XmisterIS Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 I say "new" because I know they've been around a while now, but they're new to me.When I went to school, Senior School started at 1st Form (age 11-12), all the way up to 5th Form (GCSE, age 15-16), then Lower 6th and Upper 6th were the A-level years.Our daughter will be going to school in a few years, and the naming conventions of the new system seem crazy! (not that the old system was any less bizarre).You would think that they would label the school years by chronological age - i.e. Year 1 for first year of life, etc. Therefore Kindergarten would cover years 1-4, Junior School would be years 5-11, Senior School would be years 12-18.But ooooooh no, that would be tooooo simple! So, now we have "Reception" (apparently that's what it's called) for kids starting school at 4 or 5, then year 1, etc.Is anyone here a teacher, and do you know why the Department for Education decided to go for such a crazy naming system, particularly when they had the opportunity to make it simple?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogof Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Is anyone here a teacher, and do you know why the Department for Education decided to go for such a crazy naming system, particularly when they had the opportunity to make it simple?! I'm far too sensible to be a teacher, but...Evolution. Year 1 became year 1 years before they decided to enable kids to start school at 4, hence Reception as an alternative to Year -1. Then they'd have had to renumber everything, so they chose the easier option.That said, Scotland is different. In many ways Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cam Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Scotland: "primary school" is 1 to 7, "secondary school" is 8 to 13. Simples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phooey Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I think the idea was to simplify, XmisterIS. Bring primary and secondary years continuous. In some respects it has but I still think of secondary as 1st year - 5th year then 6th form. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogof Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Scotland: "primary school" is 1 to 7, "secondary school" is 8 to 13. Simples. Not so simple... Argyll & Bute: P1 to P7, then S1 to S6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funinacup Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Scotland: "primary school" is 1 to 7, "secondary school" is 8 to 13. Simples. Not so simple... Argyll & Bute: P1 to P7, then S1 to S6Same thing. Think he was just suggesting which year of school it would be. I've always found our year structure very simple and friends from England always confused me when they talk about school years! I have to ask what age they were in each year to figure it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cam Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Scotland: "primary school" is 1 to 7, "secondary school" is 8 to 13. Simples. Not so simple... Argyll & Bute: P1 to P7, then S1 to S6 Yeah, same thing. I was talking about which school year, not the name of the year. The question seemed more about the names of the schools … ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NearOn Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 It was the current system when I started school in 88, that was 27 years ago. You guys really must be old if it seems new only messing! But yeah for me it started primary school which was reception then year 1 to 5. Then walked across the road to secondary school which was year 7 to 11 and then choice of staying for sixth form 12 to 13. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XmisterIS Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 It was the current system when I started school in 88 Pah! Whippersnapper! I started kindergarten in the 1970s. Things aren't what they used to be when I were a lad, I tell thee. Aye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fro Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Some of it depends what type of school you went to - grammar still use "forms". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phooey Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 (edited) It was the current system when I started school in 88 Pah! Whippersnapper! I started kindergarten in the 1970s. Things aren't what they used to be when I were a lad, I tell thee. Aye. Pah! Double whippersnapper. I was in secondary school in 1970. Edited June 22, 2015 by Phooey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phooey Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Some of it depends what type of school you went to - grammar still use "forms". Not all, MrFro. My son is in a grammar school and they use year 7 - year 11 then Sixth Form Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzie Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 It was the current system when I started school in 88 Pah! Whippersnapper! I started kindergarten in the 1970s. Things aren't what they used to be when I were a lad, I tell thee. Aye. I started school in 94 I think with reception.It was easy! When I was 2-3 I went to "playgroup", which to me was another form of hell.Then it was reception, which was basically adjusting us to a school day for a year. Followed by years 1-6, then at 11 we left to secondary school for year 7. I stayed there right through to year 13 and it felt like the longest period of my entire life.I thought the numbering system was ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlecat Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 first year of grammar school was third form, then lower fourth, upper fourth, lower fifth etc etc.years 1-12 seems simple in comparison lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XmisterIS Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share Posted June 24, 2015 It is interesting to see how varied and complex the years are ... and completely pointless!!Surely it would be best to have years numbered chronologically from birth. That would make things dead simple and seamlessly link the years from birth to 18.So in the first year of your life, you'd been in Year 1, etc. So Kindergarten would cover years 1 to 4, Junior School would be years 5 to 11, Senior school years 12 to 16 and college would be years 17 and 18.Simples! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzie Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 What about those who are born right before the cut off for the year like me? My best mate was born 11 months, 3 weeks before me. So he spent the entire academic year a number ahead. So he was in his 15th year a week after I got to my 14th. We only shared the same age for a week!So that numbering system works well if there's one of you, or your birthdays are close together So the existing system, by not making sense... Makes sense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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