My new gig is in the world of PR for an educational company. In short, I work with their school partnerships to shine light on not only the company's educational products, but their school events, activities, and teaching techniques. So I am writing releases and articles to gain publicly for the company's partners {aka schools} and its product.
To be honest, I am a little nervous about the job because I'm unsure if I am going to do well. However, I am truly liking it because the job gives me time to research schools + education news that I never had the time or opportunity to do as a teacher. Did you hear that? I am getting paid to read about a field that I love AND even more so, I get to read + write about the POSITIVE aspects of education. AND {as if it couldn't get any better!} it's a freelance position, so I can work from home {which really means, anywhere in the world!}. I should pinch myself right now, because it is a dream to have this position.
In the short time I've worked, I've learned SO much about the British school system in comparison to the American school system. So this post about school lessons I've learned this week is dedicated to all my teacher peeps {I miss you guys!}. I hope you enjoy this!
1. The British school year is from September to July and is broken into terms: Fall term {September to Christmas}, Spring term {January to Easter}, and Summer term {April to July}.
2. Schools have a half term holiday that is typically 1-2 weeks. They may have a break after each term, as well {I'm not sure about this...}.
3. The UK has a National Curriculum with a set of Standard Attainment Targets {SAT}.
4. The school systems are broken down into primary and secondary schools; primary school is between the ages of 4-11 years old and secondary school is between the ages of 11-16 years old. At 16 years old, students go onto 6th Form, which is where they prepare for university.
5. To make it even more confusing, the primary and secondary levels are broken into stages, where at the end of each stage, students are tested. Key Stage {KS} 1 is between the ages of 4-7 years old and Key Stage 2 is between the ages of 7-11 years old; therefore, primary school is comprised of KS1 + KS2. KS3 is between the ages of 11-14 years old and KS4 is between the ages of 14-16 years old; so, this means that secondary is comprised of KS3 + KS4. As mentioned, at the end of each KS, student are tested on the SATs.
6. There is a big assessment at the end of KS4; this is known as the GCSE.
7. At the end of KS3 {11 years old, if you are still following along}, students choose 10 subjects to study in KS4. At the end of KS4, students {called pupils in the UK} decide 5 subject areas to study in the 6th Form. They drop all others besides these subjects to prepare for their University major. The required subject areas, from what I understand, are Maths {yes, they make this plural} + English.
8. State schools are known as the public schools; these can have a religious affiliation. So most state schools that I have seen usually have uniforms.
9. Students can choose any school to go to, as it is not dependent on their location. However, the "good" schools fill up quickly; yet, parents can appeal if their child is not placed in the school of his/her choice.
10. Students can choose to go to any school because in the UK, education is seen as free. Meaning, every child should have the same access to a good, equal education. The universities even were free at one point, so anyone can attend. It has only been within the last 10{ish} years where they have instituted tuition for those who choose to attend; this is a hot debate in the general elections this year in the UK, as those running for election are offering a tuition cap.
11. Unlike the United States, professional development for teachers is not required. If you are a teacher, I'm going to let this one sit for a while....{I can't wrap my head around this one}.
12. The world of education is buzzing all over social media. You can follow education gurus + reporters, chat about teaching with educators, read articles about education all over the world by simply looking on social media. AND while every country has its own system, essentially, educators are seeing the same issues + challenges all over the world. And now its time for a shameless plug: follow me on my professional Twitter account {@EducaChamoun} for more information about education and to learn about what I'm doing {all views are my own!}.
And folks, this is just the start of me trying to uncover {or discover or both?} the UK education system! The one thing I am slowly learning is that there is not always going to be a US equivalent to everything in the UK. Their school classification and leveling does not always match up with America's, and I need to learn to accept that. Just breathe....