English With Kit Podcast Episode 2: The English Primary School System

Key phrasal verbs & expressions from this episode

• to brush up on (something): to improve a skill. Example: "I want to brush up on my English."

• to clear up any confusion: to make something complicated clearer. Example: "To clear up any confusion, I'm going to explain the English primary school system in a simple way."

• to dive into (something): to explore something. Example: "Let's dive into the English primary school system."

• to take to (something): to like something or someone, or like doing an activity. Example: "My daughter took to her swimming lessons really quickly."

• to settle in (to something): to get comfortable with something. Example: "It took me some time to settle into school life as I was quite shy."

• to be eligible for (something): to qualify for something / to have the right to have something or to do something. Example: "Some children in England are eligible for free school meals."

• to be on the (comparative) side: a common, more advanced alternative to simply using an adjective. Example: Instead of "He is quiet", you might say "He's on the quieter side."

• Have a good one: A way of saying "goodbye". It's similar to "have a good day."

Vocabulary from this episode

• tricky (adjective): a synonym of "difficult" or "complicated". Example: "English grammar can be quite tricky sometimes."

• reception class (noun): the name for the first year of primary school for children in England

• picky (adjective): Someone who likes very specific types of food. Example: "She's a very picky eater; she won't eat any green vegetables at all."

• boisterous (adjective): someone who is noisy and/or has a lot of energy. Example: "Some of the kids in the class are quite boisterous while others are quiet and shy."

• to ban (verb): to not allow/permit something. Example: "Some schools ban nuts due to some children having serious allergies."

Transcript

Hello and welcome to the English with Kit podcast. I'm Kit, an independent English teacher from the U.K., but I have been living in northwestern France for the past five years.

Since living in France, French learning podcasts have really helped me improve my French language skills, and this inspired me to start my own English learning podcast in the hope that it will help other language learners brush up on their English.

In today's episode I'm going to explain the primary school system in England. The English education system can be tricky to understand if you didn't grow up there, so over several episodes I'm going to clear up any confusion.

Today I'll be walking you through what primary school life looks like for children in England, and I'll address questions like: What age do kids in England start primary school? What are the different stages of primary school? What does a typical primary school day look like in England?

At the end of this episode, I'll go through some common expressions from the episode that you can start using today to sound more natural when speaking English. In addition, you'll find the link to the transcript of this episode in the description box below.

So without further ado, grab a cup of your favourite beverage, whether that be tea, coffee, juice or even something stronger, and let's take a deep dive into the English primary school system.

Before we start I'd just like to clarify that this episode focuses on the English education system specifically. Since the U.K. is divided into four countries -- England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Island -- each country has its own education system.

I have chosen to focus only on the English system because I grew up in England, so I feel I'm a bit more qualified to talk about it than I would be talking about the Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish systems.

Reception Class

Children in England typically start primary school when they're four years old. The first level of school in England is called "reception class," and kids at this level start to learn things like how letters and words sound, how to recognize letters and how to count, but also how to express themselves through art, play and making things.

I also remember often sitting in a circle while the teacher would read stories to us, and this was a much-loved moment in the school day. For the quieter children like me, it was also a nice, calm moment of the day where we could feel much more relaxed in the classroom.

Another popular moment of the day was fruit time, where we all got to eat fruit as a morning snack. I always loved the oranges, grapes and apples, but I was a bit picky and didn't really eat any of the other fruits.

The social aspect is also really important at this level, and the children are taught how to interact with others to build their confidence, social skills, social awareness and empathy.

Some pupils -- particularly those who are quite outgoing and confident -- take to reception really well while others take some time to settle in.

I was one of those children who needed a lot of time to settle in to school life. I remember being quite anxious and overwhelmed about entering this new place with new children and a lot of different personality types.

I was a very quiet and shy child who liked to be at home with mom, so I found it very difficult to suddenly be around new children, some who were much noisier and more boisterous than me. I cried a lot on my first day of school and for several weeks afterwards every time my mom dropped me off.

That said, I was able to make some friends, some who were on the quieter side and some who were a little more confident.

Key Stage One

After reception class, children in England start what's known as "Key Stage One". Key Stage One is divided into two years: year 1 for children ranging from age 5 to 6, and year 2 for children ranging from age 6 to 7.

In key stage one, children start to study various subjects like English, Maths and Science -- which are often considered among the most important subjects -- but also subjects like art, P.E. (physical education,) music, history, geography and more.

At this stage and throughout my entire primary school career, my favourite subjects were English and art. It was a tradition that we finished the week with an art class on Friday afternoons, and I used to look forward to it all week.

I also loved English because it sometimes meant writing stories, which was one of my absolute favourite things to do.

Key Stage Two

Once Key Stage 1 is finished, children move on to Key Stage 2. Key Stage 2 is for children aged between 7 and 11 years old, and includes year 3, year 4, year 5 and year 6. Year 6 is the final year of primary school.

At the age of 11, school pupils take their SATs exams in English and maths. These exams focus on areas like grammar, punctuation, spelling, reading, arithmetic and reasoning, but the results don't affect whether or not the child gets into secondary school. Every child goes to secondary school regardless.

However, secondary schools can use the SATs results to help determine what "set" the child goes into in core subjects, like maths, when they do go to secondary school. If you're not familiar with "setting," it means the pupils are placed in groups according to their ability.

For example, if a pupil sitting the SATs test does really well in maths, they'll likely be placed in "set one" or "set two" in maths in secondary school.

The Primary School Day

A typical primary starts at around 8:30 a.m. Some schools offer an optional breakfast club, which starts earlier, perhaps around 7:50 a.m.

The number of lessons each day can range from four to six depending on the school. There's usually a short break at around 10.15 a.m. when the pupils have a snack and go into the playground.

Schools may have different rules depending on the type of snacks a child can bring. For example, some schools ban nuts as these can be dangerous for children with allergies.

There's another lesson or two, then lunch -- what we often refer to as "dinner" in the U.K., something that can seem a little strange to people not from the U.K. -- is at around 12:00 and lasts until around 13:00 but this can vary depending on the school.

The pupils have the option of bringing their own, packed dinner or eating hot food from the school canteen. Usually parents are asked to pay for school dinners in advance, but some children are eligible for free school meals.

To be eligible for free school meals, the child's parents or guardian must meet certain criteria. One example is if the parent or guardian receives some kind of income support.

However, the free school meals policy applies automatically to children in reception class, year 1 and year 2. This means all children in these levels are entitled to free meals at school.

One thing I remember about primary school is being very fond of the dinner ladies. Just a note that in the U.K., it's common to use the term "dinner lady" to describe the people who assist with dinnertime duties at schools.

These duties may include anything from actually cooking and serving lunch to supervising the children in the canteen or out in the playground during the dinner period.

In a nutshell, their role is to ensure the lunch period runs smoothly and that the pupils behave properly. We're taught to use good manners while at the dinner table and clear up after ourselves.

After another two or three lessons, pupils go home at around 3:00 - 3:30 p.m. The homework load is typically quite light in England, especially when compared with some other countries.

Though the time spent doing homework can vary from pupil to pupil, I would guess that it's no more than 30 minutes per day on average for older primary school students, and much less for the younger pupils.

And that wraps up today's episode on the British primary school system. I hope you've found this episode informative and have picked up some handy words, phrases and expressions you can start using today.

If you'd like to learn some targeted words, phrases and expressions from this episode, stick around as I'm going to explain them at the end of the episode. Thanks again, and have a good one!