Education in Great Britain and Slovakia

Great Britain:

In Britain today, education is compulsory from the age of 5 to 16. There are 5 schools days a week. The academic year begins after the summer holidays and is divided to 3 terms. 3 and 4 year old children receive nursery education in kindergarten. / About 47 percent of children go there / about 93 percent of British pupils receive their education at school supported by public funds, the rest attend private or church schools. State education is divided into 2 main stages:
Primary schools from the age of 5 to 11. Secondary schools are of 4 main types:

1. Grammar schools are state or independent. They are selective and take more academically
able children. The prepare students for the studies at universities.
2. Secondary modern schools which provide a practical education in addition to a general
education. Students leave them at 16.
3. Comprehensive schools are a combination of grammar and modern school. They take
pupils of all abilities and very wide-spread. 4. Public schools – independent, private schools charging very high fees. They are mostly
boarding schools. The most famous is Eton.

Subjects taught at schools are: English, Math, Science, History, Technology, Music, Art, Physical education, languages etc. Examinations:
The principal examination taken at the age of 16 is the General Certificate of Secondary Education. At the age of 18-19 students take General Certificate of Education at Advanced Level. Admission to university, or polytechnic depends on satisfactory A level results.

English Universities:
1. Oxford and Cambridge – the oldest and the most famous.
2. Redbrick Universities – were founded in the 19th century.
3. The new universities opened after 1960.

Slovakia:

The educational system in Slovakia has been reformed several times. Our schools system consists of 4 main grades:
The pre-school grade. From the age of 1 to 6 years children attend crèches and kindergartens. This stage isn’t compulsory.
Basic education is compulsory for everybody after the age of 6. At the so called basic schools children learn this 3 subjects: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, and other subjects: Slovak, languages, History, Geography, Math, Chemistry, Biology etc.