Secondary education in the Czech Republic (http://www.eurydice.org/portal/page/portal/Eurydice/showPresentation?pubid=053EN) Mainstream education: Gymnázium (Grammar school) Konzervatoř (Conservatory, Art school) Obchodní akademie (Secondary vocational school focused on business administration) Střední odborná škola (Secondary vocation school) Střední odborné učiliště (Secondary vocation school, shorter programs) Učiliště (Secondary training school) Special schools for students with special needs: Speciální gymnázium (Grammar school for students with special needs) Speciální střední odborná škola Speciální střední odborné učiliště (Secondary vocation school for students with special needs) Odborné učiliště (Secondary training school for students with special needs) Praktická škola (Practice school for students with special needs) Gymnázium (Grammar school) - institution offering general secondary education - it lasts 4, 6 or 8 years(students aged 11,13,15 to 19) - on completion of their studies, students take the final examination and receive the certificate, which enables them to enter tertiary education at any University or College, or the labour market Konzervatoř (Conservatory, Art school) - institution offering 6 or 8 years of full-time secondary and tertiary level art education - 8-year study only for dance, students aged 11 to 19 - 6-year study of singing, music and dramatic arts, students aged 15 to 21 - at the end students take either the graduation examination leading to the final certificate for entry to any tertiary education institution, or other examination called “absolutorium.” Střední odborná škola /učiliště (Secondary vocation school) - institution offering 2-4 years of technical/ vocational upper secondary education on a full-time basis to students aged 15 to 19, or on a part-time basis to adults - students may specialise in the field of industry, commerce, agriculture, the health service, art or teaching - students on 4-year courses take the graduation examination and receive the certificate, which enables them to enter tertiary education at any University or College level, or the labour market - students on 2- and 3-year courses take the final vocational examination and, if successful, are awarded the certificate which enables them to enter to the labour market Učiliště (Secondary training school) - institution offering 2 years of full-time vocational upper secondary education to students aged 15 to 17 - it provides training for various professions for those who ended their compulsory schooling below the ninth year or who failed to complete the ninth year of Primary school - pupils can take the final examination and they receive the vocational certificate, which gives access to the labour market Speciální gymnázium (Grammar school for students with special needs) Speciální střední odborná škola Speciální střední odborné učiliště (Secondary vocation school for students with special needs) - institutions offering the same curricula as their mainstream equivalents - students with special educational needs (visual, auditory or physical impairments) - the length of studies may be extended by up to two years Odborné učiliště (Secondary training school for students with special needs) http://www.ouvratislavova.cz) - special upper secondary vocational school for students aged 15/16 with special educational needs, and in particular for those who have successfully completed the 9th year of Primary school for pupils with special needs - the school provides vocational training based on modified mainstream curricula - prepares students for employment in fields corresponding to the particular vocational field of study concerned - students take the final examination and receive the certificate, which gives access to the labour market Examples of study fields and the chances on the labour market: Bookbinder - work in the libraries, in bookbinding departments (post office, police,...), in archives Shoemaker - run a business, work in a shoemaker's service, in a shoemaker's factory, in a shop Electrician - in the big factories (for example Siemens), in a telecommunication, tube maintenance Cook - work in a kitchen (cold and hot), preparing salads or desserts, weighing and packing of salamis or cheeses Shop assistant - in a grocery, in a drug-store, in a supermarket Gardener - keeping of public parks, work at a florist's, in a shop with a gardener's equipment Needlewoman - in a clothing factory, run a business (simple clothes, decorations, etc.) Praktická škola (Practice school) http://www.skolajj.cz/prakticka-skola/) - special 2-years upper secondary non-vocational school for students coming from Primary schools for pupils with special needs - the school provides non-professional training preparing students for their everyday life, they can learn how to be more independent in everyday life or can prepare for their study in some vocational school.