper/sweatshirt and P.E kit.
Of course, school uniforms are common around the world, from Japan & China to S Africa and New Zealand. My grandsons live and attend schools in Australia, Canada, and Kenya. All of them have school uniform.
I've been in both environments and have to counterintuitively report the fashion bullying was worse in the uniform school. Bags and shoes and coats etc are more focused on when they are all you have. And the poorer kids with less and cheaper sets become obvious quickly.
@@RollerbazAndCoasterDada costly school bag is still a lot cheaper than expensive shoes
Totally agree with a uniform along as it is not to rigid. It stops bullying
An American here that went to school in the US and UK, uniforms are brilliant. Cheaper and less bullying
Many schools offer 'pre-worn' uniforms - where I live it's encouraged. So uniforms at the end of term are handed into school and these are then sold at a discounted price.
All the schools my kids went to had 2nd hand uniform schemes. The clothes looked like new and it saved a fortune.
My daughters old school has recently started doing that to help families who are less fortunate
When my father died during my first six weeks of Grammar school, it left an unimaginable strain on my mother to afford any uniform additions or replacements. The school had a dept which one could only describe as the "hand me down " uniform dept.. This saved my mother a lot of money and enabled me to carry on my education. French, Spanish, German were my other languages used by myself whilst working across Europe. It also generated my adult interest in foundations of the English language which I still love to research ......... from 11 years old passing the 11+ until now at 73 years old.
We have a shop in our town, where everyone takes in their old baby things, kids clothes, toys, uniforms etc and swaps them for ones that fit, it works well. 😊
Love that concept!
Love how Lindsey totally gets the British sense of humour in this video, she and I were giggling at the same little asides from the 'Across the pond' man.
High schools are bigger than primary schools.
High school is 11-18, but at 16, after GCSEs you start "6th form" where you do A-Levels. 6th form is usually a separate building/area on the school ground, many high schools have kept uniforms for A-Level students now.
You can leave high school at 16 and go to college for different qualifications. Obviously our college isn't university.
This depends heavily on where you're based in the country. Where I live there aren't any 6th forms, only colleges, who provide a levels and other qualifications.
You do the same qualifications at college and 6th form
nope! uniforms are not free unfortunately, but i did love my uniform!
We had to buy our uniforms at specified shops, but it was when there was a scarf, tie and blazer badge specific to the school.
yep we have to do this for our 2 children, 1 in Secondary and 1 in Primary - they have logos on the shirts, trousers. blazers and ties and also the PE kit which stops you buying generic items from other shops - costs a small fortune every September
@@zo7034 lucky you! uniform around here is quite expensive, especially with the school badges on polo’s and jumpers/blazers
Uniform in some places will be given for free to kids who can't afford uniforms.
@@neonelf-ish thats awesome, there was nothing like that around where i live (when i was in school anyway lol, it may have changed now!)
I went to school here in Scotland and we had to wear a uniform, blazer and all which I liked.
I think it looks smart and everyone looks the same and don't feel left out.
Yes my parents had to pay for our umiforms, they aren't free though if your parents were on benefits they would get a grant to help for paying for them.
We also don't call first grade, to us it was primary 1-7 and secondary school was 1st year - 4th year though you can stay on longer.
Wish I had seen your comment before I explained the exact same thing about 1st year etc lol!
@@RockinDave1 😂
When it comes to college, you typically refer to colleges as buildings that are separate from secondary school and vice versa for sixth form. Sixth forms will usually have parts of the building dedicated for year 12 and 13 lessons although you can use the same classrooms as secondary schoolers as well.
I would add usually sixth forms are attached to a secondary school and a college will be it’s own school not attached to a secondary school and be it’s own place.
My primary school was built in the late 1800s, and there were separate entrances for boys and girls. Even today, you can still see BOYS and GIRLS carved into the stone lintels at the entrances (the school is required to preserve them due to the historic significance).
Up until about 1910, primary schools were co-ed up to the age of about 6. From there to the end of school, boys and girls were kept completely separate: each had their own floor in the school, each had their own dining room, and each had their own playground, and each had their own entrance into the school (with the boy's entrance having no access to the girl's floor, and the girl's entrance having no access to the boy's floor).
There is a building near me with those entrance signs still up but it’s been turned into houses, I kinda wanted to buy one just for the sign above the front door 😄
Me too! And toilets out in the playground with no heating…brrrr
You have to buy the uniforms plus a p.e kit of said colour and a games kit of said colour
Was your school that strict? P.E was just white t-shirt and black shorts in my school. P.E Teams were separated by school provided sports bibs. Pretty simple and efficient stuff tbh.
@@-_-DatDude it wasn't that it was strict every school I know of was the same, pe kit was for indoors in the gym and games kit was for on the field playing football and rugby etc
One thing he didn't mention is that, I know in the US at the end of a subject you take a pop quiz or similar and that is your grade for that subject. In the UK, you may also take a pop quiz, but it doesn't mean anything. At the end of each year, you will have an exam for each subject that will cover everything you learned that year and maybe also a few questions on what you have learned previous years. This is the biggest differences between our systems, in the UK you have to retain all the knowledge to graduate school, in the US you only need to remember it for a short time to pass a test.
Video idea…
Evan Edinger has a video called School Exams, and it blew my mind how very different the way we are tested is 🤯 Def worth a look 😁
Thanks--sounds like what we're looking for! Will add to the list. :)
I wore my school uniform from age 4 to secondary school, age 16. At 17 I became a 6th form student and was excused uniform but we still had to wear a shirt and tie and some sort of jacket or blazer. The sixth form was in the same building along with the pupils just joining age 11. Some of the young kids mistook you for teaching staff and called you Sir. I left school at age 19 after retaking my A level exams to get a higher grade. That was back in the 1974 where virtually no one went to Uni. Now almost everyone goes to Uni.
The uniform from age 4 must of been very tight at 16
Where I live not everyone goes to Uni. The school drives them that way but a lot prefer apprenticeships, which are much better in my opinion!
As someone from Scotland I did:
Nursey 3-4 years old
Primary School 4-11 (Primary 1-7)
Secondary School 11-17 (Secondary 1-6)
University 17-?
You don't sit any exams until S4 where you traditionally do National 5s, Then S5 where you do Highers and Advanced Highers in S6
Same for me, except only one of my kids started Primary 1 at 4 years old. The "cut off" in Scotland is 28th February, so one of my kids was 4 1/2, the other was 5 years 5 months. He will be very popular in 6th year as the first to turn 18 in his year 😂
You don't remember how long you went to uni for? 🤣
@@c_n_b I still go to uni. The plan is to go until 22 for a masters but I haven't fully decided.
Scotland here too but I was lucky enough to be in high school/ secondary school at the time the education system changed from standard grades to nationals and highers! Don't miss the confusion that it caused the teachers!
Imperial College London is a college of the University of London. There are a number of colleges that make up the University of London including King's College, Imperial College etc
And all the different Oxford and Cambridge colleges that make up those universities.
@@Will-nn6ux
The University of Durham also has a collegiate system like Oxford and Cambridge.
Some schools have a sixth form college on site, like my old school did. The sixth form college was on the school grounds, but in a separate building. If the school doesn't have this facility, the students would leave that school and go to a dedicated sixth form college. The reason it is called the 'sixth form' was from a previous numbering system, when you would number the years in primary school, then start again at year one when you numbered the years in secondary, so the last two years really were the sixth form (upper and lower 6th).
An alternative to six form college for students who wanted to take a more vocation option, is to attend a technical college. These places offer vocational courses, which teach the skills required and offer education courses that would lead you towards a certain career path. Examples include courses in Art and Design, Computing, Catering, Engineering or Hospitality Management.
Many colleges in the UK offer vocational courses and education qualifications (GCSE, A Level, and even some degrees)
You may have noticed that college and university in the UK is not the same thing. Colleges generally offer what we call 'Further Education', which would include the courses I mentioned. A university on the other hand would be geared towards offering degree courses. We refer to this as 'Higher Education'
It is now a requirement by UK law that young people up to the age of 18 remain in education or training until their 18th birthday, or the end of the academic year in which they turn 18.
