MUST-401 Lessons

Welcome to class everyone! I have an interesting lesson set up for you today, followed by this year’s midterm. I hope you’ve been studying the past lessons of the year in preparation for your exam. As always, feel free to contact me if you need any help - I expect great things from all of you, and I want to aid you in any way I can to achieve high marks on exams and in this course. This is actually a decent segue into today’s topic, one that I have no doubt everyone in the room has some experience with already: school!

Primary School

In today’s lesson, we’re going to focus on the Muggle schooling system of the UK, as that is where the physical location of Hogwarts is. However, there are many school systems throughout the world (including alternative ones in the UK itself). That said, the majority of all educational systems tend to follow a similar structure to what I’ll detail below.

A child’s first experience with compulsory education in the UK generally starts with primary school. Compulsory means required and refers to the fact that if the child is a citizen,  their parents must enrol them in a primary school to begin to learn to be a functioning member of society. An exception to this is homeschooling, which means a parent will be in charge of teaching their child primary school material themselves in a home classroom. No matter whether parents choose to send their child to a school with other children or elect to educate them at home, the same material gets covered.

Primary school is available for students ages 5 to 11. While in school, children begin to make a foundation for the rest of their formal education. It is at this point that students will learn how to read and write, as well as understand very basic mathematics such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The children also have room in their day to learn about their local history. Muggle children will additionally use these formative years to begin learning scientific principles: astronomy, biology (study of living things), technology, geography (study of places on Earth), and many others.

Lastly, other courses are offered that are similar to the electives we have here at Hogwarts. These are physical education (required for everyone, to some extent, as it involves exercise) and art classes (music, art, and theatre). They may also begin to learn a second language - French, Spanish, and German are common choices in the UK. 

Hogwarts education generally begins at age 11, although there are stray cases in which magical abilities develop later and therefore education must begin at a later date -- from my understanding, that is why many people have found themselves at Hogwarts is Here, to complete their magical education in a nontraditional manner! However, the majority of Hogwarts students do attend the school physically at 11. That means they do complete their primary school education within the Muggle community.

For those who have grown up in wizarding villages and communities, you may be familiar with the primary schools that are run by witches and wizards in these towns. These schools exist within the UK school system, but they are secretly taught and managed by witches and wizards. These schools are not mini-Hogwarts, though. They teach the exact same material that is covered in Muggle primary schools, with some making it a policy to not mention magic whatsoever. This is to keep the schools as similar to Muggle schools as possible. The theory is that teaching small children in this manner will help them understand that they cannot share their magic with their young Muggle friends, and all discussion of the magical world must remain at home. The only real difference between these wizard-run primary schools and true Muggle-run ones is that the educators will be able to handle the accidental use of magic by a young witch or wizard more effectively. This is a benefit many parents find appealing. If there is not a school like this nearby, the parents may elect to homeschool their child, which is a similar process: no talk of magic, and only teach what is required by the UK school system standards.

If the child does not live within a wizarding village though, there are still a couple of options. There are a handful of magical primary schools that can be reached via Floo network. This is helpful for families that want their children to continue to have an education near other magic users, but do not physically live near a wizarding village. Another option is to simply send the child to a non-magical primary school. In this case, the child will be attending a Muggle school for their primary education. This means that starting at the age of 5, the majority of UK-based magic users are interacting with Muggles on a daily basis in the classroom. Thankfully children of such a young age tend not to have strong enough magic to cause too much suspicion but just in case something happens, the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes monitors primary schools very closely. This supervision also helps identify Muggle-born children who may have enough magical ability to warrant an invitation to Hogwarts once they are old enough.

Secondary School 

Secondary school is compulsory for children from ages 11 to 16. In a way, Hogwarts is a type of secondary school! Up until 16, school is compulsory in the UK, but after then it is optional. This branch of education aims to build upon the foundation that was taught during primary school. They will delve into more complicated sciences and mathematics such as geometry, trigonometry, algebra, calculus, or biology, chemistry, and physics. They will also use this time to learn more about broader history (like you do in your History of Magic class) and progress in their language of choice.

