Everything I Need to Know about British Schools I learned from Harry Potter*

*Ok, not everything, but quite a bit.

As an American unfamiliar with British schools, I didn't realize how much the books matched the genuine school system. The longer we are here, the more I see that they are very similar.

• The head of school is called the Headmaster or Headmistress as opposed to the American version which is the Principal.
• The schools are broken out into Houses and the children earn house points through academics and sports fixtures (aka competitions), such as Rugby, Hockey, Rounders, Cricket, and Netball.
• At age 11 children start at Grammar School or Secondary School where they attend for 7 years, the same as Harry heading off to Hogwarts.
• During their 5th year of Grammar School they take GCSE's in a variety of subjects, these are known as O.W.L.S. in Harry Potter.
• During their last year of Grammar School they take A-Levels in subjects they have focused on for the previous 2 years, known as N.E.W.T.s in Harry Potter.
• Boarding is an option at some Grammar Schools, but is not required.
• The older students at both Primary and Grammar schools are Prefects.
• And there are a Head Boy and Head Girl at the Grammar schools.

Some differences between UK and US schools.....

• All schools here require a uniform.  
• Non-uniform days at school don't happen very often, but when they do they are referred to as mufti-day. 
• Children are placed into their year group (equivalent to our grade levels) strictly based on their age. There is no holding children back or skipping a year based on academics. 
• Children start school a year earlier here at age 4 and this grade is called reception.  The following year the grades are number just like in the US....Year 1, Year 2, etc.
• Mathematics is called Maths, yes with an 's' on the end, the same goes for Spellings.
• Schools can serve alcohol at events such as plays, fairs, etc. 

Good Eats, New Car, and Helpful Pharmacists

9/24/16 - We went to a Seafood Festival at the Barbican. We had crab mac & cheese, prawn spring rolls, crispy prawns, and fish tacos. Which were all delicious.  Surprisingly fish tacos are very new here and aren't as popular as they are in the states. The kids decorated cookies and we walked around the stalls checking out the products from some local artisans.

9/25/16 - We purchased a 2nd car that will be Ron's primary vehicle. It is a 1989 Austin Mini Cooper. We have named her Ruby and plan to bring her back to the states. This is the what the car looked like when we first bought it. Of course anyone who knows Ron, knows he has already made several modifications, including new rims and tyres (yes, that is how it is spelled in the UK), custom speaker box, custom dash cover, custom liner for the boot (aka trunk) and a bunch of stuff under the hood that I don't remember.

10/1/16 - We learned something new about the health system. In the UK you can go see the pharmacist for minor illnesses such as earache, sore throat and bladder infection to name a few.  They are able to diagnose and prescribe antibiotics, if needed. This is very helpful if you develop any of these over a weekend when your local surgery (aka doctor's office) is closed and much more efficient that going to the hospital.