I would say majority of sixth forms have a secondary school these days due to the way funding works in schools. (London) view
till 18 is only in england and doesnt apply to UK Law
I have to agree. In Scotland you can officially leave school at age 16. But you must be aged 16 to do so , so that is why we have 2 official leaving dates. If you turn 16 between 1st March and 31st Aug you can be what we call a summer school leaver which means you can leave school when schools break up for the summer holidays in June. If you turn 16 between 1st Sept. and 31st Dec. of that year you must stay on school until Christmas of that year and then you are what we call a Christmas school leaver. Unfortunately if you turn 16 between 1st Jan and 28th Feb the following year you must stay on and complete the full school year and therefore you will be eligible to leave school the following summer.
Back in the olden days, when I was at school, we had a different numbering system. In primary school, it was Class 1,2,3&4. Then at comprehensive school (age 11) we entered Form 1. Your education was complete at the end of form 5, when you did your GCSE’s. This is where 6th form comes from - you ‘stay on’ at school for another 2 years in order to study for ALevels, which was the gateway to university. My 6th form was in the same school, but I could have opted to change school at this point to study more suitable A Levels.
Certainly in my area, 6th forms were always just a continuation of school, and every school had one.
We had to wear uniform in 6th form, but it was a little more relaxed and we had white shirts, rather than blue. When I went to secondary school, not only do you have to buy the uniform, but (back in the day) it had to be bought from a certain store too!!
College, for 16-18 yr olds was sort of more vocational education and focussed on getting BTEC’s NVQ’s rather than A-levels. But they were qualifications you gained in an area you specifically wanted to work e.g. Healthcare, childcare etc.
I’m sure I’ve massively oversimplified this, even though it still sounds complicated 😂
Nope, you're pretty much spot on.
Yep, same here, went to nursery, then infant school, 1,2&3, then junior 1,2,3&4, then secondary school years 1-5, doing o levels on 4th & 5th year, then 6th form for 2 years to do A levels
Yes that’s how I remember it too
Similar for me in the 60s & 70s, except I didn't attend nursery, just went straight to reception class in the infants. No uniform in infant and junior schools, just for senior school. Then at the end I stayed on for 6th form (or lower 6th) to do a secretarial course instead of going across the road to the Technical College to do it. Our comprehensive/secondary was also split as to lower school - years 1 & 2, middle school - years 3 & 4, upper school - years 5, lower & upper 6th (girls were allowed to discard ties for lower & upper 6th)
Secondary schools changed from 1-5 to 7-11 in 1990 (I went from 3rd year into year 10)
My school uniform was a maroon blazer, like the one on the thumbnail of this video. The other common thing, or used to be when I was at school, was "houses". My School was a grammar school. Schools are often divided into houses, often named after former headmasters or prime ministers. I was in Milner house.
You, your parents pay for the uniform, it is not provided and it can be expensive. There is probably some kind of benefit from the government for low income houses.
Me too maroon blazer and my house was Cawdor
Our houses were Byron (blue), Godber (red), Portland (green) and Cantrell (yellow), named after prominent local people. It was a convenient way of dividing everyone fairly (supposedly) for sports days and the merit/demerit system, covering a mix of age and ability.
Uniforms have to be paid for at all schools, and they can get incredibly expensive, but many will have second-hand uniform sales where they can be bought for much less money, and in my area at least, there's a bursary system for students from low-income families.
Basically, families can reach out to the school and explain that they are struggling, and be given money/vouchers to offset the cost of the uniform. As a disabled parent, I was offered a lot of financial support when my kids started secondary school, which is generally where the cost starts to mount (kids need blazers, shirts, trousers/skirts, as well as a full sports kit and trainers/sneakers etc). As it happens I didn't need that support and didn't take advantage of it, but I'm glad the system exists.
Many schools have an annual voluntary donation which is where this money comes from. Families who can afford it pay in, and the money goes on projects around the school and supporting kids from disadvantaged backgrounds. The government also allocates an amount of money per year to kids from families who are in recognised categories (eg: unemployed, disabled, fostering kids), and schools will receive it to cover the cost of free school meals, supplemented/discounted school trips, and again, to top up uniform funds.
I know of one school near where I live, which changed their gym/sports uniform part way through the school year and tried to force the parents to buy the new version just after they had changed it.
You should clarify that the financial help toward uniform is usually solely for those living on state benefits.
If you are working you won’t get any help toward the cost of uniforms which can be hundreds of pounds per child per year for secondary school students. This can be far higher if your child’s school has a uniform that can only be purchased direct from the school: the school essentially making a tidy profit on the uniform.
@@rayeasom I guess it depends where you live? Both my children go to schools which offer support to anyone experiencing "financial hardship". It's not restricted at all, you just have to reach out to the school yourself if you are struggling and ask for help, rather than it being a default option.
School funds contribution is obligatory in many schools and paid at the start of each term .
Savings bank schemes are also run and students can save money weekly to put towards school plays, day trips and foreign trips or educational visits to cathedrals, synagogue or mosques or museums .
@@rayeasomit depends where you are. I'm a working single mum and was entitled to the council grant as my income was below the threshold. So it isn't only folks on benefits.
I think in 6th form (16-18) we could wear our own clothes, I don’t really remember. You could also leave early if you didn’t have any lessons - at that point you’re only studying 3-4 subjects for A-level - which is like AP in the US but they’re required to get into university. And at university here you only study one subject completely, not a major, and you have to apply specifically to do that subject
You should check out the ‘Educating …’ series. It’s a documentary that goes into real British schools and follows the teachers and pupils. Theres lots of them like Educating Yorkshire, Educating Cardiff, Educating the East End etc. It’s a good insight into the education system here.
I work in a boarding school in England and they must wear their uniform from when they come down for breakfast at 07.30 until 17.45 when their school commitments end including blazer which they’re aren’t allowed to take off….even in the summer 😵💫
Yep - Due to constant daily industrial levels of laundry, this requires every single item of our clothing to have your name tag sewn in to it, you could change the font and colour of the thread used to write your name and I think you ordered them in packs of 100. The 2 weeks before any term starts, my mum would be sewing name tags onto every thing I'd be taking with me....
Wow, that would suck, honestly. Blazers in the summer would be miserable!
I went to Grammar school and we had thick woolen type blazers and we would not have dreamt of asking to take them off!!!
@@reactingtomyroots In my Public School, when it got hot, we had "shirt-sleeve order" where Blazers could be taken off.
We have to pay for uniform no matter what school we go to. My daughters uniform costs about £300 and she goes to a free school.
My daughters did the 15 hours free nursery from age 2 years 9 months and started full time school age 4. Education is compulsory at age 5. By the time they’re 6 they’re expected to be able to read.
I remember when my eldest started at 4 years we had meeting with the teacher about how she was struggling to pick up reading. Too much pressure too young it’s ridiculous.
Education is compulsory from 5, but ut can be home education. That choice is still available
There are non uniform schools around. I went to 2 and there's another in rhe town I live in now.
@@RollerbazAndCoasterDad I'm obviously talking about the norm.
That does seem like a big expectation, as all kids learn at different paces!
Yes, all students and parents have to pay for their uniform……. And it gets very expensive……. And what takes to piss most schools force you to buy it from their own shop
In Northern Ireland we name our school years differently, in Primary school we name our years P1-P7 (Primary 1-Primary 7). In Secondary schools we can either refer to the Secondary School years as Year 8 - Year 14 or First Year - Upper Sixth. Our Year 14 is the same as England's Year 13. We still have to wear a uniform in Sixth Form as it's still part of Secondary School. The first year of Sixth Form is called Lower Sixth and second year is called Upper Sixth.
Uniforms in schools can save kids a world of grief if they are from backgrounds wherr they cant afford the latest fashions etc. It might be a pain but it ut is also a good leveller. Uniforms are at the parents/guardians expense but some shops do decent deals on shirts/trousers etc
'Sixth Form' comes from the old days when Year 7 (age 11/12) was called 'First Form' and counted up from there. Many schools have Sixth Forms but some don't. Mine didn't and so I did my A Levels at a local community college and some of my friends went to the Sixth Forms of other, larger schools.
