education in russia and great britain

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The Russian Educational System vs the British One

In this article let's find out the differences between the Russian educational system and the British one.

Often, open-minded parents look for a replacement for the Russian school system, seeing obvious flaws in it. A good alternative would be a British school. Such education is highly valued in many countries: England occupies the first position in the world’s best universities ranking.

The structure of the educational system

Kindergarten.

The first difference is that a kindergarten in Russia is usually an independent institution, while in the UK, children can go to school from the age of 3. There, several stages of preschool preparation are organised for them, each of them has its own pedagogical goals.

At the British International School , for example, there are 2 groups where we prepare children for basic education: Nursery and Reception. The teachers communicate with the children in English, but just in case there is a Russian-speaking assistant in the class.

Primary And Secondary School

Children are admitted to Russian primary schools from the age of 6-7, while in the UK, children enter the first grade at the age of 5. This is obligatory for everyone.

Secondary education is compulsory in both the Russian and British systems. Pupils at a comprehensive school in Russia can receive a certificate after the 9th grade, whereas in the UK it’s only after the 11th grade. Years 10 and 11 are devoted to studying the IGCSE programme. At the end there are exams. After successfully passing them, an international certificate of secondary education is given. This is the last stage of compulsory general education in the UK.

Pre-University Training

Some schools offer pre-university training in Years 12 and 13. By the way, BIS is the only one in Moscow that offers its students two international programmes to choose from: IB Diploma and A-level . They each last for 2 years and are highly regarded by universities around the world.

Holidays and School Calendar

In a typical Russian school, each academic year consists of 4 quarters of 2–2.5 months. Senior students attend classes 6 days a week, younger students go to school 5 days a week. After each quarter, children go on holiday, which lasts a week-and-a-half. At the end of the year, the longest break is as long as 3 months.

In the UK, they study by trimesters. In the middle of each trimester is a week of rest, or half-term break. There are long holidays between terms: 6 weeks in summer, and 2–3 for Easter and Christmas. Children go to school 5 days a week regardless of age.

Study Load and Programme Slant

In these aspects, the school systems of Russia and the UK differ greatly.

First of all, the British curriculum is structured completely differently. The older the students, the fewer compulsory subjects. From the very beginning, this system helps students to determine their areas of interest and to choose subjects useful for future work. The Russian system is the opposite. In the first grade, only basic subjects are studied, and more new subjects are added every year. The goal of the Russian educational system is to broaden students’ horizons as much as possible, whereas the British one helps to choose the future profession.

The second great difference is the approach to teaching. You can often hear about the individual approach in Russian schools, but it is important to understand that it is hardly possible to implement it there. It is all about the number of students in a class. In Russia, there are 25 and sometimes 30 people. In Great Britain it is 15–20. Therefore, British parents can be sure that their children will definitely be able to receive material adapted to their individual abilities, and the teacher will have enough time for everyone.

In addition, the focus of the educational programme is different. From an early age, the British are brought up to be responsible and independent, while Russian children are brought up to be patient, you cannot say otherwise. In Russia, schoolchildren get a huge number of homework assignments, many of them require learning by heart. In a British school, on the contrary, they encourage children to research, to find information by themselves and to come to conclusions. In the classroom, they discuss - not retell - textbooks. A great deal of time is devoted to creative tasks.

The British International School has been working in Moscow for 30 years and teaches children according to the national curriculum of England. Our experience shows that the British educational system is truly progressive. It gives not only deep academic knowledge, but prepares students for further study, work and adult life.

MORE TO READ:

Benefits of studying at an international school

How to make your child interested in learning English?

Soft skills for children

Differences between British and Russian curricula

Private British schools are famous all over the world as educational institutions that give their students the highest level of academic preparation and maximum social adaptation - those qualities that are highly valued both for entering universities and for subsequent employment.

Speaking of the British curriculum benefits, we should note its three principles, namely:

• reliance on centuries-old traditions;
• widespread use of innovative teaching methods;
• priority students interests and needs.

However, one can understand the advantages of studying in a British school, perhaps, only by comparing it with the familiar domestic one.

Comparing education in Russia and the UK

To understand the difference between British and Russian curricula, have a look at the pair of "ability" / "knowledge": although both systems are based on a series of examinations, the state one pays maximum attention to details and knowledge (up to memorization), while the British one is focused on student’s skills.

