Chapter 10

The education system in Britain

1. primary education 初等教育，小学教育

Primary education is compulsory(义务教育) in Britain. It begins at five in Great Britain and four in Northern Ireland. All children have to attend primary school and they finish their primary education at the age of 11. In addition to the many state primary schools(公立小学) which do not ask their pupils to pay fees, there are also some fee-paying independent primary schools (收费的私立小学). The most famous fee-paying primary schools are the preparatory schools which admit children from seven-plus to 11,12 or 13 years old.

初等教育在英国是义务教育，大不列颠是从5岁开始，北爱尔兰是4岁。所有的孩子必须参加初等教育，并在11岁完成。除了许多国家公立小学不向学生收费外，也有一些收费的私立小学。预备学校学生的年龄通常为7岁以上到11 12 13岁。

2. secondary education 中等教育，中学教育

Secondary education in Britain is also compulsory. All the children must receive secondary education after finishing their primary education at the age of eleven. The secondary school age-range(中学生的年龄段) is from 11-18. About 90 per cent of the state secondary school population in Great Britain attend comprehensive schools.Secondary schools include comprehensive schools (综合中学), secondary modern schools (现代中学) and grammar schools(文法学校). They are state schools（公立学校）。

中等教育在英国也是必须的，所有孩子必须在11岁完成初等教育后接受中等教育。中学生的年龄段从11-18。大不列颠90%左右的国属中等学校学生就读于综合中学。

3. higher education 高等教育，大学教育

There are some 90 universities,including the Open University. Most famous ones are Oxford and Cambridge. There is also the Open University which is “open” to all to become students, mainly adult students.

包括开放大学在内，英国共有90所大学。最著名的是牛津和剑桥。还有开放大学，即向所有未来的学生和成人开放。