We still have private schools (and call them such). The Public Schools are mainly the big, old institutions like Eton and Harrow, other fee paying schools are generally referred to as 'Private', same as in the States. 😊
Edit: And its Shrove Tuesday /Pancake Day today here in the UK. I cant remember if youve looked at it before but it might be a topic for the future!
Been in both types of school in my life and the grief was worse in the uniform schools weirdly
funny how the UK is one of the last western countries in the world that still enforces it. Only Ireland and Malta have it in Europe.
I’m 21 so have a reasonably up to date experience and At my school we were given our tie and blazer for free- you could buy another blazer for around £40. The shirts/trousers/skirts are usually bought from retail stores. Asda and Tesco have a huge range of “back to school” uniform each summer time selling shirts and trousers etc for very reasonable prices (of course some people opt for a more expensive store for better quality)but with how easy the shirts get ruined with pens etc an Asda or Tesco shirt was always a popular choice. I’m sure there are some schools which are more strict on this though. I really had no issue whatsoever with wearing a uniform as it meant everyone was equal. We did however have “non uniform days” every couple of months which were usually used for fundraising where we could wear our own clothes and bring £1 to be donated to a chosen charity.
Do you mind me asking was this a private school? I've never heard of a state school providing a tie and blazer for free.
Good old ‘mufti’ days for charity
I've never heard that before, when I was at school my parents had to buy everything. I never had a cap but the school didn't enforce that part of the uniform requirement.
@@ruth1231 nope definitely not a private school- just a normal secondary school in Yorkshire.
My son’s primary school insisted on an expensive blazer from one particular shop and instead of a sew on badge with the school emblem, the badge was already embroidered on to the breast pocket. That meant you couldn’t buy a cheap blazer of the same colour as no badge would be on it. When he outgrew his first blazer I bought a cheap same colour blazer from a supermarket and got round the badge problem by cutting out the pocket from the first blazer and re-sewing it on to the new blazer (firstly cutting out the new blazer’s pocket and discarding it. ) sounds a lot of work but it really wasn’t, and I saved a packet by doing this. The school never noticed. This was in the 1980s.
When my son started high school, his uniform, sports pe kit which all has the school badge on it, etc etc, cost me £300. (Alot of schools damd you get the badged uniform so that you have to buy it from them at huge inflated prices, and not just biy generic mass produced stuff) Kids grow fast so i have that to pay every year on top of 2 or 3 pairs of school shoes. Probably looking at $500 a year per child.
For me as someone from South West England. Collage would take place in a completely separate place. Directed at further and higher education. It also had a university center on the campus where they partnered up with university to run courses.
The campus was large and there was quite a few blocks. My collage does lots of courses. But primarily educing students 16-18/19. But you could be an adult learner (retraining or retaking courses). My collage had a range of courses (but they keep cutting courses). Including A levels, T levels, BTEC (vocational), and prep courses for people with alternative needs. The collage did not have a dress code but it relied on using your initiative. There was also 'clubs' that would be put on such as board games. My collage was a 'open' campus such as you could just walk in and out but to be identified as a student or staff member you would have to have a lanyard.
I did a vocational course which was course work based.
Lots of collages are different and each setting has uniqueness.
6th forms are normally integrated at some secondary schools. 6th forms tend to be more into A-levels and people with good grades. For my area smaller secondary schools did not have a 6th forms but secondary schools in a larger town may have 6th forms. 6th forms tend to be more strict on things such as dress and attendance.
Primary school is Reception Year to Year 6. Compulsory Secondary school is year 7 to year 11. The remaining 2 years of compulsory education until you're 18 can be either 2 extra years of secondary school (year 12/13 also known as sixth form, often in the exact same school, and usually this is where uniforms stop) 2 years of college (what i did, not American college, not university, completely different place from secondary school, I wore a uniform but it was specific to what I was studying) or start a job apprenticeship (not common). Then at 18... university/american college.
We do have middle schools I went to one
@@laurawilson9235 where are you in the UK... cause in my 25 years of life I've never heard of middle schools in the UK. I've heard secondary schools be called high schools. But never heard of middle schools. Do you mean the second half of primary school (keystage 2/years 3 to 6/ages 7-11)?
@@jakeoliver9167 no a middle school I went to a first school a middle school and a high school all totally different schools and buildings in different villages I’m from Yorkshire
I grew up in Warwickshire and we had First (reception to year 3 ) Middle (year 4-7) then High School (8-11 )
By the time my brother went to school 4 years later it had changed to infants, junior, high
I think it is still this way now but I am 41 and my brother is 37 so could all be different again by now
I grew up in Yorkshire near Leeds. No uniform in my primary school, left before my 16th birthday as GCSEs were in the middle of it but finished mine just before and as I wasn't staying on at 6th form, bye bye school. Went on a 12 week collage course at Northern racing collage in June, then straight into work. I also spent a few weeks at hedingly middle school whilst our primary school roof was been repaired ( got burnt down 1 night) I'm now waaaaaay darn Sarth and my daughter is in primary school and needed uniform since reception. She's 11 and doing her SATs soon. Will be finding out which Secondary school she's going to soon and yus, we pay for all her uniform 😮
I really wouldn't rely on this bloke for anything re the UK. He has been away for so long he is hopelessly out of touch.
I am glad I am not alone. In some videos I have seen usa yt react to he has been so wrong about some subjects. Anything cultural he is so far off the mark.
You get a list of uniform from the school. You have to buy it all. Black school shoes have to have no other colour on them plus they cannot be trainers/sneakers. Its very expensive on the whole. Our uniforms are more rigidly adhered to than it was when i was at school..we had a colour pallette to wear. Black, red, white and grey. That was easier imo
Sixth form can be in the same school or somewhere different. The reason that it’s called that, is that in bygone times (when I went to school), you went to a new (secondary) school at 11 years old, starting in the “second form”, then the next year 3rd form…etc etc
I'll always defend school uniforms. Routine. Fast getting ready, no thought. Not being bullied for clothes. Not worrying about looking trendy. Non-school uniform days. Ties with house colours Harry potter style.... cost being the main issue. But state/public school itself is free.
Primary uniform is usually just a jumper/sweater with a specific colour and the school logo. With some matching colour book bags etc. (nostalgia).
Secondary unifirm... is the Harry potter stuff. Black or blue blazer with logo. Tie, often with house colours (my school houses were famous alumni of the school, primary school houses were local castles) Buttoned shirt. With varying degrees of strictness. Some schools never let you take the blazer off even when its hot. Some schools require a proper looking tie at the right length.
As an example. Primary school for me was a green jumper/sweater, yellow logo, green bags etc. Black trousers, always black shoes.
Secondary (i went to a grammar school, i wont get into that but brits will know) was nice black trousers. Black blazer, fancy logo. White buttoned shirt. Black shoes. And ties with a standard burgandy stripe, alongside the house colour stripe, mine was green.
My secondary/grammar school was also all-boys. Yeah...a concept that sucked. Not even for the reason you assume. It shouldn't exist.
Definitely
I don't really buy the bullying thing. There's always something for bullies to pick on other kids for.
@@Will-nn6uxyes we got bullied for other things. But clothes was one thing off the list. That's my point.
I agree entirely. During the six yrs we lived in the US for my work, while my son's school had a uniform, my daughter's did not. The fuss about having to wear what the "in crowd" wore, and the costs of doing so, were constant harbingers of heated discussion as she entered her teens. I think my daughter's wardrobe cost over ten times as much as my 2 yr older son's did.
@@jakeoliver9167I just think that if a kid is going to be bullied to any significant extent, it isn't likely to make a difference whether or not they have to wear a uniform.
When I was at school 6th form year 12 and 13 were optional. You could stay at your high school for it or go to a college building. These days I think it's compulsory to stay at least in some form of education for those two years
You can leave school at 16, but now you can't claim unemployment or any benefits. You have to either go to work or go to college, which you will receive help from the government
not any more in England anyway. You have to stay in some form of education until 18@@terencewelch9800
When I went to Primary school ( a million years ago,) there was no uniform ,it kicked in at secondary level .My sons went to an infants school (4 to 7 ) where there was a uniform .Part of the thinking is security ,in the VERY VERY unlikely situation where the child goes missing then it is always known what they were wearing and as everyone always has school photos they can supply to the police etc to aid finding them.My kids then went to Canada where there is NO school uniform policy ,then back when about 16 and 13 ,where they went to secondary and wore uniforms .When they left to go to 6th form college(the school had no 6 th form) ,then they had no uniforms.