That is why in English schools’ attention is paid to independent work (self-dependent and collective joint work, carried out by groups of students). Even in those disciplines where the knowledge itself coincides (for example, in mathematics), teaching is carried out at fundamentally different levels, which, accordingly, gives different results in the end.

Regarding the given knowledge we should notice the following:

In fact, more than 90% of children studying the British curriculum easily enter the most prestigious universities in different countries of the world.

Comprehensive personal development as the goal of the British school

Perhaps the most important difference between these educational systems is the attitude towards the personality of the child: the Russian school is built on the achievement of a certain standard for all by each student, and the British one assumes considers the individual characteristics and capabilities of each child.

The main goal of the British curriculum is to form a fully self-confident person with developed leadership qualities, who has the necessary social skills, is ready to make independent decisions, and if necessary, proves them right for authorities.

To achieve such a harmony you need additional classes aimed at developing a variety of talents (from vocals and cooking to sports achievements), a worldview and a broad outlook, the ethics and moral norms.

Features of training at the British school CIS

The non-state CIS International School (CIS) is a true representative of British values. Parents who face the choice of a school for a child will be especially interested in learning about the relationship between students and teachers in CIS.

It is crucial that the teacher is not perceived as an unconditional leader. Dialogue is the main form of communication, the interaction is accompanied by a psychologist. The child is in the center of the whole process, it is for his sake that the psychologist gives recommendations on classes and programs that help the student to manage their behavior and control emotions.

There is no specific approach to relationships between students, the most important role is given to the Student Council, that discusses the widest range of issues - from school events and charity to ideas for improving the school life.

Classroom leadership and behavior control

At CIS International School, there is an institute of classroom leadership, which implies the responsibility of the teacher for the PSHE program (personality education, medical education, social adaptation).

But there is no assessment of the behavior of students and work with parents demonstrating the wrong behavior: the school is trying to focus on the positive aspects, the monitoring and reporting system for regulating behavior is implemented on campuses and is unique.

The values supported by the British school and CIS make it possible to prepare students for a successful future in any field, teach them to adapt to changing conditions, easily interact with people and feel comfortable in any country.

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The UK and Russian Educational Systems Comparison

Introduction, private schools, relations between the teacher and the pupil, social background, reference list.

The education system of Great Britain is famous for its unique traditions. Having such well known education establishments as Oxford, Cambridge, and having rather high educational standards, especially in the sphere of higher education, taking the 2 place in Europe, education system of the United Kingdom however, has its own drawbacks and negative tendencies. One of the best ways to analyze something is to compare it with the other thing, as drawbacks and benefits can be better seen against the background of the fundamentally-different education system. In this terms Russian education system is the best choice.

Derived from the educational system of the former USSR, which was considered to be one of the best in the world, now it is being changed in order to correspond to the demands of the modern society. Being quite opposite in their nature, these two systems have too many different things to compare, that is why we will stop only on some of them, which are considered to be the most interesting. The first thing to be compared is the presence of the private schools, the payment for education and the role private schools play in the further obtaining of the education. The next thing is the relationships between the teacher and the pupils, their level of mutual understanding. The influence of the pupil’s background on the quality of the obtaining education will be the last thing to be compared.

One of the most significant achievements of the former USSR was its ability to provide absolutely free education for all people in this giant country. Russia, as the main successor of that country, has inherited this achievement, providing free education too

The citizens of the Russian Federation have the right to free primary education, basic and secondary general education, and to vocational education; and on a competitive basis, to free non-university and university level higher educational and to postgraduate education in State and municipal educational establishments. ( State policy in regard to education n.d., para 9)

The percentage of the private schools and universities is extremely low in Russian educational system and they are not of the great significance. Their few number is explained by the fact, that the fashion to the private education establishments has come to Russia not so long ago. The graduates from these schools do not have other advantages of the graduates from the public schools and additionally the study is to be paid for. Better conditions and, as a result, better level of obtaining knowledge, are still not enough to attract parents.

In Great Britain things are totally opposite. The higher education in the UK is fee-paid for foreigners and its citizens. In the sphere of secondary education the private and public schools exist. However, as against Russia, the graduate from the private school has the great advantage of the graduate from public – “the most prestigious 100 schools secure 30% of all Oxbridge places. And 84 of them are private schools” (Dorling 2014, para. 2). Having analysed the facts, we observe the great difference in the importance of the private schools for the education system in Russia and Great Britain.

