Czech, British and American systems of education

Education system in UK

● There are separate education systems in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales but
they are almost the same.
● In most schools students have to wear a uniform that represents identity and school pride.

○ divison

■ private stages
● pre-preparatory (4-7)
● preparatoroy (8/11-13)
● junior (13-16)
● senior (16-18)
■ national stages
● primary
○ infant
○ junior
● secondary
○ city technology college
○ comprehancy schools
○ grammar schools
○ fate schools
● Pre-education (0 - 4)
○ Children younger then five years go to the nursery schools or nursery classes.
○ Children in these schools rather play then learn.
● Primary school (5 – 11)
○ From five to eleven years is the first compulsory school attendance.
○ division
■ „infant school“- for children from the 5 – 7
■ „junior school“ - for the children from the 7 - 11.
○ Students in primary schools are called „ pupils“
○ Teachers are addressed by surname by parents and pupils, e.i.: Mr Smith, Miss
Smith…
○ national test (7-11)
○ another division:
■ academy schools and community schools (in hands of private)
■ foundation school (more freedom)
■ voluntary aided schools (roman and catholic schools)
● Secondary school (11 – 16)
○ Secondary school begins at 11 years and ends (mostly) at 16 years.
○ Most schools are universal, but sometimes you can find „selective schools“. These
schools accept new students based on the entrance test.
○ Most schools require that a pupil passes 5 or more GCSE (General Certificate of
Secondary Education) exams at grades C or above before they can move on to study
A-levels.
 ■ All pupils have to study English (linguistics and literature), mathematics and
science until they are 15-16.
■ They do not have to take the GCSE exams, but the large majority do so.
■ Most students taking their GCSEs study between 5 and 12 subjects.
● Other subjects are for example: Art, Drama, Design and Technology,
Food Technology, Languages, ICT, Natural Sciences (biology,
chemistry, physics, astronomy), Humanities (sociology, philosophy)
and many other
○ division
■ national
● city technology college
● comprehancy schools
● grammar schools
● fate schools
■ private
● boarding school
● public schools
○ e.g. Winchester the oldest, Eton
○ (11-18)
● Further education (16 -18)
○ lower six (16-17) and upper six (17-18)
○ Next education is for the persons who are older then 16 years.
○ These schools are called „college“.
○ Some schools are free but some schools are charged.
○ vocational studies (technical, commercial…)
○ Preparation for so-called A-level (advanced level) and for academic studies (from 4
and more subject)

● tetrciatry (Higher) education

○ Are provided by Sixth Form Colleges and Further Education Colleges
○ Students usually take three subjects, the choice is based on the type of university
they want to enter
○ First part is „undergraduate course“, which lasts 3 years and in end you receive title
(BA)
○ Second part is post „Postgraduate course“, which includes „masters degree“. (MSc,
DSc – Doctor of Science)
○ Open university = for students working in their homes (within entrance exams), do
exercises at home and throw the internet

○ e. g. red brick, cambidge, oxford

● pros and cons having to wear a uniform

○ +

■ pride of school

■ saves time

○ –
 ■ destroys creativity

■ strict

■ not having a option

■ old-fashioned

Education system in USA

● USA hasn’t got united system of education, every state has ones, but similar
● In US school are big problems with violence and criminality
● Students are graded on a system of A to F

● Pre-education (0 - 5)
○ Children younger than five years go to the nursery schools or nursery classes.
○ Children in these schools rather play then learn.
● Elementary school (6 – 11)
○ From six to eleven years is the first compulsory school attendance.
○ Formally starts their compulsory education and covers five grades. Essential subjects
include English, math and science.
○ In the US they also have private and state schools.
● Junior High school (12 – 15)
● High school (15 – 18)
○ Pupils have compulsory subjects and optional subjects -> sports, arts, music, cooking
○ High school offers academic lessons as well as more vocational courses such as
mechanics or computers.
○ The basic leaving school qualification is usually the High School Diploma or General
Education Diploma (GED).
○ There is no national school-leaving examination but during the final year of high
school, most students take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).
■ Result is very important when they want to go to university.
○ The completion of high school is celebrated with a graduation ceremony, where
students dress long gowns.
● Higher education
○ There are more than 2000 universities and colleges including elite institutions such as
Yale or Harvard, known as ,,Ivy League schools”.
○ Bachelor’s degree is given to students after successful completion of four years
study.
■ It is also sometimes called an undergraduate degree.
○ After that students continue with their education for about two years to earn their
Master´s degree.
■ Sometimes they continue with studying to earn PhD or doctorate.
Education system of Czech Republic