The other issue with uniforms is you have no arguments in the morning about what they should wear .Thankfully there secondary school uniform in the UK was black trousers and a polo shirt and jumper,rather than shirt tie and jacket!!
This was my experience, step by step:
- between 5yr old and 11yr old = Primary school
- between 11yr old and 16yr old = Secondary school
** At this point, students have the choice to end their education and go straight to work, or you can continue to:
- between 16yr old and 18yr old = Sixth form (tends to be more academic) or a collage (tends to offer more technical qualifications, but there are still cross over qualifications)
- between 18yr old and onwards = Is when you go for your University Degree -> Masters -> Doctorate
** Sixth form is generally for 16yr - 18yr olds only... so if you left education at 16 and then later want to come back to education as a mature student, you will either take your work experience straight to a University degree (or some preliminary foundation diploma), or go back to and start at your local collage!
Well now they have to by law be in education until 18
Although this model is common, this isn't strictly true for all schools. I had the Primary school > secondary school system but my kids have a Primary > middle school > high school system. During Middle school they can choose to take the 11+ and if successful they can move into a grammar school half way through their time there. They then continue in Grammar for the rest of their education. @reactingtomyroots, Grammar is often a higher level of education which requires an entrance exam. Its still free, but as all the kids who go there have to pass an exam with a minimum level, it tends to be more focused on higher academic achievement. In fact, A lot of the public school children from where I live transition into Grammar at the same time as the level of education is similar but the parents dont have to pay ££££ per term in fees. Our school systems aren't quite as clear cut as this video makes out and have lots of variability depending on where you are geographically located, although this is a good overview.
@@mothermacleanwhile true you can still get an apprenticeship at 16 which is considered a fort of continued education as you still need to attend collage even if it’s just once a fortnight.
I had a blazer, shirt and tie in high school. You had to ask permission to take off your blazer in the classroom during the summer.
They always said no 😂
Even in primary school we had a uniform, although it was only trousers and a jumper with the school badge on.
Sixth Form is the name given to the two *optional* years of school study to complete secondary school in the UK (and some other Commonwealth countries) between ages 16 and 18. The two years are designated Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth. They end with the examinations that qualify students to attend the tertiary level of education at university etc. Those exams are called A Levels.
My old school included its own Sixth Form and we still wore uniform, but it was a different colour from the one we wore during the preceding five years. Students whose school doesn't include its own Sixth Form could attend another institution, typically called a Sixth Form College (although some other colleges offer A Level courses alongside tertiary courses, especially vocational ones).
You used to be able to leave school at 16 and claim unemployment, but now you either go to work, go to 6th form, or go to college but you will receive help from the government if you do the extra 2 years education but if you don't do either work or eduction you or your parents won't receive nothing because what was happening to many was leaving school at 16 and getting unemployment now this has stopped the government has saved a lot of money plus it forces the kids to get extra education (well most of them)
21:16 With 6th Forms, they are still in the secondary school building. With collage, they are in a different location. Sixth Forms usually do A levels and collages usually do courses that are more focused on a job role and practical work, rather than academics
As others have said uniforms are bought by parents but some schools do have backup secondhand items. Some families are eligible for support with the funding, it’s a lot stricter criteria than when I was at school. Generally speaking to qualify for support you have to be on free school meals. I got my school blazer paid for but they only allowed one on the voucher and so my mum made me wear one designed for a full grown adult man, because she was convinced I was about to develop bosoms the size of a small country and knew we couldn’t have another voucher.
I'm 61 and when i was at school the class size was 32. Yes we wore a uniform. Black blazer, white blouse, school tie, grey skirt, white socks, grey jersey at both primary school and high school, different tie at the high school. Our parents had to buy the school uniform. There was always a few who didn't want to wear a uniform but i always did. I'd rather wear "normal" clothes after school/ weekends. Kids back then had a lot more respect for their parents and their teachers. Its actually shocking now how kids talk to their parents/ teachers.
You're the lucky one, still have my reports from p5,6 & 7 from St Patricks, Plumstead London from the early 50's and the class size was 49, 49 and 48. You sat in rows showing your position in class from the tests.
The teachers were brilliant and you could hear a pin drop in class. your family had to buy your uniforms and they were generally passed down to your younger brother as you grew out of them.when you went to secondary school the class size went down to about 30 and you got your own uniform. Schools were also mainly segregated between boys and girls although the lucky ones used to go mixed schools(like my two younger brothers). The reason the class size shrank is because there were three types of secondary schools, Grammer, Technical and secondary modern.Which one you went to depending on your educational achievement in the 11 plus. Later this changed to the all encompassing Comprehensive system.
Class sizes at my daughters school is 28 and schools she's applied for in September are 30 and 31 with the higher always over subscribed 😢
Technology, American thing ?? The brits invented the tv the computer & the World Wide Web
You buy ALL.of the uniforms but overall it is easier than buying loads of fashion clothes and brand names. Most schools have days where you can buy out grown, second hand uniforms which help less well off families. School uniform is great.
I am 66 yrs old and back in the day we wore uniforms ( parents bought them) blazer , shirts, tie , v neck jumper , pleated skirts, white socks and black polished shoes 🤣👍👍🇬🇧
Hi Steve and Lindsay,
Strap yourselves in.
I went to school - for my sins - in Wales in the 80s and 90s.
What we called 'playschool' became to be called 'nursery'. The first year was when you turn three and is a half day. I went in the morning. The second year was a full school day, 9:30-3:30, with a nap in the afternoon (whether you wanted one or not).
Then in the year you turn five you start going to primary school. The school hours for Key Stage One (or 'year one') are the same as the second year of playschool/nursery, although now that you are "big" you don't get an afternoon nap.
Primary school is from year one to year six.
Secondary school (sometimes referred to as 'big school' to younger children) is from year 7 to year 11, then depending on your results in your GCSEs (formerly O-levels) is whether you stay on to sixth form and A-levels.
For one secondary school in my hometown you had to get fluent in Welsh (or Cymraeg) to be eligible to go there. This was not an option for me. So, I went to one of the other two secondary schools (9:30-'tewnty to four' or 15:40). Each and every secondary school year was made up of pupils from various primary schools in the town and primary schools in satellite towns and villages. Whether two classes from one primary school or four pupils from another, this, hopefully, helps you understand the difference in numbers between primary and secondary schools. Although, regardless of national statistics, my experience was that the average class size in secondary school was in the latter twenties
Sixth form is a part of all secondary schools. Year 12 commoly referred to as 'lower six' and year 13 commoly referred to as 'upper six'. Some larger towns and cities can have sixth form colleges, but this was not available in my hometown - then, as now.
A distinct minority of degree courses require three A-levels. Most require two A-levels, with one being the subject that you will need to have a higher grade in. The third A-level is to prove to the powers that be, the selection commity at College or University, that you are willing to work hard. Although, if you are smart and, say, you're working towards a degree in science, then making your third A-level maths will tie in nicely.
Simply, universities are much larger colleges. We call this 'third level education' (or commonly 'third level'). A common myth in the United States of America is that third level education in the UK is free. No so. Scotland treads their own path, with Scottish students availing of free third level education for a 'degree' (or 'undergraduate' as it is commoly called nowadays) course, although not for a 'master deegree' ('postgraduate') and Doctorate couses. Most in the United Kingdom pupils pay a small fortune to get such qualifications. Le sigh.
School uniforms helped to keep everyone on the same level. No designer this and that required, the poorest children are not going to be bullied for not having certain branded trainers (you call them 'sneakers') or jeans (they get bullied for something else entirely). And yes, you have to pay for the school uniforms.
In my hometown all sixth form students had to wear (the dreaed, poxy, and formal - I loath formal!☹️) school uniform. There was one shop, then two shops that sold the various school uniforms. Most are generic items in boring dark and dull colours. The only specifics you had to order were the fabric school badges to be sewn onto your school jumper (which the schools made some money from) and name tags (to be ironed into the back of your clothing).
