Types Of Schools

Nursery Schools and Early Childhood Centres (Back to Top)

In the UK long-day childcare centres are known as Day Nurseries and are either privately owned or run by the local Borough. In addition there are Nursery departments attached to Infant or Primary schools.

UK regulations require Nurseries to be registered with at least half of the staff having early childhood qualifications. Pre-schools are also known as Nurseries for up to 4 year olds after which the children enter the first year of formal learning in a Reception class. The Reception class is what's known as the Foundation Stage. This would be equivalent to Kindergarten in Australia and New Entrants in New Zealand. Sometimes Nursery Nurses are employed as Classroom Assistants in both the Reception and Year 1 and indeed throughout the school. In Day Nurseries the programme, particularly for the younger children, is based largely around themes and topics and will be under the direction of a Nursery Manager.

Primary and Secondary Schools (Back to Top)

England has both public and private schools within all sectors of the education system. Primary schools cater for 5-11 year olds while the secondary schools cater for 11-18 year olds. In some cases 16-18 year olds are taught in a sixth form or tertiary colleges. Since 1988, schools have conformed to the teaching guidelines of the National Curriculum.

The National Curriculum was put in place to raise teaching standards and provide a consistent level of education across all schools. The core subject areas include English, Mathematics, Science, Design & Technology and Information Technology. Schools will also offer a selection of other subjects to provide a complete curriculum. In England examinations are taken at the age of 16 for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), and at 18 for the Advanced Level (A Level). For more details regarding the National Curriculum click here.

In the primary sector there have been significant changes to the way Literacy and Numeracy are taught in Primary Schools. To summarise, an hour is dedicated to prescriptive learning activities for Literacy and then another hour for Numeracy. The Literacy and Numeracy Hours are well supported by resources and assessment modules. When teaching these you will know exactly what needs to be achieved from each lesson and you are guided throughout.

During your induction interview with your TeachLondon Career Manager you will be given information and details about teaching Literacy and Numeracy in the UK.

SEN Schools (Special Educational Needs) (Back to Top)

In addition to the SEN departments in mainstream schools, there are separate SEN schools that provide an education for pupils of both the primary and secondary age groups. SEN schools have smaller classes that are often supported by a teacher and a classroom assistant, or a Nursery Nurse in the case of primary schools. Types of SEN schools include EBD - Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulties and SLD - Severe Learning Difficulties.

At TeachLondon we are able to offer our teachers the opportunity to develop their experience of the SEN sector through teaching in these schools. In the UK you do not necessarily need an SEN qualification or experience to teach in this sector. Working with children with Special Educational Needs can be a rewarding and memorable experience. In the UK, TeachLondon offers you the specialist advice of a Special Needs Career Manager.