Education in Britain and in the USA.

In America all children from six to sixteen go to school. They spend six years in "elementary" school and four or six years in "secondary" or "high" school. School education is free. At the end of every school year the child takes a test. If he does well, he does into the next class "grade". If he doesn't do well, he has to repeat the grade. At the end of their time at school most students get a high school diploma. If they want to go on to college, they take college admission tests.

In Britain all children from five to sixteen go to school. They spend six years in "primary" school and then go on to "secondary" school. In Britain (as in the USA) there are "state" schools, which are free, and private schools for which parents pay. Many British private schools are "boarding" schools. The children stay at school all the time and only come home in the holidays. They usually wear uniforms.

Teaching in both countries is usually quite informal. Students often work together in groups and go to the teacher only when they need help. Nearly half of all Americans go on to college (a place if higher education) when they leave school. Some colleges are small with only a few hundred students but some of the big state universities are huge with up to 60.000 students. There are more than 2.600 universities in the USA and nearly all colleges have both men and women students.

You can study many interesting subjects at college in short or long courses, but if you want a degree, you have to study for at least four years. Classes usually start in September and go on to early June with a break in the middle.

In Britain you can get a degree in a university, in a "polytechnic" or in some of the many colleges of further education. There are 42 universities in Britain. There are also many colleges in Britain that teach English as a foreign language. Some have short courses (a few weeks or months) and some have one-or-two-year courses.

University classes start in October and go on until mid-June with two breaks: one at Christmas and one at Easter. Most degrees take three years but some take four.

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