Meaning & use
English primary school
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableBritish
A school in England for children from about five to eleven years old, where lessons are taught mainly in English.
Grammar: Countable: a primary school, two primary schools. In British English you often say 'at primary school' without 'a' when talking about that stage of education.
Patterns
- go to an English primary school
- at English primary school
Their daughter goes to an English primary school near Manchester.
At English primary school, children start learning to read and write in English.
The town has three English primary schools and one secondary school.
nouncountable
A primary school outside the UK where the main language of teaching is English.
Grammar: Countable. This use is common in countries where families choose between English-medium and local-language schools.
Patterns
- send a child to an English primary school
- an English primary school in another country
Many parents in the city send their children to an English primary school.
She teaches science at an English primary school in Dubai.
Fees at the English primary school are higher than at the local state school.
Word forms
| plural | English primary schools |
|---|
Common combinations
- go to English primary school
- He went to English primary school in London before moving abroad.
- an English primary school teacher
- My cousin is an English primary school teacher.
- start English primary school
- Children usually start English primary school at the age of five.
- a state English primary school
- Most families use a state English primary school rather than a private one.
Synonyms and how they differ
- elementary school
- This is the usual American term for the same stage of education; use it with US readers.
- grade school
- An informal American term for elementary school; it sounds out of place in British English.
Opposites
Word family
- primary education noun
- The stage of schooling for young children, before secondary education.
- primary school teacher noun
- A person who teaches children at this level.
Commonly confused: English primary school or English school?
English primary school vs English school
An 'English school' could just be a school in England or a school that teaches English. 'English primary school' specifies both the age group and the language.
Practice
In British English, which sentence is most natural?
Choose one answer.
British speakers usually say 'at primary school' without an article when talking about the stage of education. 'At the primary school' would mean one particular building, and 'at a primary school' is possible but less common in this general sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “English primary school”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.