I’m often asked about my children’s school. I’ve written about their education a few times already, but I decided to gather everything in one place.
We moved to Cyprus from Minsk. There, my children finished 6th, 4th, and 1st grades. The eldest attended a gymnasium, while the younger ones went to the local primary school. It was an elementary school, from first to fourth grade. After that, they would have needed to transfer to another school or apply to a gymnasium. The school itself resembled a kindergarten in its layout (it was actually a former kindergarten building). This is important for understanding the kind of learning conditions the children had in Minsk. They were learning English as part of the curriculum. Tima didn’t study it at all (in the first grade). You could say their level of English was almost non-existent.
We thought a lot about where to send the children after the move. There are many options for schooling in Cyprus. Public schools are free, but the education is in Greek. Private schools offer a variety: Greek, English, French, Russian, Armenian… The tuition varies too, from around 100 to 700 euros per month. Plus, you need to buy a school uniform and sometimes even textbooks. But the biggest difference, in my opinion, is not the price or the language, but whether the school is accredited or not. It’s very important to check what kind of certificate the child will receive upon graduation and where it will be recognized.
We decided to enroll our kids in a British school, meaning one that follows the British education system (English National Curriculum). In our school, they told us they have experience adapting children who don’t speak English. The children attended summer school, which is similar to a summer camp but in a school setting. Naturally, a couple of weeks didn’t result in much progress with the language, but the kids got somewhat accustomed to the school environment.
A bit about the school. Children start the first grade at 5 years and 8 months old, and education lasts for 13 years. The first 6 grades make up primary school. There are also Pre-Reception and Reception classes, so a child can start school as early as 2 years old if desired. I can’t go into much detail about this yet, as our youngest plans to start school this September, and we’ve decided to begin at 3 years old instead of 2.
Our primary and secondary schools are not just in different buildings but in different parts of the city. I drive the kids to school and pick them up myself, though there is an option for transportation via school bus for an additional fee.
The children wear school uniforms. In most schools (including public ones), the uniform requirements are basic: dark bottoms, light tops. Various brands make these. Many private schools have their own uniforms with the school’s insignia. Ours is one of those. You can choose from several options for both summer and winter. On certain days, students are allowed to come to school in casual clothes. It costs 2 euros, and the money goes to charity (parents receive a letter detailing where the funds will go). But it’s not mandatory: if you don’t want to participate or just forget, you wear the uniform. There are themed days when kids dress according to the era being studied. There are also holidays when they can wear costumes, and so on. For high schoolers, there are small concessions: from 10th grade, black leggings or jeans are allowed. For 13th graders, there are special shirts that they can wear whenever they want (these are ordered at the beginning of the school year, with graduates designing the print and text themselves).
In primary school, children don’t have a permanent teacher. One teacher leads the class for one year and then passes them on to the next teacher. From 1st to 4th grade, the classes are completely reshuffled each year. This is done to prevent children from being assigned a negative social role. However, they won’t separate close friends. Parents fill out a form where they can indicate general preferences for class assignments or specify with whom they would like or definitely not like their child to be placed. These preferences are taken into account.
Elementary students need to be at school by 7:45, and high schoolers by 8:00. Children are registered upon arrival, and if a child is absent, the parent receives an SMS. Primary school finishes at 13:10, and high school at 14:20. Lessons are taught in pairs. In primary school, one lesson lasts 45 minutes; in high school, it’s 55 minutes. There is either no break between paired lessons or it’s minimal—just enough time to quickly move to the next classroom. There are two snack breaks, each lasting 20 minutes. The children eat outside. For our parents’ delicate sensibilities, this might be shocking. The students often sit right on the ground where their class is gathered and eat, sometimes dropping their sandwiches into the sand. Most school buildings in Cyprus are designed so that the transitions between classes involve stepping outside. The children are outdoors in any weather. Yes, Cyprus isn’t Belarus, and winter is different here. But there’s also the fact that no one will supervise or force children to dress according to the weather. However they dressed is how they’ll stay (with the exception of younger children). So at +14 degrees, some will be in hats, boots, and jackets, while others are in t-shirts.
Back to the topic of food. Children bring their own food from home. But it can also be bought at school. Hot meals are available at the end of lessons for those who stay for extended care or extracurricular activities. The food is delivered ready-made and only for those who ordered it in the morning. The options are limited. For example, you can choose potatoes with nuggets or pasta with sauce. If you forget your lunch, sandwiches and drinks (juice or water, but no soda) are available for purchase at school.
Many elementary school students use rolling backpacks. High school students have lockers where they store their textbooks. They only bring home what’s needed for homework, and they don’t carry heavy bags around school.
The first time students take exams is at the end of 6th grade. After that, exams are held every year, but the most important ones are in 11th and 13th grades. The exams cover all subjects. In 11th grade, the exams are broken into sections. My eldest will be taking exams in 9 subjects this year, although there are a bit more than 20 exams in total. The teachers at the school administer the exams, but they don’t grade them. Instead, the materials (essays, tests, video recordings, etc.) are sent to the UK for grading. For some subjects, like Drama and Art, an examiner from the UK comes to the school.
There are some differences in the subjects studied compared to Belarus. Physics, Chemistry, and Biology are taught as one subject, “Science,” until the end of 9th grade. The lessons are divided into blocks, but the grade is combined. There are subjects that aren’t part of the Belarusian curriculum, such as Religion. Students can choose between studying Orthodox Christianity or taking a general course on the history of religions. Drama is another subject not taught in Belarus. From 10th grade, students begin to specialize, with many new subjects offered, but they can only choose a few (more on this later): Economics, Business, Tourism, Accounting. Music and Art can be taken until 13th grade. In high school, physical education is separated by gender, with swimming classes and dance lessons available.
As part of the school program, the children go on field trips: to the mountains, rivers, museums, and universities… At the end of the year, younger students go to the beach, while older students visit the water park. Some trips are subject-specific, such as visiting temples of various religions. Interestingly, during visits to churches and monasteries, some children pray, venerate icons, and perform other religious rituals. The majority of students are Christians (Orthodox), but there are also Muslims (some girls wear hijabs to school) and representatives of other religions.
To be continued: Part 2.
