schools

Question

didn't know where to post this ...

Can someone explain to me, the meaning of the words in Br. Eng and Am. En?

state school

elementary school

secondary school

grammar school

college

university

This is what I've found so far

Public School

USA/Canada: supported by the state

: supported by the local authority

England, Wales, : private or independent and fee-chargin school, often single sex.

Edited by mod: Hi, Saska, your post has been moved to Vocabulary section since it's probably the best one for this kind of question now.

Vorpar · Accepted Answer

This is my understanding, from AmE:

state school: Usually refers to a public (state funded) University. I went to one, UCSB, and since I'm from California, I pay about 1/3 of the total cost (Sacramento pays the rest, along with some federal funding)

elementary school: Grades K-5 or 6 (sometimes to 8) children 5 years old to 13 at the most.

secondary school: High school, grades 9-12 (sometimes 10-12) for students from 14-18

grammar school: Same as elementary school.

college/university: Many people will use these as synonyms. College is generally for undergraduate degrees (BA, BS, etc.) while Universities grant post-graduate degrees (MS, PhD, etc.) As I mentioned before, I went to the University of California. While there, I studied in the College of Letters and Science. The University also has the College of Creative Studies, and the College of Engineering, as well as graduate divisions.

Also, Junior High/Middle School is for children from grades 6-8.

Feebs11 · Answer

Saskadidn't know where to post this ...

Can someone explain to me, the meaning of the words in Br. Eng and Am. En?

state school = funded by the state

elementary school = [synonyms=] primary/junior school - ages 5-11 years

secondary school = senior school - ages 11-16+

comprehensive school = secondary school funded by the state and catering for all levels of ability.
grammar school = either state or privately funded. Selective intake after the age of 11.

college = too complicated! See > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College#United_Kingdom

university = An academic institution which grants degrees. Some are independently funded; all receive at least some funding from the state.

This is what I've found so far

Public School

USA/Canada: supported by the state

: supported by the local authority

England, Wales, : private or independent and fee-chargin school, often single ***.

Edited by mod: Hi, Saska, your post has been moved to Vocabulary section since it's probably the best one for this kind of question now.

Nona the brit · Answer

British English (applying to England and Wales as the Scottish education system is slightly different, although college and university are definitely used in the same way there)

state school - a school where the education is 100% paid for by the state. Parents pay nothing.

private school - a school where the parents pay a fee

public school - this refers to several of the private schools; the few very ancient and prestigious (and expensive) ones.

elementary school - term not used in British English. We use 'primary school' instead and this is for ages 5-11. Ages 5-7 may be separated off into 'infant school'.

secondary school - school for 11-16 or sometimes 18, if it includes a 'sixth form', which is where 17/18 year olds do their A levels. Not all schools have a sixth form.

grammar school - a selective secondary school, where pupils have to compete academically to gain a place. State funded.

college - this can cover a few different things. Traditionally the place where 16-18 year olds go to do their A Levels, their role has expanded over the years and you will often find adults there too. They concentrate on non-degree further education, for example, you might do professional qualifications, vocational qualifications, or A Levels, or even catch up on your GCSEs.

university - degree and post graduate studies.

Anonymous · Answer

Thanks for the reply guys! Makes my homework easier. You covered almost I need, I still have some Qs though.

British:
I don't get the difference between public and private schools? Sounds to me like it's the same. For example what kind of school is Eton?
I don't understand grammar schools. What does "selective" mean? If the pupils have to do good academically to get in, it sounds like a private school but then it's state funded ...
What are A levels and GCSE? (no long explanation needed, I just need to get the basic idea)
What is undergraduate? Post graduate?

Your system is sooo confusing

Here it's really easy.

Is this correct?

: Funded by the state. (usually Uni)

: Funded by the state

Private School

USA/Canada: supported by the state

: Funded by parents. Also called independent schools, has a rep of high academic standars.

Public School

USA/Canada: supported by the state

: supported by the local authority

: Funded by parents. Private or independent, often single ***. Expensive and prestigeous. Refers to several private schools.

Elementary School (am) / Primary School (br)

USA/Canada: Regular school, 5-13 years old.

: Regular school, 5-11 years old.

Secondary School

USA/Canada: 14-18 years old. Grade 9-12 (at times 10-12) aka High School.