● Kindergarten (3-6)
○ In Czech Republic, compulsory education, but kindergarten aren't mandatory.
○ Children are picked to kindergarten, when they are 3 years old.
○ In kindergarten they learn colors, numbers and geometric shapes.
○ Children play games with friends in the kindergarten.
● Elementary school (6-15)
○ At the age of 6 children have to enter nine-year elementary school.
○ Most schools are financed by the state, but children can also enter private school,
where you pay for tuition.
○ It’s set by law that school-leaving age is 15.
● High school (15-19)
○ For those who want to continue studying, there are many possibilities.
○ The traditional secondary school is called grammar school and it prepares their
students for university and lasts 4 years or longer if the students have enrolled in the
school earlier (6 years or 8 years).
■ The studies may be oriented more on science or humanities.
○ Students may also attend secondary business schools or agriculture schools instead
of grammar schools
■ comphenesive schools
■ nursing schools
○ For more talented people, there are conservatories where they can study music or
acting.
○ Another option is secondary vocational schools, which train young people for jobs
like baker, mechanic, bricklayer or waiter.
○ Every secondary study finishes with a final school-leaving exam (Maturita exam) in
the fourth year, which consists of 4 subjects. Two of them are compulsory – Czech
language and foreign language or maths. The rest two are electives
■ state exam
■ profiling (specialized) exam
● Tertiary Education (19-24)
○ If students want to study at university, they have to pass the entrance exams.
○ For now, education at universities is free of charge in Czech Republic.
○ The most popular subjects are medicine, law or humanities studied at Charles
University in Prague or Masaryk University in Brno.
○ The universities in Czech Republic offer three-year-bachelor programmes as well as
five-year-master programmes.
○ It finishes with a final state exam and a thesis defence is required.

○ degree, undergraduate, graduate

Differences

● compulsory time span (CR – 9, UK – 11)

● The beginning of school attendance
● Wearing uniform
 ● Parts of school year
● Marks (1-5; A-F)
● In Czech education we have no exams after leaving compulsory education

The most well-known universities

● UK
○ the university of Cambridge
■ often called Cambridge University
■ located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-
speaking world.
■ Early records indicate that the university grew out of an association of
scholars in the city of Cambridge, probably formed in 1209 by scholars
escaping from Oxford after a fight with local townsmen.
■ The universities of Cambridge and Oxford are jointly referred to by the
portmanteau term Oxbridge. In addition to cultural and practical associations
as a historic part of British society, the two universities also have a long
history of rivalry between them.
○ the university of Oxford
■ it's located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the
English-speaking world.
■ The university traces its roots back to at least the end of the 11th century,
although the exact date of foundation remains unclear.
● According to legend, after riots between scholars and townsfolk
broke out in 1209, some of the academics at Oxford fled north-east
to the town of Cambridge, where the University of Cambridge was
founded.
■ The two universities have since had a long history of competition with each
other, and are the most selective universities in the United Kingdom .
● USA
○ Harvard university
■ Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard
College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
■ Founded on September 8, 1636 by a vote of the Great and General Court of
the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher
learning in the United States.
■ Harvard has the world's largest university library collection (the third largest
library overall after the British Library and the Library of Congress), and the
largest financial endowment of any academic institution, standing at $25.9
billion as of 2005.
○ Yale university
■ Yale University is a private university in New Haven, Connecticut.
■ Founded in 1701 as the Collegiate School, Yale is the third-oldest institution
of higher education in the United States and a member of the Ivy League.
■ Yale's graduate programs include classics, English, pure, applied and
engineering sciences, drama, art, architecture, literature, psychology,
 sociology, economics, management, music, history, medicine, nursing, and
law.
■ Yale and Harvard have for most of their history been rivals in almost
everything, notably academics, rowing and football.
○
● Czech Republic
○ Charles university
■ Charles University in Prague founded in the late 1340s, was the first German
language university and is among the oldest universities in Europe.
■ It is the oldest, largest and most prestigious university in the Czech Republic,
named after its founder Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, in what was then
the Kingdom of Bohemia, a part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German
Nation.
■ The University was traditionally mostly German-speaking, however since the
end of the 19th century Czech was increasingly used.
■ Until the Second World War the University consisted of two sections: A
German and a Czech language section.
■ According to the Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao
Tong University it was qualified as the leading university not only in the
Czech Republic, but in the whole region of Central and Eastern Europe,
together with the University of Szeged in Hungary.