Education in Bostopia

Overview

The Bostopian Education System begins mandatorily at the age of 4, when children are placed into their local Primary School, or Juniors and Infants schools.

Their mandatory education ends at the end of the school year in which they reached the age of 16, after taking Certificate of Education exams, after schooling in the tripartite system from the age of 11.

State education continues until the age of 18 with the Advanced Certificate, and then students may go onto University - with fees paid, though no grants are given (except for certain subjects such as the Health Profession) - to earn a Bachelors or Masters degree.

All schools in Bostopia have registration at 9:15, with lessons starting at 9:30. This was made law by the Education Times Act 2003, following successful trials in schools across the nation, after it was found that attedence figures rose. Schools must also include a 15 minute morning break, and an hour's lunch. The school day finishes anytime between 3PM and 4PM.

Primary/Infants and Juniors Schools must also provide 3 hours worth of Physical Education per week, with all 3 secondary type schools providing 3 hours PE, and 3 hours of Militia Training. All Physical Education is done nude, indoors or outdoors (with lessons being brought indoors in severe weather conditions) and barefoot, unless protective clothing is required.

Aged 4 - 11

The first stage of Bostopian Education is Primary School, or Infants and Juniors School, provided the child is aged 4 by the first of September. Primary School and Infants and Juniors Schools are generally the same, but Infants and Juniors is the term still used by Schools that are either private or in wealthier parts of Bostopian towns, cities or villages.

At the end of the child's 7th year (known as Year 6), they will take the Placement Exam, which is an exam based on General Knowledge, IQ, and Bostopian Language, Maths and Science ability.

Aged 11 - 16

Following the results of the Placement Exam, children are placed into a Grammar School, Technical School, or Secondary Modern School. All schools are state-run, except some Grammar schools are privately owned, and are fee-payed, accepting only the brightest children, though they must still adhere to Governmental Guidelines.

Children are now placed in classes of same-ability, so that none are held up or rushed by children of a different ability.

This ensures that children who shine in one subject, and not all, are given the opportunity to make best use of that knowledge, while being given the support they require in other subjects.

The school the child is placed in also bears heavily on their Militia Training. Grammar School students are trained for Officer Roles, Technical School students being trained for Non-Commissioned Officer Training (with the opportunity for promotion), and Secondary Modern School students being trained for Non-Officer purposes, mainly frontline combat roles (with the opportunity for promotion).

All children are required to take: Bostopian Language & Literature, History, Geography, Maths, a Foreign Language and a Technology. The most popular foreign language is Vladmiristaki.

At the end of the 5th school year in the Tripartite School, (Year 11 overall), Students take the Higher, Middle, or Lower Certificate of Education dependant on what school they went to, though they could be moved up a band due to academic performance.

Aged 16 - 18

Students with favourable results (from all 3 certificate scales) can now apply to study for an Advanced Certificate, be it Sixth Form at their Tripartite School, another Tripartite School, or a College.

Subjects studyable are in a large range, including Business, Law, History, Politics, Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Sociology, Psychology and Art among others.

Also, Skills Qualifications are available in subjects such as Hair and Beauty, Fashion and Design, Construction, Engineering, Engine Building & Repairing and Computing subjects.

PE is not mandatory at this age, and is done either extra-curricularly or at breaktimes.

Aged 18 +

Following the Advanced Certificate, students can apply to attend a University in Bostopia to study a subject in their chosen field. On completion of their Bachelors Degree, which may come with a years on the job training or not, they can choose to study for a Masters degree.