Education in Great Nortend

Education in Great Nortend

Board of Schooling
Master of the Board of Schooling	Dr. Thomas Welfuller
General details
Primary languages	English

Education in Great Nortend is overseen by the Board of Schooling, a ministerial level board subordinate to H. M. Clerk's Office. At a local level, state schooling is the responsibility of local school boards. Independent schooling is provided by private tutors as well as independent, cathedral and “common” schools.

Overview

Compulsory education in Great Nortend starts at the age of six for both boys and girls, and ends at the age of fourteen. The Schooling Acts prescribe the two stages of junior schooling and senior schooling. Though state schools usually have separate junior and senior schools which correspond to these two discrete stages, a pupil in the independent sector may often attend three schools whilst still only completing the two stages of schooling.

Academic year

The academic and school year corresponds to the civil year used in Great Nortend. That is, the year begins after Michaelmas. Though there are four terms in a civil year, the academic year treats Marymas term as the summer holiday or 'Long Vacation'.

Religion in education

Education in Great Nortend is influenced by the doctrines and teachings of the Church of Nortend, which is the state church of Great Nortend. This is evident through both primary and secondary schooling as well as university and apprenticeships where chapel services are commonly compulsory, along with scriptural and theological studies as well as a general culture of religiosity in academia.

Junior schooling

There are six compulsory grades during junior schooling known as juniors :— Bottom Junior (or sometimes First Junior), Second Junior, Third Junior, Fourth Junior, Fifth Junior and Top Junior (or sometimes Sixth Junior). Junior schooling is offered at most schools from the age of five, in an Infants grade, although it is not compulsory.

At a junior school, pupils learn to read, write and do basic arithmetic sums. They also are instructed in basic history, religion, civics, geography, art, music, grammar and poetry. In Third Junior, a second language is begun—Latin for boys, and French for girls.

The vast majority of junior board schools are mixed sex, at least in the lower juniors. Many schools, however, have separate classrooms for boys and girls where practicable.

Senior schooling

Senior schooling begins at the age of twelve and consists of seven forms :— First Form, Second Form, Third Form, Fourth Form, Fifth Form, Lower Sixth Form and Upper Sixth Form. The majority of pupils only complete up to Fifth Form, as the two last forms are dedicated to preparation for the matriculation examinations for university entrance.

At a senior school, which is almost always single sex, pupils are taught more advanced subjects such as algebra, trigonometry, calculus, ancient and modern history, world geography, literature analysis, exegesis and rhetoric.

A notable feature of Erbonian senior schooling for boys is service in the Cadet Corps company. Over 90 per cent of boys' senior board schools maintain cadet companies, and over three quarters have compulsory membership from the Second Form.

Though senior schooling is only compulsory until the age of fourteen, which usually corresponds to during the Third Form, pupils are encouraged to stay on until the end of the Fifth Form, when the General Academic and Scholastic Public Examinations are held. Despite this, many pupils do leave school at the end of the Third Form with only a Third Form Report as a qualification.

General Examinations

At the start of the Fourth Form, pupils at grammar schools normally begin study for the General Academic and Scholastic Public Examinations, or General Examinations as they are commonly known. There are four compulsory papers — English; Mathematics; History and Geography; Latin/French — and pupils are permitted to choose up to four supplementary papers.

As of 2020, there are twenty-one supplementary papers offered by most school boards :—

• Additional Mathematics
• Ancient Greek
• Arts
• Biology
• Book-keeping
• Chemistry
• Chinese
• Dutch
• Erebian
• French (boys)
• German
• Housewifery
• Literature
• Mazurian
• Music
• Philosophy
• Physics
• Russian
• Serbian
• Theology

At the end of the Fifth Form, pupils are examined, and receive a letter grade :— O for Outstanding (95%); E for Excellent (90%); G for Good (80%); S for Satisfactory (65%); P for Pass (50%); F for Fail. If the pupil receives at least three passes, and at least one pass in a compulsory paper, he will receive the School Certificate, a nationally recognised qualification.

Matriculation Examinations

Though most pupils leave school by the end of the Fifth Form, a small percentage stay on to take matriculation examinations for matriculation at a university. This takes an extra two years, known as the Lower and Upper Sixth Forms.

Independent schools

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Tertiary education

Tertiary education in Great Nortend is offered at universities and (vocational or professional) colleges (not to be confused with university colleges), as well as through formal guild apprenticeships. Most workers, however, have no formal tertiary education but rather undertake informal on-the-job training.

Universities

See also: University of Aldesey

There are only three universities in Great Nortend, each dating back to the mediæval period :— Aldesey, Limmes and Rhise. University education is focussed mainly on academic and scholastic teaching, rather than research, although there is some emphasis on the latter. University students must attain a generalist Bachelor of Arts degree and then read for a specialised Master of Arts first, before they can study in the higher faculties to obtain a specialised Bachelor of Letters, Philosophy, Medicine (Physic), Laws or Divinity.

For most of the upper class, a university degree is only a status symbol of learnedness. Whilst there are some occupations which one can proceed to directly upon graduating with a degree (such as a clergyman or scientist), most professional occupations require additional vocational training in a vocational college, or in clerkship or pupillage, in addition to any required or recommended university training, before one is qualified to practise (e.g. as a physician, surgeon, apothecary, engineer, architect, barrister).