Other clothing stores have now provide school uniforms, including those supermarkets that have a clothing range - all at comptitive sweatshop prices.
For 'dinner' (I'm working class Welsh of my generation), or 'lunch' as people tend to call it nowadays, you either take a packed lunch or pay for school dinners. At the secondary school I went to, the poorest students could collect a token from the secretary's office. This token afforded them a free school dinner. The cost was paid for by the government (or, in reality, tax payers).
Most schools are mixed sex schools, although most of the [confusingly named] public schools - the privately educated, or boarding schools - are gender segregated (or, more accurately, sex segregated; so they, cough, do not have sex. Because all pupils, as all people are straight🙄).
Public schools, as creches (new born to two years old) cost an arm and three legs (obviously I failed maths). Otherwise primary and secondary schools offer free education.
Everyday really is a school day.🦋🌟🧡
Apologies for a long one here, but as a recenty retired teacher you've hit on my 'specialsit subject'.
State education is free for all - paid for out of a mixture of national and local taxes. You do have to provide the school uniform yourselves- but there is always a roaring trade in second hand uniform items which helps a lot. It can be very expensive, but other schools are mindful of this, and you can pick up generic items (like shirts/ trousers/ skirts/ jumpers) at large supermarkets much more cheaply than the school specific versions. To offset this cost somewhat, you do have to take into account that you don't have to buy as many 'everyday' clothes for your kids, as they will be in uniform 5 days a week.
The specifics of school unforms vary from school to school, and also often depend on the age of the pupils. Primary schools (3-11 y/o) typically have a uniform coloured polo shirt, oftten with the school badg embroidered on the front, with a uniform sweatshirt or jumper/ cardigan, paired with dark (black/ grey is typical) joggers or trousers, or skirts or 'pinafore dresses' (do you call them that? Sleeveless overdresses). Secondary schools (11-16y/o) typically have a more formal 'Hogwarts' type uniform. (Some Primary schools do also insist on button up shirts and ties in school colours, like the secondary schools). Older pupils (16-18 y/o) who continue their education at school rather than college often have a separate uniform from the lower part of the school.- basically busines wear.
Laurences description of the Year/ Grade system was a little out. The 'Reception Year' is the first year in which children are of compulsory school age in England. This is the school year (which runs from September- July) during which they become 5 y/o. Technically, compulsory school age starts from the term (semester) after they are 5, but effectively, in most cases these days children start full time school from September, even if theye are not 5 until the following summer. Year 1 is then their second year at school, and they will typically be 6 during that year.
Children aged 3-5 y/o are entitled to 15 hours a week free education which they will spend in pre-schools or Nursery classes attached to schools. There are technical variations to this depending on family circumstances - some children get 30 hours a week of pre-school.
Standard English class sizes in Primary school is 30 pupils. Anything less and teachers are laughing at their good fortune! The size of classes in secondary schools drops because they are much bigger than the primary school. Typically Primary schools have Year Groups of between 1-4 classes (for very big schools) of 30 pupils of the same age. A secondary school takes pupils from many different primary schools and will split the pupils into10+ classes of 22-25 pupils in each.
'Sixth Form' is confusing to outsiders. The naming of it harks back to a previous numbering system, but has stuck. Traditionally, secondary school started at age 11, and was called 'First Form' and went on to Fifth Form (when one took GCSE's) and then went on the 'Sixth Form' if you wanted to study 'A' Levels. These days, our numbering sytem runs right through from Primary school, so the new secondary school pupils, aged 11, are in Year 7, and they take GCSEs in Year 11, before deciding on their next stage of learning. We've stuck with the name 'Sixth Form' for those staying on at school because we all know what that means.
What happens at age 16, after GCSEs, varies considerably from place to place, and from student to student. These days, all 16-18 year olds are required to be in some form of education or training. For some, they stay at school to do 'A' Levels (competely academic and prep for University). In some areas the Sixth Form are part of the same school they have been at since 11, and in some areas the sixth form is in a totally separate establishment. Others choose to go to a local College- either to do 'A' Levels in a slightly less formal environment, or to follow other courses and qualifications, which may be much more vocational. Yet a third group will do some sort of apprenticeship where they work in a 'real job' for some of the week, and then do one or two days a week at the college to gain formal qualifications related to that work.
As others have mentioned, i also had a school PE kit, plus games kit. Rugby/cricket.
You guys should react to “Educating the east end”. It’s an all old series that takes place in a certain secondary school in different areas of England and goes through the process and phases that kids experience whilst at secondary school. The series is very popular and super accurate as to what the kids live through during their time as young teenagers. For people who aren’t familiar with the culture of schooling in England, this series will give you a lot of information and understanding.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Good morning! 😁
School years in Britain are a bit confusing because they combine a mixture of school systems from the 20th century. Way back school years were called "forms" not years or grades as you call them. Back then kids would leave school at 16, in the 5th form of secondary school. Those who wished to stay on at school past 16, for higher education would therefore go onto the 6th form. It is still called sixth form to this day for some reason, even though it would technically be years 12-13.
So sixth form or years 12 & 13, are usually within the same school building, but may take place in a separate section or may be a separate building altogether. Sixth form generally used to cover academic lessons to a higher level of knowledge, but if kids wanted to study past 16, but NOT restricted to academics, then they could go to college instead and learn something like mechanics, building, technology, childcare or hairdressing etc.
When I went to school you left at age 16, (or 15, if you turned 16 before September 1st) That was the age school ended, unless you CHOSE to continue your education in sixth form or college.
But a few years back they made the decision to make education COMPULSORY to the age of 18 like America.
HOWEVER, unlike America, children do still leave "school" as such at 16, but they MUST then pick sixth form, college, or find an apprenticeship until they are 18. It kind of combines the same choices available to 16 year olds today as I also had, except now there's no CHOICE about it! You can leave school at 16...but you can't leave "education" until you're 18.
School uniforms are not free. Schools tend to opt for one of two "styles" of uniform, formal or less formal.
The formal uniform generally means a proper button up shirt, a proper tie in the school colours, black or grey trousers or skirts, a knitted jumper or cardigan in a specific colour, white socks or black or grey tights, black formal shoes, a school blazer with the colours and logo of the school, and a black winter overcoat. This style of uniform which is more dressy and grown up, is generally for children in secondary schools or private schools, although some schools do opt for this style right from primary. I wore this type of uniform for my middle school, but it was also a private school that my parents paid for.
The less formal uniform style tends to be white polo style t-shirts, a school colour cardigan or sweatshirt, black or grey trousers, skirts or smart jogging bottoms, black school shoes or smart trainers.
It depends on each school which they choose as their style, some are more relaxed about kids wearing jumpers or cardigans in the correct colour, whereas others insist you buy the items from them, which have the school logo embroidered onto. Some may insist on the logo sweatshirt but the rest of the uniform can be plain generic, some schools insist you buy every item from them with official logos on.
It sounds expensive, and of course it can be as an initial cost, particularly the formal school blazers, but it actually works out cheaper than buying them ordinary clothes. Most families buy 3 sets of shirts and bottoms and jumpers, but only one blazer. Considering the same size lasts them a year, it's actually pretty cheap, especially as kids get older and want designer trainers or jeans etc!
All UK supermarkets sell school uniform basics (plain colours) every summer ready for the September start of the new year. You can buy packs of 3 polo shirts for around £10 and 2 pairs of trousers or skirts for £7. The school embroidered sweatshirts are around £10+ each, school blazers can be £30 or way more! It depends obviously on age and size of each child. School shoes can be £10 a pair. Obviously you can spend much more from different shops, but the idea is, all parents can kit their kids out in the correct uniform even those who are poorer.
Uniform has tons of benefits...
If kids go out on a day trip, it is easier to keep an eye on the whole group.
Children know the uniform represents their school overall, so tends to make each child act more responsibly knowing bad behaviour reflects on all of them.
It works out cheaper than ordinary clothes, particularly as they get older and fussier.
Children are less likely to bully as they are all dressed the same so their family financial situation is less obvious.
Children won't ridicule another for what they're wearing as they're wearing it too.
