On our very first day of the UK Literacy & Teaching program in London, I was faced with a major obstacle: I didn't understand how the British educational system worked. As a sociologist of education, I study academic systems. But the familiar K-12 education of my thesis and my childhood was now an ocean away. The systems in the United Kingdom were totally different. My British friends had often mentioned the 'GCSE,' 'SATS,' and other intimidating acronyms with a kind of casual forbearance - but to me it was as foreign-sounding as any unknown language.
My primary task after reaching NYU London was made clear: understand how students in the UK go through school. So, the facts.
I learned that nursery (preschool) classrooms are often incorporated in the primary school campuses to better support students as they near their Reception (Kindergarten) start date. All 3 to 4 year-olds have access to free nursery classes, up to 30 hours per week. This frees parents to return to work earlier and emboldens children to feel more capable as they begin school.
After Reception, students enter more formal schooling:: Year 1 through 6 are ideally spent in the same primary school with the same network of teachers and community members. By Year 6 (age 10), students have been tracked and funneled - more on that later - into particular sets that will determine their secondary school opportunities. Many families choose to send their children to the nearest secondary school, but some apply for better-resourced schools which will maximize their child's chance of success.
Students spend Year 7-11 (up to the US equivalent of high school sophomores) in their secondary schools, preparing for the GCSE: a standardized test which will determine their options for university applications, vocational training, apprenticeships, etc. Students who fare well on the GCSE have the best chance at getting into "premier" universities like Oxford & Cambridge. Those who intend to pursue higher education will spend the next two years preparing for their A-Levels, which will translate into college readiness and placement exams. Students who fail their GCSE will continue in school until they're 18, but often in a more trade-based/technical training position.