British Preparatory Schools: Glossary

Figure 1.--Boys at prep schools, especially boarding schools, form close friendships as they have often gone to school and lived together for several years. These two best "mates" are awaiting their turn at the billiards table. 

A schools glossary is especially important. Some words are simply British idiom. Other words are particular to British school life. These may read the reader who has not attended one of these schools somewhat puzzled. Some of the terms are basic English, but other terms will be confusing to Americans or those who have learned American English. Most schools have terms peculiar to the individual school, but many are terms commonly in use in prep and public schools throughout Britain. As we build a more complete glossary, our intention is to divide them in to words pertaining to 1) school operations, 2) uniforms, and 3) words and expressions commonly used at the schools.

A

Academy: Academy is a term for a school used in Scotland. Many of the Scottish public schools are named accademies. Many are not just secondary schools like British public schools, but have programs for prep school age children as well.

Assisted Places Scheme: This was a Government-financed program to help pupils from less-affluent families attend private schools (primarily the preparatory and public schools). It was abolished in 1997 by Britain's Labour Government.

B

Badges: These are metal pins embroidered items the children wear on their jumpers (sweaters) or blazers to identify their house or post such as prefect or head boy.

Bangers and mash: Sausages and mashed potatos.

Boarders and boarding: Boarders are pupils who live at the school during term-time and staying overnight and taking their meals at the school.

Breaks: Breaks are free time during the school day in which the children can play or divert themselves as they see fit. This period is called recess in America. It is usually a period of frentic activity, at least for the boys. While some children choose to play games. Others may decided to quitely chat or roughouse with friends. There is normally a morning and afternoon break. Some schools have three.

Bursar: The school staff member responsibie for managing the schools finances--the school’s income and expenditure, and dealing with school fees. Americans would call him the treasurer.

Bursary: A bursary is a school-financed scholarship to help students attend attend private schools that there parents can not afford without financial assistance. School policies vary. Some might allocated bursaries to pupils from certain families (such as missionaries) or from particular places.

C


Cadet force: The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) offers pupils (now both boys and girls) provides an introduction to the military for those seeking to serve their country or considering a military career. The CFC is a program at many public schools, but not at prep schools.

Chapel: A chapel is a church owned and operated by the school for use by the school and set in the school grounds.

Clever: A bright student is called clever. The term does not have some of the negative connotatiins that the word has in American English, such as to clever for his own good. Anericans would probably say "bright".

Colors: School colors are awards for achievement, often in competitions with other schools. Americans would call them "letters", theletter being the first letter in the school name. Most commonly they are associated with sports. They are also award for other achievements such as in music. Here practices vary from school to school.

Common Entrance Examination (CEE): The Common Entrance Examination is the test the children take to ear admitance to a public schools. A few schools insst on their own examination, but most accept the CEE. The children take it at their prep school and it is then sent to the school they want to enter.

Coventry: Punishment in which a child is ignored. No longer employed. I'm not sure how this name was chosen.

Crest:

Custard: Discusting yellow pudding concoction dumped on top of pie and other deserts.

D

Day school: Day students commonly called day boys or girls attend the school for lessons and extra-curricular activities, but do not board. Most boarding schools also take at least some day children. The proportion can affect the character of the school.

Dormitory: The dormitories or dorms are where the boarding childen sleep. This is one of the features of the schools that have changed most notably. Some schools had large stark dormitories with rows of beds. The dormitories or dorms are now much more comfortable. Younger students normally share dorms. The number of beds varies within and between boarding schools, ranging from three or four up to about eight children. Some older students may have single study-bedrooms.

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme: A popular program for pupils to acquire skills and gain new experiences through a variety of specially designed challenges such as outward-bound expeditions or community service.

E

Evensong: Evensong is a Christian service of reflection held in the evening with choral accompanment. This is an important service at Britain's choir schools.

Exeat: Weekends, sometimes including Friday or Monday, in which selected boarders (normally not the whole school) are allowed to go home during term time.

F

Form: Grade in the sence of academic level. This is somewhat complicated as the schools are not consistent at about the ways of designating specific class levels. The age-group for forms varies from school to school, but at most schools the different classes are Form I-VI. This would compare to about grades 3-8 in America.

G

Games: Games in Britain means sports. The most important are rugby, football (soccer), cricket, and to a lesser extent hockey.

H

Head boy or girl:

Headmaster/mistress: The headmaster or headmistress is the individual in overall charge of the school, commonly referred to as the ‘Head’. The headmaster at many early prep schools actually owned the school. Most prep schools are now charitable trusts which select the headmaster.

House: A house at a public school is a boarding house where pupils live and, at some schools for older students they may even eat there. Normally a school has several boarding houses with destinctive names. There may also be a house for the day children. The houses are mixed age groupings. The arrangement is different at a prep school where the children sleep in common age groups. At prep schools houses are groups organized primarily for intra-school competitions. Prep scghools tend to use houses mostly for counselling and intra-school competitions. Some prep schools have a separate boarding house for the older children to help prepare them for their public school.

M

Marks: Grades in the sence of test scores.

Master: Male teacher

Mate: Friend. I believed the term evolved from naval usage.

Matron: The matron is the female staff member who sees to the the health and hygiene of boarders. Depending on the size of the school, she may manage the other staff in the prep dormitories or public school boarding house.

Mufti: Mufti is a pupil's own clothes as opposed to the required school uniform

P

Pastoral care: This is the school's role in looking after the pupil's personal needs as opposed to the education. The schools do their best to make sure the children are happy, comfortable, well-fed, and healty.

Plusses and minues: An award system in which children acquire positive marks or demerits. The score is often posted. Different terms are used as different schools.

Pre-prep:

Prep: Home work assignments preparing for the next class.

Prefects: Prefects are the senior students given a degree of responsibility in hrelpig run the school. Some prep schools have different names such as captains. There can be different levels of prefects such as house and svchool prefects. Some head-masters use the prefects to help obtain insights on the children's point of view. Others see them as more assistants in enforcing the school rules.

Preparatory school: A private primary school for children 8-13 years old. The purpose is to prepare boys for entry into the public schools.

Public school:

Qualifications: British students leaving secondary schools take standardized tests to determine their level of achievement. They can receive O- or A-level qualifications. The A-levels are the higher-level school-leaver qualifications. Students earming A-levels achieve access to career-based or degree courses. Pupils age 16-18 years take A-levels over 2 years. There are prelininary AS-levels, usually on four or five subjects, during the first year and A-levels, usually on three subjects, during the second.

R

Remove: This is a term I do not fully understand. It seems to have something to do with form classes. The dictionary states that in relation to schools it is an intermediate class. I know it is used a lot in public schools but exactly why I do not know.

Rubber: Eraser

S

San or sanitorium: The school's medical center. Children who have minor illnesses or not feeling well are treated here. At larger schools they are staffed by a resident qualified nurse who looks after pupils' healthcare needs. The school facilities are supported by the local GP and other healthcare services as required.

School sandals:

Study-bedrooms: Study-bedrooms are assined to the older pupils, normally the prefects. They have a room to themselves instead of sleeping in a dormitory to allow them more privacy and independence and thus are coveted by the children.

T

Tea: Afternoon snack.

Trousers:

Tuck: Tuck was originally food in general that the pupils brought to school with them. It is now candy (sweets) or other snacks brought to school or purchased at the school. Boarders have tucks boxes to store their treats, if allowed. The tuck boxes are also used to store personal possessions.

Turn-over-top socks:

V

Vespers: A religious service held in the evenings.

W

Wellies

Wizzard: Even before Harry Potter, "wizzard" meat soimething the boys really liked.





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