Teacher helps pupils cheat

GCSE: the General Certificate of Secondary Education is "an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland" (Wikipedia)

Public school: although it may sound like a contradictory term, a public school is that which is run by private hands, as opposed to a state school, which is run by education authorities and on public funding.

Teacher at princes’ school helped his pupils to cheat in French exam (Timesonline)

Gordonstoun teacher banned after pupils get exam 'tip-off' (News.scotsman.com)

Summer Term

Classes shut and exams threatened as ash cloud clogs working Britain - Times Online

The problem comes from the fact that most schools start today after the Easter Holidays and many teachers and students were abroad when the "ash crisis" started.

The academic year in primary and secondary schools in the UK is divided into three terms: Autumn, Spring and Summer (traditionally called Christmas, Easter and Summer terms, these names have changed due to political correction). In the middle of each term there is a week holiday called half term. There are also some bank holidays scattered along the year as well as the main vacation periods: Summer, Christmas and Easter.

For more detailed information about the British school calendar you need to check the information about a particular area. Here is the calendar for 2009/10 at the London Borough of Hackney:

The Learning Trust - The Future for Education in Hackney

It is interesting to contrast this calendar with that of New South Wales in Australia: New South Wales School Calendar

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