It helps to focus children on school time, when dressed in school clothes, the same as you would wear a work uniform at work, and casual clothes at home.
I'm glad I left school at 16, I had a full time job lined up for the week after I finished my exams. It was making jewellery in a factory, boring as hell, but paid really well. I was employed and earning, but also applying for better jobs, so I was only there for two months before I went to work as a hairdresser. I could not have bore the thought of going to college! I wanted to earn money too much. I'd worked 12 hours a week since the age of 14, and liked having my own money for clothes, shoes, make up......and cigarettes and alcohol! 😂 I paid my parents rent, it wasn't loads, around £20 a week, but when I had my daughter at 18½ and got a house, my parents used the rent I'd given them for 2-3 years to buy pots and pans, bath towels, cutlery, curtains, bedding etc to get my home started which I wasn't expecting, but they'd put my rent money away for me.
Just like you Steve I hated homework! I hated doing my own, and then later hated trying to get my daughter to concentrate on doing hers! After a day at school you hardly want to do more school work! Ugh! Half of what we learned hasn't been useful in life anyway, haven't done simultaneous equations or trigonometry since I was 16 so that was a waste of time! 😂
So, are you ready to look for school placement for Sophia over here??? 😜😜😜
Haha! Lots of love to you guys! 😘😘😘 xxxxx
Leaving school at 18 is only compulsory in England. You can still leave school at 16 without any ongoing education in the rest of the UK.
@@Spiklething Ok...thank you for clarifying. I am English myself, I should have made that clearer. 😘 xx
A word of advice when leaving a comment. Keep it short. Very few people will have the time or inclination to read through your comment. 🙂
@@williamdom3814 my comments are always long. That's just me.
Steve knows that, I'm writing to him and his family - so I'm not bothered about what anyone else thinks. If they don't like long comments, I'm not holding a knife to their throat forcing them to read it, they do that to themselves. I'm not responsible for their inability to just scroll.
SOME people don't like long comments, SOME do! Those are my kind of people. I live alone, with serious health issues and have a gazillion words trapped inside of me yet no one to share them with. I'm aware I waffle on. I'm a waffler! I wear that badge with pride! What can I say? This is my conversation, you don't have to listen!
I'm also extremely stubborn and do not like being told what to do, I had years of domestic abuse and I broke free! I'm now expressing myself exactly as I choose to....and no longer prepared to be silent because others have low intolerance! Hence why my defiance is coming out in this reply to you, in the form of making this reply far longer than it needs to be... 😜
Don't blame me for you reading it! You have a good day now! 😁
......................
PS: William, I guarantee out of all the UA-cam comments you've read today, mine will be the one that you'll think about hours later....maybe even days! I don't know why, but I just seem to have that effect on people! 😘
.................
PPS: are you still here....?
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PPPS: I can still see you. 👁️👁️
A friend of mine went to both Uk and USA schools and she said that one of the biggest problem with USA should not having a uniform was it was more like a fashion parade , it all depend on how much money you had to spend on clothing
Lindsay / Lynsey / I’m never sure how you spell it is absolutely right - I’ve spent a lot of time in the US and have had American partners and a key difference is in the UK you are graded on your ability to argue your point and support it. And there are very few multiple choice exams, everything is essay / text based
Scottish schools are different from English schools also
We have Primary school which is P1- (4/5) - P7 (11/12) depending on birthday then you move onto High School (secondary) which is S1 (11/12) - S6 (17/18) in high school you can leave after S4 age 16 we take exams from S4 - S6
To give you a basic idea, education in the late 80s to 2000 for me was -
Age 3-4 Nursery
Age 4-11 Primary school
Age 11-16 Secondary school
Optional -
Age 16-18 - a choice between leaving to work, leaving to go to college (different place from school) or staying on at school to complete 6th form.
Same for me 90s to 2008. It was just after I left school in 2008 where it was made that you stay in education until 18, whether it be 6th form, college or an apprenticeship.
Love Lost in the Pond, he's both funny and sweet
He's about as useful as wolters world 😂
Back in my primary school days in England, I could grab my uniforms from a local store, which was way cheaper than buying them from the school itself. But fast forward to secondary school, and the only option was getting them from the school, which ended up being pretty pricey. And to add to the struggle, I was hitting early puberty, being a girl, and, well, let's just say my cup size was growing! So, not only was finding the right fit a challenge, but it also made the whole uniform situation even more expensive. the Uniform needing to buy is listed ⬇
1x polo
1x sweatshirt
1x trousers or skirt (not provided)
1x pair of plain black shoes (not provided)
1x PE polo
1x pair of PE shorts
1x pair of PE tracksuit bottoms
1x PE rugby shirt
1x pair of football boots (not provided)
1x swim suit (not provided)
1x gumshield (not provided)
1x pair of swimming goggles (not provided)
1x pair of trainers for PE (not provided)
1x pair of black socks or tights (not provided)
21:25 from what I've experienced, most sixth forms have secondary schools (they're all one big school but registered separately because you have to apply to get into sixth forms and people change schools, don't wanna go to sixth form, etc). Not every secondary school has a sixth form though - mine didn't so I had to go to another sixth form, which had it's own secondary school. There were some buildings that were just for the sixth form, but we had classes in other buildings too, and there were no buildings just for the secondary school. A lot of the time colleges are their own schools, because a lot of them tend to be for specialised courses like hospitality, engineering, etc.
And for the uniform, sixth forms usually have a dress code of suits, with a school tie or lapel pin. It's kind of a uniform but with more choice
😮 America has an EDUCATION system wow,you learn something new everyday, especially after watching some videos of American students being asked questions, especially about history
The extra 10% for the uniform in uk is more than likely colleges/6th forms were it tends to be non uniform
Sixth form is often in the same building but not necessarily. Mine was. We got a common room that no other students were allowed in
UK Education System Explained: England by Learnin Gym is excellent at explaining the curriculum from age 5 to 18.
Primary schools are never joined on to Secondary Schools. Secondary Schools are much bigger as they have a much wider catchment area.
Thanks for the tip!
So to answer some questions that popped up (from my experience in the UK).
- we have to pay for our uniforms
Preschool is 2, 3 & 4year olds (although mainly caters to 3yrs and early 4’s).
Then we move into Primary school. This is one building (or multiple buildings in one space) split into three.
First is reception. Kids are typically late 4year olds or early 5’s.
Then you have the ‘infant school’ which includes reception but also has years 1 and year 2.
Then you have the double doors that separate the building to move up to Junior School which is years 3-6. In year 6 that’s when we do what we call SAT’s which gives our next school an indication on what class levels we should be in etc.
You then move to a completely separate school for Secondary school.
This is for years 7 all the way up to year 11.
Years 7-9 you have to learn all subjects.
Years 10-11 is when you choose 5 subjects to learn and you have to do your GCSE’s in them (this is I believe the equivalent to your SAT tests which enables us to get into college/sixth form).
(All throughout this time we wear uniforms btw - even during P.E. We have a set uniform kit haha).
Now after GCSE’s you have two options.
1) college - this is for more hands on courses where you will generally do one week in a placement and one week studying and it keeps alternating. So for example if you choose childcare as your course, you will have alternating weeks of 1) work placement 2) lessons/coursework in the actual college. No uniform is needed, and there are no ‘exams’ as such, it’s generally all coursework based.
2) sixth form. There’s two different types. You have the sixth forms that are ATTACHED to secondary schools. With these, you will still wear the school uniform.
Or you have one that’s totally independent- and you can wear what you want.
The common denominator is that sixth forms tend to be pretty much solely lesson based (like school). Most you have to pick 3 courses to study but can choose to have 5 courses.
Either way they generally all finish once you’re aged 18.
After you leave sixth form/college, you can then choose to go to university to get degrees etc, which I believe is the equivalent to your colleges.
In primary and secondary schools we generally had class sizes of 30 students. College/sixth form we had average class size of 15-20
It varies on the colleges; I went to Truro College and studied the International Baccalaureate there, as most colleges in Cornwall also offered A Levels alongside any vocational courses they offered. Some colleges were dedicated to farming/animals etc which is understandable as they're specialised, whereas Truro was the main college for the county and has a huge campus, including University courses.
