Compulsory education begins at 5 when children in England & Wales go to infant schools or departaments; at 7 many go on to junior schools or departaments. In some areas of England there are nursery schools for children under 5 years of age. Some children between 2 & 5 receive education in nursery classes or in infants classes in primary schools. Many children attend informal pre-school play-groups organized by parents in private homes. Nursery schools are staffed with teachers and students in training. There are all kinds of toys to keep the children busy from 9 o'clock till 4 o'clock p.m.- while their parents are at work here the babies play, lunch & sleep. They can run about and play in safety with someone keeping an eye on them.For day nurseries which remain open all the year round the parents pay according to their income.

Most children start school at 5 in a primary school. A primary school may be divided into two parts- infants & juniors. At infants schools reading, writing & arithmetic are taught for about 20 minutes a day during the first year, gradually increasing to about 2 hours in their last year. There is usually no written timetable. Much time is spent in modelling from clay or drawing, reading and singing.

By the time children are ready for the junior school they will be able to read & write, do simple addition and subtraction of numbers.

At 7 children go on from the infants school to the junior school. This marks the transition from play to 'real work'. The children have set periods of arithmetic, reading and composition which are all Eleven-Plus subjects. History, Geography, Nature Study, Art & Music, PE, Swimming are also on the timetable.

Pupils are streamed, according to their ability to learn, into A,B,C & D streams. The least gifted are in the D streams. Formerly towards the end of their fourth year the pupils wrote their 11-Plus Exams. The hated 11+ was a selective procedure on which not only the pupils' future schooling but their careers depended. The abolition of selection at 11+ brought to life comprehensive schools where pupils can get secondary education.

As you have already guessed the usual age of transfer from primary to secondary school is 11.

Most primary schools are state- funded although many of them are run by churches and the child is taught in order with the National Curriculum.

Independent fee-paying schools which are called preparatory schools, prepare children for the Common Entrance Examination set by the independent secondary schools. Usually parents prefer state primary schools -95 % and only 5% prefer independent.

A number of LEAs in England (local education authorities) have established "first" schools for pupils aged 5 to 8,9,10 & "middle" schools covering various age ranges between 8 & 14.

It goes without saying it that the period of primary schooling is very interesting and fun for boys and girls during that period their character is forming, they are becoming personalities.

And if it was said that it's fun, then there should be some jokes and funny stories about the schooling. So here you go!

Jokes and funny stories

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