Page 163 - English Vocabulary in Use (Pre & Intermediate)

483 Education: school

A The system

Most children in England and Wales follow this route in the state system (= free education].
Age
3 some go to nursery school
5S everyone starts primary school
11 pupils go to a secondary school (AmEng = high school). This may be a comprehensive |
(= mixed ability) or a grammar school (= children selected for their academic ability)
16 they leave school and get a job, or go to a college for vocational (= job) training, eg.
hotel management, secretarial courses; or stay at school for two more years
go to university
18 they leave school and get a job or — go to a college for further education/training,
e.g. teaching, business studies.
Note:
* You go to school (as a pupil to study) and go to university (as a student to study). You
don’t use the definite article ‘the’ here. Other expressions like this are go to bed (to
sleep); go into hospital (when you are ill); go to church (to pray / to worship).
In some areas of the UK there are not many grammar schools.
There are also public schools. In fact, these are private, and parents pay to send their
children there. Some are expensive. About 5% of the population go to public schools.

A school timetable

MON TUES WED THURS PRI

Lesson 1 Religious Maths Social English Visual Art
Education Education

(break)

Lesson 2 History Science Music Science Geography

Lesson 3 English French Physical Maths
Education (PE)

(lunch)

Physical
History
Maths*
Maths
Information
Lesson 4

Education
Technology

French
Visual Art
Lesson 5
English.
Geography
* Maths is an abbreviation of mathematics.
As you can see, the pupils have five lessons every day, and altogether they do (= study)
eleven subjects a week plus Physical Education (PE). Every morning they have a twenty-
minute break. There are three terms (= periods of continuous work) in a school year, and
the timetable changes every year.
Note: Some words in English which end in ‘s’ look plural, but in fact they are singular:
Maths isn’t my favourite subject, and physics is very difficult.
Most nouns of this type refer to subjects; other examples are economics and politics.
160 English Vocabulary in Use (pre-intermediate & intermediate)