School in Britain

School in Britain is very different from school in Germany. First the pupils have to go to a primary school. Then, when they are eleven, they go to a comprehensive school. Many comprehensive schools are very big - sometimes there are over 1000 pupils.

The pupils have to wear a school uniform - the girls have to wear a skirt and a blouse and the boys  have to wear trousers and a shirt, for example at Sidney Steele school the school colours are black and blue.

The timetable

The school day for pupils at Sidney Steele School is very long. They have to go to school at 9.05. First they have got an assembly or a tutor group time. The school lessons last 40 minutes. After two lessons they have

got a break from 10.50 to 11.05. After two lessons

there is another break, the pupils have lunch from

12.30 to 1.45. The pupils can buy a drink or a sandwich in the cafeteria. But some pupils go home to eat there. After lunch the pupils begin with the lessons again.

The school finishes at 3.45. After school the teachers organize a lot of clubs.

Subjects, course work and exams

For some subjects pupils have to go into eight different groups. When a pupil is very good at a certain subject, he goes to the top group. But when a pupil is bad at a certain subject, he goes to another group. In the

classes 10 and 11, when the pupils are 14, pupils drop

some subjects and begin some new subjects.

The pupils do exams only in winter and summer.

They do exams in all subjects. The pupils get good

or bad marks for effort and attainment. The best mark

is A+, the worst mark is E-.