The other point under the consideration is the relationships between the teacher and his pupils. There is a tendency in the world for the growing intention in their relations and Great Britain is not an exception. The humanistic society is too focused on the children rights, forgetting about their duties. As a result children grow with the realization of their permissiveness The teacher is no more authority and it is very difficult to find some leverage over them.

Teachers are very constrained in the remedies as private schools are interested in pupils. In Russia however, the teacher had always had authority with children and their family. The situation remains the same in the whole, however there is a tendency for its changing. The pupils obtain more and more independence and assurance in their privileged state while the teacher loses his authority. The situation becomes more like in Great Britain, children do not appreciate the relations with the teacher, just putting their interests in the head.

The last point to be compared is the influence of the children background on their ability to get further education. “Variations in school performance in the UK are also heavily determined by the social backgrounds of pupils” (Green, Mason, Unwin 2011, para. 5). Children, whose parents have a degree, will more likely enter the University than children whose parents do not. The representative of the lover class cannot afford private school, automatically reducing his children chances of getting the good education. Also there is “the gap in educational achievement between poorer and richer students” (Galindo, Marcenaro-Gutierrez, Vignoles 2004, para. 4).

In Russia the influence of the childs background becomes more and more obvious, its education system now provide better opportunities for those, who are able to afford it – “children got a good education depended heavily on their individual teachers and on how wealthy their families were” (Samedova & Ostaptschuk 2012, para. 1). Profitable connections and big money open the doors to any University. Russian educational system is very corrupted, that is why childs background plays the great role in it. If to compare it with the situation in Great Britain, it becomes obvious that things are even worse, as it the UK the principles of fair competitions work, while in Russia, being nominally free, education depends on the financial state of the family.

In conclusion it is possible to come to admit that the educational systems in Russia and Great Britain are totally different. Starting from the different approach to the financial aspect of the education and ending with the relations between the teacher and his pupils. However, modern processes in society led to some changes in the structure of the education systems and common things appeared – the opening of the private schools in Russia and the change in the teacher-pupil relations are those points which are common for two different educational systems.

Dorling, D, 2014, Is the British education system designed to polarise people?  Web.

Green, A, Mason, G, Unwin, L, 2011, ‘Education and Inequality: Introduction’, National Institute Economic Review , vol. 215, n.pag., Web.

Galindo, R, F, Marcenaro-Gutierrez, O, Vignoles, A 2004, ‘The Widening Socio-Economic Gap in UK Higher Education’, National Institute Economic Review , vol. 190, n.pag., Web.

Samedova, E, & Ostaptschuk, M 2012, Russia: An educational system in crisis , Web.

State policy in regard to education, n.d.,Web.

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Education in russia and great britain

Education is very important in the modern world, which is full of technological advances.

All countries have traditional systems of education, according to which pupils start school at the age of 5, 6 or 7 and study at school for 11 or 12 years. This system of education seems good because pupils are taught by well-qualified teachers and they get the necessary amount of knowledge specified by a national curriculum. But some people believe that the current system is a failure because it doesn’t teach children how to become good thinkers. School is about passing exams, but education should be about life.

In many countries education is compulsory, but school isn’t. So many parents choose alternative ways of education for their children, for example, home education. Everyone continues studying after finishing school. There is no doubt that without good education you won’t be able to find an interesting and highly-paid job because every company needs well-qualified employees. University life is usually interesting and exciting.

Education in Russia

In Russia there is a nine-year compulsory education, but to enter a university one has to study two years more. School starts at the age of 6 or 7 for Russian children. At school pupils study academic subjects, such as Russian, Literature, Mathematics, History, Biology, foreign languages and others.

After finishing secondary school, lyceum or gymnasium one can go on to higher education. Entrance competitive examinations are held in July and August.

Higher educational institutions are headed by Rectors. Prorectors are in charge of the academic and scientific work. Higher educational institutions train undergraduates and graduate students in one or several specializations. The faculties are headed by the Deans.

Institutions of higher education include: technical training schools, teachers training colleges, universities which offer master’s and doctoral degrees programs. The faculties have specialized councils for conferring advanced academic degrees.

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