About English schools

July 29, 2004 2:49 PM

A guide to the English school system. From the BBC. This certainly explained a few things for me. (And remember, private school = public school)
posted by iffley (7 comments total)

That English to American dictionary is just brill. Cheers iffley.
posted by iain at 3:03 PM on July 29, 2004

More confusingly the term private school (or independent schools) is used in England in the same sense as in America. The term public school is used to refer to a specific self-defined elite of private schools such as Harrow , Eton and similar , old schools with a long history of teaching Britain's upper crust.
posted by prentiz at 3:54 PM on July 29, 2004

More accurately, UK public school = US private school, as prentiz has noted it's rarely the other way around ;-) However, US public school = UK state school.
posted by wackybrit at 4:43 PM on July 29, 2004

The UK school system is one of those things I prefer to know next to nothing about because I feel it may corrupt me and make me start killing.
posted by rhyax at 6:12 PM on July 29, 2004

Hahahah. I found the term "upper crust" funny. I said "term".
posted by ed\26h at 1:30 AM on July 30, 2004

I see one of Labors goals is to implement uniforms in state schools and house systems, both of these things were in place when I went to school there 70s/80s did they disappear when I wasn't looking (and living in the US from 96)
posted by zeoslap at 7:33 AM on July 30, 2004

I see one of Labors goals is to implement uniforms in state schools and house systems, both of these things were in place when I went to school there 70s/80s did they disappear when I wasn't looking (and living in the US from 96)

It's a little freaky when you read a post that when you get to the bottom of, there, almost word for word, is what you were planning to add. Even down to the bit about living in the US since 96. (FWIW Thirsk School (81-88), mud brown uniforms and Peregrine House.)
posted by zedbends at 2:34 PM on July 30, 2004