Some 6th forms in Cornwall would also expect you to go to them if you attended their secondary schools because of their location (far from any other schools/colleges etc) or because that's just what was done. Heck, we had people travelling in from Bude for 2 hours each way just to go to Truro college. I had 2 friends on the IB who chose to study it PURELY so they didn't have to attend their 6th form. Which is a shame in a way but I guess when you're stuck with the same people for seven or more years it can get very tiring.
@@EmmaHawkins94 ooo that’s very interesting!
I’m Essex based, and I literally only know of colleges and sixth forms being separate with one being hands on and the other being structured exactly like school.
It’s honestly fascinating how much it all varies depending on where in England you study
@@jasmineschol_ oh absolutely! I live in Kent now and people always look at me odd when I tell them I went to college, as though I didn't do well in school lol. Here it's very much grammar schools and 6th forms... so when I tell them I did the IB they then look really confused ahaha. My husband's experience of 6th form was also very different to my experience with college. It'll be interesting to see how things are in 10 years when my kids are about to go to 6th form/further education
5 subjects for GCSEs? I am jealous, I had to do 12 😢. Even my husband who went to a grammar school only did 9. I only passed at grade C or above in 8 subjects though. It was too much!
@@rainbowharrisonyeah so you have to take 3 mandatory GCSE’s (English maths & science), but you only have to choose 5 others to take. (So technically 8 in total, but only 5chosen). That being said you can take more if you want, but I’ve never known anyone to
Secondary schools used to start their numbering system with year 1. So GCSE would be taken in the fifth form (which is now year 11). Above that, years 12 and 13 are still called the sixth form. Some sixth forms are separate institutions- sixth form colleges. However, many secondary schools have an integral sixth form. These sixth formers provide role models for the younger children, and even may assist in the running of the school.
10:44 You pay for the uniforms. They are specific shops that sell uniform. I got mime from the third floor in Wallaces. Looked up the price:
£230.40 (2023 stats)
Also in Scotland many students receive a Grant for clothing yearly, traditionally around 190 dollars per year, per child for clothing
in the UK kids used to leave school at 16 , 6th form was optional , but now you leave school at 16 and have to either do 6th form or get a trainee course or apprenticeship role in a job till your 18
In my town, and near me no schools have a sixth form provision so there is one sixth form college in my town with about 4,000 students from like a 8 mile radius
Hey Steve. Some answers.
My secondary school uniform could be purchased anywhere as long as it confirmed to the school colours. School ties and blazers both with unique school colours on were purchased via the school.
Colleges can be on the site of a secondary school or desperate. Some are stand alone and specialise in creative, trade or educational learning.
I was invited to speak with a bunch of 16 and 17 year olds at my local college that were all studying business. The principal asked me to explain there was another route of starting your own business (I'm a 30 year business owner). I got a lot of engagement and questions.
Infant School 5 to 7, junior school 7 to 11, secondary school 11 to 16, sixth from college 16 to 18 (upper and lower sixth). each stage it is generally a totally different school, not many have all age groups on one campus
We do have middle schools (depending on your area). Collage is usually a separate school, where as 6th form is attached to a school but usually has its own building within the grounds.
Collage can be for academic purposes or to teach trades.
Sixth form is either another school of the pupils choosing where they will have interviews, discuss their chosen subjects and wait for an acceptance letter. Or they can go to college which is a totally different building. Between the ages of 16 and 18 and then on to university if they choose to.
We get no free uniforms, but usually, it's possible to get them quite cheaply.
When I was at school, years started again at secondary school, so you were a first year at 11 and the final year was the sixth form.
Uniform - felt like a small fortune every year (luckily my 2 have left now). Trousers or skirt and shirts can be bought reasonably anywhere. The blazer with badge and tie was expensive enough, but when you have to have specific (with logo) jumpers, and p.e. kit Including long and short sleeved tops plus shorts with the school colour, it really adds up! My school life 30 plus years ago - 'school logo wise' it was just a blazer and tie in secondary school (after age 11)
Back when I was in school you had to buy uniforms, but if your family was below a certain income level you could get a subsidy to buy them at a cheaper rate. Also only certain parts were specialised. The rest just had a dress code.
We could either wear a tie and blazer or a polo shirt with the school logo on it. Blouses had to be white, trousers, skirts or shorts could be worn and they could be in any style as long as they were knee length. You could wear any style of cardigan or jumper as long as it was black and wasn't branded. And you could wear any type of shoe as long as they were black, closed toe and the heel wasn't higher than two inches. You also couldn't wear trainers/sneakers or sandals.
You could also have whatever type of bag you liked as long as there were no inappropriate slogans on it.
So even though we were in uniform, we still had some flexibility within that for self expression.
At high school we could wear a "house" tie instead of the standard school tie if we wished. Still have my Spartans one today 😂
Also had to sew house "Brading" onto the top of the blazer pockets.
Rutlish?
In my areas schools “sixth form” students still wear uniforms but of a different colour than their younger students , my school for instance went from a Navy skirt/jumper/jacket and blue shirt to Black with white white shirts
As I only went to secondary school in England. Our school didn’t provide uniform. Students had to buy it. Our uniform was white shirt, black blazer, black trousers or skirts and black shoes. You could wear a black jumper or cardigan (optional) as well. Our school uniform had no tie. (The black blazer a jumper and cardigan had the schools logo) as for our PE kit we also had to buy this which were red polo shirt and black shorts, red long socks with schools logo. For contact sports like football. Hockey etc we had to wear a red contact jumper. Which was a red jumper with thicker black shoulder. In the winter we were allowed to wear PE tracksuits and hoodies (with the schools logo) and white trainers.
As for sixth form. I didn’t do sixth form but it varies on your school basically secondary school is year 7-13. However in the year 11 after doing GCSEs. year 12 and 13 are technically optional as you can choose to do college which is more vocational based like animal management, horticulture, public services, hairdressing, health and social etc.. however if you decide to stay on the do year 12 and 13. It’s called sixth form and most people that stay onto year 12 & 13 are students that want to do university instead of college after year 11. I left personally after year 11 to do animal management at college. However my older brother who went to the same school. Stayed into year 12 and 13 and studies A levels and then went to university to do cybernetics (university Is also like if people want to become a doctor, vet, engineer, physcologist etc) my secondary school was a secondary school but had a sixth form centre as a separate building and even though sixth form students don’t wear uniform they were required you wear ID lanyards
The man in the video said that the Boston School was set up in 1600s but that an alumnis from the school (who went to it much later on) was Benjamin Franklin.
The term sixth form comes from the time when high school used to be numbered years 1 to 5. It was then optional to stay on to take the higher A’Level exams, so this was then the 6th year of high school split in two years being lower 6th and upper 6th. Some high schools have a “6th form department “ on site while some student take A’levels at a separate 6th form or college.
We pay for uniforms in UK. You can often get them second hand.
Regarding secondary school class sizes; secondary schools are much larger than primary schools, so there's often between 4-10 classes in each year. Primary schools are almost always local schools, and usually only have 1-2 classes in each year, so the classes are larger. In mine there were 34.
I enjoyed the video, the commentator was witty but love hearing your comments both of you on the differences between US & England education..
I’m a brit in my 30’s. I had a phone in the later years of my secondary school (year 10 age 15 & year 11 age 16). There were computers in the library you could go on and sometimes a cart full of laptops might be pushed into the classroom for everyone to use for a lesson. But most of our work was done in books or on worksheets.
When I grew up in the 60s/70s in Santa Barbara, CA, we had Kindergarten-through-Sixth Grade at the elementary school; junior high was grades 7, 8, & 9; then high school was grades 10, 11, & 12. I think it is different there now.
My secondary school was uniform until year 11 and then 6th form (year 12 and 13) wore our own clothes. 6th form was in the same buildings/classrooms/facilities as the rest of the school.
My parents had to pay for my uniform, in my area we had a shop called Hewitts which stocked blazers, trousers and skirts for all schools in the surrounding area.
