Discipline

There is one basic rule in the school: to respect others and their property and behave in a normal, sensible way, with due consideration for the health and safety of all. If a pupil misbehaves there is a system known as WRO – Warning, Report, Out. First you get a warning from your teacher. Then you are put on report; you have to carry a form around with you and the teacher signs it after each lesson – to show that you were present and behaved well. If you do anything wrong at this stage you are out; you have to go to the hall to join any other pupils in trouble. In the hall, all such pupils work in silence under the supervision of a teacher.

For persistent offenders, there is a system of detentions, when pupils are kept for an hour after school. In really serious cases, it is possible to exclude pupil for a period of time from the school, or to expel them permanently.

Examinations

Since 1988 the subjects to be taught in state schools have been laid down in the National Curriculum, which also sets the standards to be achieved. Children have to study the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, and also the foundation subjects of technology, geography, history, art, music and physical education. Older children take a foreign language. The national Curriculum does not apply in Scotland, and schools there are free to decide how much time they devote to each subject.

Children do Standard Assessment Tests or SATs at ages 7, 11 and 14. At 16 pupils take their first major public exam, the General Certificate of Secondary Education or GCSE, which places the emphasis on practical work and problem-solving rather than one mere factual recall. For most subjects, coursework assessment marked by the pupil'’ own teachers is an important feature of this exam. It was introduced in 1988 to replace GCE O-level (General Certificate of Education, Ordinary Level: a school-leaving exam in up to 8 subjects at the age of 16) and CSE (Certificate of Secondary Education: an exam in a wide range of subjects usually taken at 16, less academic than O-levels). Some may take GNVQ (General National Vocational Qualifications).

After passing the GCSE, pupils who wish to continue at school can specialize in three or four subjects. This period from 16 to 18 is called the six form, at the end of which there is a second major exam, called the General Certificate of Education, Advanced Level, or simply A-level (in three or four subjects). In 1989 an AS-level was introduced (Advanced Supplementary) to allow sixth-formers to study a wider range of subjects.

For those pupils who wish to continue full-time education for a year after the school-leaving age of 16 to prepare for either work or vocational courses there is the CPVE (Certificate of Pre-Vocational Education) since 1986. It is often linked to the YTS (Youth Training Scheme: vocational training over a period of two years, combining work experience, community projects and about 20% further education at local colleges).

Many people worry that the education system fails to make sure that all children reach minimum standards of literacy (=reading and writing) and numeracy (=number skills), and there are often demands for more attention to be paid to the three Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic).