British vs Italian school system

English vs Italian school system

Differences between italian and english school system

Topics

Key Stages British school

Programmes Year 7 to 11

Key Stages Italian school

Italian Primary/Secondary school

University prep differences

Key stages

British school system

The education system in the UK is divided into four main parts, primary education, secondary education, further education and higher education. The education system in the UK is also split into "key stages" which breaks down as follows: Key Stage 1: 5 to 7 years old Key Stage 2: 7 to 11 years old Key Stage 3: 11 to 14 years old Key Stage 4: 14 to 16 years old

Secondary school

Year 7 and 8 / 9

Year 9 is a very important year in the British school system, as most of the students make the transition from Junior School to Senior School. It is also a very good foundation for the GCSE programme and it is an entry point to all schools. Students study English, Maths, Sciences, Humanity and Languages. In addition, students choose a few subjects from the optional subject list offered by each school.

Under the UK school system, all students study English, Maths, Sciences, a Humanity and a Modern Language. Besides these subjects, each school has a list with optional subjects (Art, Music, Drama, Latin, Sport Science, Design Technology, Computer Science), and students may choose a few subjects that interest them.

Years 7 and 8 are the first two years of secondary school education in the UK. In some independent schools they are included in the Junior School, in others, they are part of the Senior School.

In some schools, students sit the Common Entrance Exam in year 7. There are 3 examination sessions, in November, January and May/June. The transition from Junior to Senior School (from year 8 to year 9) may be conditioned upon the Common Entrance Exam results in those schools.

Gcse programme (year 10/11)

In the last two years of secondary education, which are called Year 10 and Year 11, starting at age 14, students prepare for GCSE exams that are taken after two years (General Certificate of Secondary Education). In the UK school system, during the GCSE programme, students study between 9 and 12 subjects. Some of them are compulsory (English, Math, 2/3 Sciences, History/Geography, a Modern Language etc.), some are chosen by each student according to their abilities and preferences. At the end of the 2 year GCSE programme, following the examinations on each studied subject, students receive their GCSE Certificates.

Key stages

Italian school system

Education in Italy is compulsory from 6 to 16 years of age and is divided into five stages: kindergarten ( from 3 to 5 years olds ); primary school ( from 6 to 10 years olds ); lower secondary school (from 11 to 13 years olds), upper secondary school ( from to 14 to 18/19 years olds); Education is free in Italy and free education is available to children of all nationalities who are residents in Italy. Italy has both a private and public education system.

Primary/Secondary school

General informations about Primary school and the first stage of Secondary school (middle school)

Middle school lasts three years (roughly from age 11 to 14) and it involves an exam at the end of the final year, required to earn a degree and have access to further education. Students stay in the classroom for most of the time (barring such classes as physical education, which most often takes place in the gym), so it is the teachers who have to move from one classroom to another during the day.In the lower middle school pupils start school at 8:00 am and finish at 1:00 pm (they may start later; they have a five-hour daily schedule, excluding variations)

Primary school lasts five years. Until middle school, the educational curriculum is the same for all pupils: although one can attend a private or state-funded school, the subjects studied are the same. The students are given a basic education in Italian, English, mathematics, natural sciences, history, geography, social studies, and physical education. Some schools also have Spanish or French, musical arts and visual arts.

High school

Second stage of secondary school informations and various choices

There are three types of high school, subsequently divided into further specialization. There are subjects taught in each of these, such as Italian, English, mathematics, history, but most subjects are peculiar to a particular type of course (i.e. ancient Greek in the Liceo Classico or business economics in the Istituto tecnico) : * Liceo (Lyceum) : the education received in a Liceo is mostly theoretical, with a specialization in a specific field of studies; * Istituto tecnico (technical institute) : the education given in an Istituto tecnico offers both a wide theoretical education and a specialization in a specific field of studies; * Istituto professionale (professional institute) : This type of school offers a form of secondary education oriented towards practical subjects (engineering, agriculture, gastronomy, technical assistance, handcrafts), and enables the students to start searching for a job as soon as they have completed their studies, sometimes sooner, as some schools offer a diploma after three years instead of five; -

High school lasts five years (roughly from age 14 to 19). It also involves an exam at the end of the final year for the access to what's next. In high school studenst attend school 5 to 8 hours a day depending on the day of the week and on the rules of the school. Usually, there are no breaks between each class, but most schools have a recess that lasts 15 to 30 minutes halfway through. If students have to stay in school even after lunch, there's a longer break to let them eat and rest.

University prep differences

British vs Italian preparations (After school activities choices)

In the UK school system, once a student reaches the age of 16, they can start a 2 year programme which leads to A (Advanced) level examinations. Students specialise in 3 or 4 subjects, that are usually relevant to the degree subject they wish to follow at university. A levels are state examinations and are recognised by all UK universities and by institutions worldwide. At the end of Year 13, following the examinations in each subject, the students receive A level Certificates. In the UK, a British bachelors degree normally takes three years to complete and most are awarded at honours level. Examples of first degrees are: BA (Bachelor of Arts), BEng (Bachelor of Engineering), and BSc (Bachelor of Science)..

Italy has a large and international network of public or state-affiliated universities and schools offering degrees in higher education. State-run universities of Italy constitute the main percentage of tertiary education in Italy and are managed under the supervision of Italian's Ministry of Education.There are also a number of Superior Graduate Schools or Scuola Superiore Universitaria, that offer officially recognized titles without doing an actual university but some courses with the duration of 3 years that offer you qualifications for starting work sooner. For both, most of the time it is necessary to pass an admission test because there is a limited number of students available.