My sister just found out that her family may be living in Scotland for the next 3-5 years.She has a child who will be 5 in May. Could someone please give me a quick overview of the elementary school system in Scotland. Thank you.

Hi, As far as I know children start (Primary)school at 5yrs. Usually a short intro period 1/2 days for a few months then 9am till around 3.30pm with around an hour for lunch. Primarys go from P1 to P7 (around 11yrs old) Then onto Secondary School.
Scotland has a good education system so it should hold no fears for her. Depends also which part of Scotland.
Hope this helps.

mona2, your sister may find this web site of great interest. It lists almost every primary school in Scotland - but not private schools - and links to their web sites.

http://www.gcwebber.freeola.com/primary.htm

The site http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/?pageID=103 then Education gives you a long note from the government of Scotland on their system of education, which is very different from that of England, and to my view is better. From the seventeenth century the Church of Scotland insisted that all children should be able to read the Bible, and by 1750 Scotland had over fifty percent literacy, among the highest in Europe. She had, too, a good number of Renaissance universities for so small a country, and it was they that gave the ground for the blossoming of learning, including science, then and in the Victorian age.

The note is in PDF format, which you can download free in about 30 minutes if you have not loaded it already.

The site http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/.../io0304-07.asp sets out to find teachers, but at the foot is a list of the education authorities of the country. As seahatch says, they vary (for example there is no set national curriculum), and if you know the area the family will go to you can try Google for the local Education Department, to see how they present themselves.

Adult Sots are earnest about education (but the children still have a lot of fun).

Ben Haines, London
[email protected]

There should be a nursery school place available in the state system (free) for every child over the age of 3. That is not compulsory, but I think over half use the opportunity.

It IS compulsory for every child over the age of 5 to be educated. Most people choose to do this in a state run primary school (free); some do it in a private primary school and a very few do it at home.

The education provided will cover the essentials:-
reading
writing
arithmetic and, eventually, simple maths
history
geography
gym
religious studies
art
music
environmental studies

Nowadays (unlike when I were a lad) they don't do this by rote but use modern techniques. I have no idea what these are, being a bit of a fogey myself, but my nieces and nephews and under 10 year old friends seem to come out articulate and knowedgeable, so they must be doing something right.

Scotland, as Ben says has always prided itself on our education system, and we generally think it better than our southern neighbours. It seems to me that teachers have a higher regard in the eyes of the general public than is the case in many other places.

A very damaging dispute in 1986 destroyed generations old traditions of voluntary work, but it's still pretty good.

Feel free to come back if I can help further.

shiela, "when I were a LAD"? Really, tell me it isn't so.

I wondered about that too, Sheila!!

Oh come on now guys - I mean REALLY! Who cares if the girl popped over to Denmark for a "clip-n-tuck" job. Open your minds a little, this is the 21st century ya know! I say: You go girl! Whatever floats your boat!

Mr. Haines: So glad to read that the adult sots are big on education. One can only hope that the rest of the grown-ups support it as well!

For Robdaddy

I am sorry to have confused you. It was a typo: I meant to write Sots, and apologise for my error.

Ben Haines

Mr Haines, you are my hero!!!