This is also when students will learn more about the technology around them and how to use it. Similarly to how Hogwarts educators aim to teach you about the magic around you and how to harness it effectively, Muggle teachers will spend the time in the classroom explaining the particulars of the technological advancements in the Muggle world. In the 21st century especially, more emphasis has been placed on “STEM” classes - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics - than ever before. Tech has become the Muggles’ own form of magic, and more and more students are becoming well-versed in it for their future careers. 

At the end of secondary education in the UK, students may take exams called GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education). They are similar to O.W.L.s here at Hogwarts. Each course that the student studies will have a GCSE that they may take and will be graded on. These grades are incredibly important as they determine what direction their post-secondary school life will be like. Students will take between 5-12 GCSE courses during their final years at secondary school as well as the subsequent exam for each. Required GCSE courses are English, mathematics, and science, and then any other courses/exams come from elective offerings, similar to as it is at Hogwarts. 

At the end of GCSE exam season, a student will come away with multiple grades. The grading system for GCSE exams is on a nine-point scale with 9 being the very best. Anything over a 4 is considered a pass.

Further Education

After students take their GCSEs, they have a difficult decision to make: more schooling or not? In the UK, the traditional offering to answering yes to that question is the Advanced Level course, otherwise known as A-Levels. These are academic courses designed for students who want to study more, usually in preparation for even more education afterwards in the form of university. Admission into these elite courses is determined by one’s GCSE score, again similar to O.W.L.s. Generally, one needs at least five GCSE scores to be above a 4 to even qualify for taking A-Level courses. Students will usually focus their attention on three A-Levels at the minimum, with some people electing to take four or five. These courses are very difficult, so it’s better to take a small number and really learn and excel in them rather than stretching yourself thin with too many! The student decides on which A-Levels to take depending on what career path they want to follow.

There are many, many subjects that are offered as A-Levels. For example at Oxford Sixth Form College, where A-Levels are taught, there are 27 different courses offered compared to Hogwarts’s 15! This variety really allows a student to choose an array of courses that suits them as well as prepares them for whatever comes next in their career.

A-Levels are also capped with exams that take place when the student is 19, comparable to our N.E.W.T.s. The grading scale, from best to worst, is as follows: A*, A, B, C, D and E.  The goal is, of course, to finish with as many high marks as possible, but actually, anything above an E is a passable score. These marks are used when applying for jobs, if that is what the student decides to do after finishing their A-Levels, or the student can decide to go further into their education.

University

The last branch of the education system in the UK is a university, often abbreviated as uni. University is a type of school for adults - usually over the age of 20 - for specialized study. The student will have one specific focus in mind and will choose a university/degree program based on that. For example, if one wants to become a musician, they might elect to go into a music program or course while at university. University is similar to the post-Hogwarts education some of you may receive if you want to enter into certain professions. For example, Aurors must attend a three-year training after graduating from Hogwarts before being a full-fledged member of the defence force. Another thing to note is that you may enter into a Muggle university even if you went to Hogwarts for your secondary education! Of course, you’d have to keep the extent of your secondary studies secret, but this option is available for anyone who wants to enter into the combined Muggle-magical workforce after graduation.

No matter your secondary education source, universities are difficult to get into though, so making high marks in A-Levels is extremely crucial. University programs generally range from 3-to 4 years but can take longer due to very specialized careers requiring even further education, such as the various different professions in the medical field.

And that is the end of today’s class! I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the interesting Muggle school system - in the UK, anyway - and found that it’s really not too dissimilar from Hogwarts even if they learn different skills. As I mentioned previously, today is your midterm! Remember, it’s not as crucial of an exam as a GCSE or A-Level, but it is still important, so try your best! You will have a midterm exam as well as a midterm essay. Good luck!

Anna Soleil

Sources:

https://www.internationalstudent.com/study_uk/education_system/

https://i0.wp.com/metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GettyImages-534576363.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&zoom=1&resize=644%2C429&ssl=1

https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum

https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/1/590x/Secondary-School-places-2019-1093956.jpg?r=1551449022914