Hey Glam - I'm interested in the differences. What do you think are the major differences?
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There are a number of logistical differences in the Primary years. Our kids start school at four and can attend Nursery before that if places are available. Primary ends at age 11. Secondary runs from 11-18. After that there are higher education chances such as university though this year there's a marked shortage of places. It's very, very rare to hold a child back a year or advance them, especially in Primary. Truly gifted children - 1 in 1000 - could be different but they lose out socially.*
There are differences in the way Primaries are run compared to US Elementaries. We don't have non-teaching Principals. Our Primary Heads will be expected to teach if there are staff shortages though many try and get out of it! Primary kids are usually not separated for lessons: all or most lessons are conducted by their classroom teacher.
Arguably the main difference comes in Secondary Education where in England and Wales (marginally less so in Scotland which has its own system). Here the kids become more specialised at an early stage in their Secondary life. As I understand it, in the US there is a more generalised education curriculum - teach the whole child - and some here feel we would benefit from a bit more of that. In university too there is much vocational learning in this country and less than about actually being educated, if that makes sense. The US college system teaches a broad range of subjects; our universities specialise completely.
*For many years I taught in a middle school - 9 to 13. They don't exist any more (money) but were very good at what they did. For one four year period we taught a gypsy girl called Rose. A naughty little imp she was but not hugely so. Gypsies don't let their girls go to Secondary School so we inveigled it so she spent two years in our top year, where she was 14 compared to the other 13 year olds. For her it was a benefit because she'd not go to school again. For us it was a pain because she was precocious and wanton and the other girls were being guided by her.
However, after all that, on both sides of the Atlantic the results are the same. After 12 years of formal education none of the kids know where Slovenia is on a map...
