Stonewall High (was RE: Question for British list members (school years))

[Geoff Bannister]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Carol" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:
 
Carol:
> Okay. I'm starting to get the picture. However, I thought that the
> Britishe term "public school" was synonymous with "private school" as
> used in the U.S. (excluding parochial schools, which are private
> schools run by a church or similar institution, often Roman Catholic).

Geoff:
A UK joke is that Public schools are not public in its norma;l sense. 
They are fee-paying, private schools sometimes with ` background 
of having been established by philanthropists or charitable bodies. 
Some have entrance exams which can award scholarships so that 
clever children from poorer backgrounds can gain access. They 
include schools such as Harrow, Eton and Rugby. There are also 
a fair number of private schools established independently in 
more recent years.

Carol: 
> Also, I'm not quite sure what "comprehensive school" means. Does that
> mean a state-run public school open to any student without cost like a
> U.S. public school? ("Comprehensive" usually means "covering
> everything," so I don't quite understand what it "comprehends" in this
> instance.)

Geoff:
As I described, prior to the 1960s Labour government initiatives, all 
children in state schools took the "11+" exam. If you were successful, 
you could go to a grammar school which would have a Sixth Form and 
would also put pupils through the Matric exams - GCE after 1951. If you 
were not successful, you went to a Secondary Modern school which gave 
a good education up to Fifth Year (current Year 11) but if you wanted 
further education you would go to a college of some description (and 
could also get to University along this route if you were good enough); 
alternatively, you could enter into an apprenticeship or vocational 
training depending or what job you had in mind.

The comprehensive school brought all children under one roof. They 
were bigger and therefore had more facilities to deal with a wide range or 
educational needs and aspirations. The early ones - some of which pre-dated 
the 1960s legislation because they were introduced by big Labour-controlled 
authorities such as the London County Council - handled 2000 pupils but the 
current comprehensives tend to take about 1200.

Carol: 
> BTW, "community colleges" in the U.S. are not secondary schools but
> inexpensive alternatives to state universities or private colleges.
> They offer two-year "associate" degrees in contrast to the usual
> four-year bachelor of arts or sciences. Many students start out at a
> community college and transfer to a university for their second or
> third year. (Not all their credits transfer, unfortunately.)

Geoff:
Community College here is just the "in" word for Secondary schools. 
Sometimes, as in my own area, they also offer facilities for everyone 
outside school hours such as a sports centre.