: 11-16 or 11-18 years old. Grade ????-????

Grammar School

USA/Canada: same as elementary

: State funded. Selective secondary school, students have to academically compete to get in.

College

USA/Canada: college and uni are the same. College=undergraduate degrees. Uni=post graduate degrees

: 16-18 years old. A-levels.

University

: degree and post graduate studies.

BarbaraPA · Answer

US:

1) A private school in the U.S. is not funded by the state or any public entity.

Prior to college/univeristy, there are public elementary schools, then junior high/middle schools, then high schools that you can attend for no cost. If you wish to go to a private school, you pay to attend.

For college/university, you pay either way, but public schools are generally less exensive than private schools -- if you are a resident of that state. (For example, if my children attend a public school in Pennsylvania, they will pay less tuition than a student from another state. However, if they go to a state school in New York, they will pay more than a student from New York will pay. That's because our state taxes support these schools, so we've already paid part of the costs.)

2) In the US, elementary or grammar school is almost always up to 5th or 6th grade (about age 11 or 12). I don't know of ANY public elementary schools that go to 8th grade (about age 14). There are private schools that do so. They are more likely to call that a primary school than a grammar school.

3) A university is not the same as a college, but you can get a bachelor's degree from either one and in casual speech, we almost always use "college" or simply "school." A college is for the study of a specific discipline. A liberal arts college will not grant degrees in engineering. A university may have a collection of colleges within it, but you can study under many different types of programs. You can change from Engineering to English without changing the school you attend. There are also colleges that grant higher degrees, such as a college of law or a college of medicine. When we refer back to when we were studying at a university, we say "When I was in college" not "When I was at univerity."

Another note is that in the US, if you are "on the faculty," you are an instructor/professor. It appears from what I've read here that in other places, you use this expression to mean it's what you are studying.

Feebs11 · Answer

British:

I don't get the difference between public and private schools? Sounds to me like it's the same. For example what kind of school is Eton? Eton College is a Public School, and at the same time a private [independent] school being funded by the fees charged for attendance and charitable funding and not supported by the state. Private schools are owned by someone, charge fees for attendance, and are not supported by the state - see here for lots of information: http://www.privateschools.co.uk/index.htm

I don't understand grammar schools. What does "selective" mean? If the pupils have to do good academically to get in, it sounds like a private school but then it's state funded ... This is historical and the best thing is to refer you to this for more information:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammar_school

What are A levels and GCSE? (no long explanation needed, I just need to get the basic idea) A levels = Advanced level General Certificate of Education - there were three levels: Ordinary Level, Advanced Level, and Scholarship Level. GCSE = General Certificate of Secondary Education.
What is undergraduate? Post graduate? An undergradute is a student studying for a first degree. Once that first degree has been achieved, and he or she goes on to do research for a second degree, they are post[after]-graduates.

Is this correct?

: Funded by the state. (usually Uni)

: Funded by the state

Private School

USA/Canada: supported by the state

: Funded by parents. Also called independent schools, has a rep of high academic standars.

Public School

USA/Canada: supported by the state

: supported by the local authority

: Funded by parents. Private or independent, often single ***. Expensive and prestigeous. Refers to several private schools. Now usually also has charitable status. {sorry to add another confusion!}

Elementary School (am) / Primary School (br)

USA/Canada: Regular school, 5-13 years old.

: Regular school, 5-11 years old.

Secondary School

USA/Canada: 14-18 years old. Grade 9-12 (at times 10-12) aka High School.

: 11-16 or 11-18 years old. Grade ????-????

Grammar School

USA/Canada: same as elementary

: State funded. Selective secondary school, students have to academically compete to get in.

College

USA/Canada: college and uni are the same. College=undergraduate degrees. Uni=post graduate degrees

: 16-18 years old. A-levels. It is more complex than that - did you look at the site I posted?

University

: degree and post graduate studies.

Nona the brit · Answer

Actually we could confuse you even more if we started talking about prep schools and things but I don't think you need quite that much detail.

Just to back up Feeb's comment on college; as I said, traditionally they were just 16-18 year olds, but now do a wide range of courses for over 16s with no real upper age limit.

Grammar schools - these are a bit of a relic from the previous education system. Not all areas have them. They are state funded and children have to take a competitive examination to gain entry as they take only the most academically able.

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