Heritage - what is a grammar school year?

[Netleigh]

Just read the challenge and would like to know what you mean by a grammar school year. I'm wondering what it means in the USA. In the UK a Grammar school is a 11-18 school where you had to pass a test to get in.
I have some photo's in mind whatever the answer, need to scan them though.

[ashleygg]

Here in the states it is K-5 or 6. The school before Jr. High/Middle School.

[Steph]

Yep, what Ashley said. Although it can vary. Some grammar schools go from grades kindergarten (age 5) - 6th grade (age 12) and some go all the way up to 8th grade (age 14).

[readstoomuch]

Right girls . . . from Kindergarten through 8th grade like Steph said is what I have always called the grammar school years.

I'm sorry Netleigh that I didn't clarify that in my post on the blog. I need to remember that what some words mean here in the US aren't always the same in other countries. If you should ever have another question please post a question as you did today.

Thanks for the question and thanks Ashley and Steph for clearing it up!

[Netleigh]

Thanks for the quick responses. Quite a different meaning over here from the USA. I have some suitable photos though.
We in the UK used to have Grammar schools where you had to pass the 11+ exam to get in and secondary moderns if you didn't,then this was changed to Comprehensive schools with no academic selection but pockets of selective schools still exist. Then the government added Academies and a few other categories!
I'm doing insomniac web surfing again (it's 3.15 am here), blaming the shoulder still recovering from operations to sort out a skiing injury. I try to turn onto the affected side, wake up and can't drop off again.

[esther_a]

In Australia, Grammar School is just a name for a non-government school. My daughters attend a Grammar School. It goes K-12. The junior schools are called Primary School here.
I always wondered why they're called Grammar schools. Did they start off just teaching the rules of English grammar?!

[esther_a]

OK! I googled it!
According to Wikipedia, the term "grammar school" historically refers to schools teaching Latin grammar to future priests.
There you go!

[digigrandma]

Oh, this is interesting! Netleigh, I'm glad you tune in here when you can't sleep to start interesting discussions. I love to talk about words and varied meanings depending on where one lives.

Seems like when I started school back in the late 1940's we called it grade school. When our sons started school in the late 70's we called it elementary school (k-6), junior high (7-9) and high school (10-12).

Remember Roosevelt Franklin Elementary School on Sesame Street?

Now, they're calling grades 6-8 middle school in our school district.

[Cassie Jones (1gr8muggle)]

Originally Posted by digigrandma

Remember Roosevelt Franklin Elementary School on Sesame Street?

We love Roosevelt Franklin in this house. He was one cool cat.

[Britgirl]

oh this always throws me too. I have no idea about america school years, they are always different to ours and then someone will say oh you know grade 12, k 8 or something and I'm like what???
we go to infant school from 4.5 yrs to 7, middle school 6 or 7 til 11/12 {sometimes infant and middle are joined} then secondary school {high school} til 16. you can leave school then or-
16 + is sixth form for two years, then college. for 2 or 4 years depending on your course.then if you do amazingly at college you can go to University.
see? different as heck!!
thankyou for asking this Netleigh

[kikimama]

Great discussion, I can never get it straight in my head.

And of course, it's confusing enough that our system in Scotland is different from England/Wales.

We start primary school at 4/5, then secondary school at 11/12, leaving at 16/17. Seems simplest to me.

[Netleigh]

And then it gets more complicated if you add British independent schools into the mix. My son went to an independent grammar school (fee paying) from age 11, that was middle school, at age 13, when common entrance exams are taken if you are in a prep school, it became upper school and at 16 it became 6th form, lower and upper, even though they were using the same year names as the state school system through the middle and upper! Which of course is different to what it was called when I was at school.

It gets even worse if you say Public school, in the UK it's a fee paying one and in the USA its the kind provided by the state I think?

There is the George Bernard Shaw quote, "England and America are two countries divided by a common language."

[esther_a]

In Australia, the public school system is government run. So we're with the Americans on that one

[PaulaSG]

The Irish system is (or at least was when I went!!) the same as the Scottish system that Chrissy described. Now that I have a child in the American school system I'm totally confused.

[Britgirl]

yeah, my eldest are in fee paying -which is a public school. except to all Americans its a private school... LOL
so shall we just refer to the kids ages from now on? LOL...

[Netleigh]

Originally Posted by Britgirl

so shall we just refer to the kids ages from now on? LOL...

That seems like the best answer!

I wonder if this is the most confusing subject for international differences or if something else is worse.