As someone who went to two state schools (primary and secondary education) inclusive of sixth-form, we had to pay for all aspects of the uniform. For my primary school we could purchase the blazer, tie, skirts and sports jersey from the designated uniform outfitters around the city and shirts and summer uniform dresses could be purchased from other. My secondary school uniform consisted of a blazer, tie, skirt, jumper, sports socks, sports skirt, sports knickers (worn under the skirt over underwear), sports jersey, and scarf all of which we had to purchase from the single uniform shop. Furthermore, as we progressed through the school we had to purchase another blazer of a different colour and on entering sixth-form the skirt changed and we had to purchase that. As you can imagine, this was not a cheap endeavour. The only thing we could buy from standard stores were white collared button-down shirts with a single button cuff, tights and/or socks, and shoes. I imagine over the course of my secondary education the cost to my family was somewhere in the region of £500 and this was in the early 2000s which is equivalent to approximately £900 now. Whilst this is on the steep end for state secondary schools, it's still a huge expense. That being said, wearing a uniform means it is less stressful deciding what to wear and how it will be perceived by others.
Also, my average class size throughout primary and secondary school was 28-30. It only dropped during sixth-form.
Some secondary schools will have sixth-forms and others may not. There also exist standalone educational establishments (usually called colleges) that specialise in higher-education (A-level standard qualifications) although they may also offer other qualifications.
Whilst choosing specific subjects for A-levels can be beneficial for some types of learner I actually think a more broad cover of subjects (such as the International Baccalaureate [IB]) may better prepare those who perhaps have not made a decision on which university course to which they wish to apply thus avoiding the need for further access courses or foundation courses prior to starting university due to a missing A-level subject.
In the area where I grew up, there were a number of 11-16 secondary schools. When kids left those schools at 16, they applied to one of a couple of post-16 colleges. There was a traditional 16-19 sixth form college focusing on academic A-levels, and a 'further education college' that focused on vocational courses. I think that one catered to a larger post-16 age range than the sixth form college.
In my experience, the only schools I knew of without uniforms were schools that had a special function. For instance a sibling when to a dance school (part normal school, part performing arts school) and didn't have a school uniform, though individual classes required leotards etc. Another goes to a special needs school with no uniform. Uniforms were pretty expensive and although people say it reduces bullying etc, that wasn't how it worked at my school. Everyone knew who the poor kids in ragged uniforms were, who was wearing hand me downs, which girls were wearing a boys blazer (they button to a different side) etc. The rich kids had sharp brand new looking uniforms and expensive shoes. Outside school, most people wore similar cheap trendy clothes and unless you were wearing fake sportwear etc it was less of an issue.
I went to School in Scotland and my experience was
- age five to 11, Primary School (kids were between 4 1/2 and 5 1/2 when they started), classes were described as Primary 1 through to Primary 7
- age 11 to 18, Secondary School, classes were described as First Year through to Sixth Year. No separate 6th form type thing. Maybe the Scottish cities have that system, but there were no separate 6th forms in my area. You couldn't quit until you were 16 unless there was a special exception for you to go to college for something vocational (usually for special needs kids or kids who weren't academic). The standard academic route at the time was First to Second Year - general education with lots of subjects. Third and Fourth year you chose 8 subject to take exams in (Standard Grades at the time), which had to include Maths, English, one language, one science, one social science. Fifth Year you chose 5 subject to take exams in (Highers) and 6th year you filled out gaps with extra subjects needed for further education courses, retakes, or occasionally Advanced Highers (which brought the one year Higher up to the standard of a 2 year A Level in England, mainly for kids applying to English universities).
We do have to buy uniforms, and in high school/ secondary school these can be quite expensive cause u need specific ones with badges and would be sent home/ put in isolation rooms if u come in with slightly wrong uniform items, effectively costing u education as ur not allowed in the classroom
The " other 10%" will be 6th formers who don't usually wear the uniform .
Parents have to buy the uniform and sports kits.
Our local " pre school" class is called RECEPTION.
When I was in 6th form we were still at the same school.
If you go to "college", not to be confused with an American " college", it will be in a completely different building somewhere else in town.
UK SATS, which are conducted at the end of primary school (Year 6), assess the students’ basic numeracy and literacy skills. These tests assess how students are progressing before entering secondary school and can identify gifted and talented students, as well as students making slow progress. Usually, these SATS will determine the setting (ability grouping) that a student will be in once they reach secondary school - primary school students are usually taught in a mixed ability classroom, whereas secondary school classes are usually streamed according to the individual students’ abilities in a given subject. SATs are also used to monitor the performance of a primary school, whilst the individual SATs results for each student can provide a relatively accurate prediction for their final GCSE grades using various algorithms such as the Fischer Family Trust.
When I was at school, you could only get the blazers and ties for all the schools in the area from one shop. So at least the the outerwear was the same but kids being kids (especially teenagers) managed to incorporate various bits of rebellion into their uniforms.How you tied your tie could be different, the girls would wear shorter or longer (depending on the fashion of the time) skirts. You could still tell who had more money because the accessories or quality of the their shoes, trousers etc but mostly because they were not wearing hand me downs.
Reception is the first year of school for primary school. Primary school is usually broken up in two sections, infants & junior. A lot of primary schools also have Nurseries attached to them, pre reception age.
At 11yrs kids start year 7 at secondary school, about year 9 they can pick main options to study like History OR geography etc. Age 16 secondary school ends with options for 6th form (usually at the school) college (a completely different building/place with more options to study) or be able to take on an apprenticeship. My niece did this for hairdressing, a mixture of study & practical all within a working salon while getting a decent(ish) wage.
After 6th form/collage the options of university is there from around age 18
I was very fortunate to have been privately educated from Nursery to Sixth Form in the UK. My boarding school (Public School) from 11-18 (Lower IV, Upper IV, Lower V, Upper V (GCSEs/O' Levels), Lower VI and Upper VI (A' Levels) - hence where 2 years of sixth form comes from) the school had 4-5 pages of school uniform that could only be bought from one of 2 specialist outfitters - but second hand were available. The list included a long wool navy cape with your house colour as the hood's lining - the cape touched the ground when you first bought it but was never replaced so just shortened as you grew. Also included in the list were things like day blazers, kilt type skirts in navy, straw boater, Sunday suit jacket and skirt, house coloured ties (with tie pins), PE kit, two types of shirt (day and Sunday), etc., etc. And all with name tags sewn into everything. And don't forget the lacrosse stick! But at £16,000 ($20,000) per term (semester) in 2024, it's expected the parents can afford it. Mufti (your own clothes) could be worn in the evenings and on weekends after classes finished at 12:15 on Saturdays and after chapel on Sunday - but "lecture" dresses (conservative tea dresses) had to be worn for any evening lectures and concerts.
I went to school in Scotland which is quite different to England. We have primary school which is p1-p7 (aged 4/5 to aged 11/12), then secondary school which is sometimes referred to as high school which is s1-s6 (aged 12/13 to 17/18) but as 16 is considered adulthood, you can choose to leave school after this point. In s4 you sit your national 5 exams which we did 8 of in my school and you pick those 8 subjects towards then end of s2 and then study them in 3rd and 4th year. In 5th year you sit your highers (usually 5 of them) and these are considered the important ones as they are what you apply to uni with. In 6th year you sit advanced highers which are considered the same level as first year of uni in terms of difficulty and you usually do 2 or 3 subjects although you can also choose a mix of highers and advanced highers depending on what you want to do. Plus, all grading is done A-D (and no award below that), 6th form/college doesn't exist and public and private schools mean the same things as in the US. The other major difference between Scotland and England is the years of which pupils start in. In England as school starts in September, the oldest people in the class will be born in September. However, in Scotland we start school in the middle of August but the oldest children are born in January as we use the beginning of the calendar year. What makes it more confusing is the cut off for children entering that school year does not come around until February or March of the next year, so it was not uncommon to have a 13 or more month age gap between people in the same class! Parents with kids born at this time of the year are often given the option of choosing whether they believe their child is ready for school or if they should wait another year before starting
Here in Bedfordshire, they've recently changed the school system to a 2 tier system. Primary school. Years 1-6, then secondary school. Years 7-11. Then 6th form. Yes it is in the same school.
Your year 12 and 13 is when we in uk go to college and it is different sites and run different to schools and sixth form is put in place for that too now but still have a choice on which one you like go to