study hall (AmE) = ? (BrE)

[joham]

study hall (AmE): a period of time during the school day when students study quietly on their own, usually with a teacher present

The above is taken from the Oxford Dictionary. Could you tell me what the equivalent is for study hall in British English? Thank you in advance.

 

[emsr2d2]

study hall (AmE): a period of time during the school day when students study quietly on their own, usually with a teacher present

The above is taken from the Oxford Dictionary. Could you tell me what the equivalent is for study hall in British English? Thank you in advance.

As far as I know, we don't have it. When I was at school, there were official lessons throughout the entire day (except at breaktime and lunchtime).

In secondary school, a few pupils had a "free period" during the day but they were very rare. For example, I started to study biology at the age of 14 but after one term (semester) I decided that I didn't want to continue and take the final exam. Instead of changing to a different subject, the two hours a week that I should have had biology lessons became "free periods" for me. During those two hours, I went to the school library to read (or to study) but there was never a teacher present in the room.

The only time that a group of pupils would be together with a teacher present (except for actual lessons) would have been "detention" - a 30-minute punishment period after the school day. If a pupil did something wrong during the day, the teacher could choose to give them "detention" - they had to stay behind for an extra half an hour, sometimes with other pupils who were being punished, but sometimes alone. There was always a teacher present at those. The punished pupils were normally given a very boring, pointless task to do for those 30 minutes.

 

[Rover_KE]

My experience is the same as ems.

In a few secondary schools I know of, the school library can be used for quiet study, under the supervision of a non-teaching adult.

Rover

 

[Tdol]

We had private study at school.

 

[emsr2d2]

We had private study at school.

Personal question and feel free not to answer - did you go to a public school/boarding school?

 

[Hedwig]

...The only time that a group of pupils would be together with a teacher present (except for actual lessons) would have been "detention" - a 30-minute punishment period after the school day...

At my school detentions meant two hours on Saturday morning! :-(

 

[emsr2d2]

At my school detentions meant two hours on Saturday morning! :-(

Wow!!! That would never have happened in the UK because that would have involved getting staff in and unlocking the school on a Saturday! There's no way any teacher would have come in at a weekend either.

 

[Hedwig]

Don't forget I'm talking about a time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth and ferns grew tall as trees. :lol:

 

[Tdol]

Personal question and feel free not to answer - did you go to a public school/boarding school?

It was a direct grant grammar school when I started that went independent when the grants were stopped.

 

[emsr2d2]

It was a direct grant grammar school when I started that went independent when the grants were stopped.

Ah, OK. I only asked because when I was at my comprehensive (secondary) school, I had some friends who went to the local public school and I believe they had something similar to "study hall" although I have no idea what it would have been called.

 

[suprunp]

For example, I started to study biology at the age of 14 but after one term (semester) I decided that I didn't want to continue and take the final exam.

May I ask you one small question?
You decided that you did not want to take the final exam, but did you still have to in the end?

 

[emsr2d2]

May I ask you one small question?
You decided that you did not want to take the final exam, but did you still have to in the end?

No. I gave up studying biology at school after one term. I was told that if I couldn't learn the diagram of the heart and replicate it correctly, then I was unlikely to pass the final exam. I wasn't terribly keen on studying at all when I was 14 and I wasn't particularly bothered about biology so I told the school I was happy to quit biology. I then got those free periods each week for the next two years and didn't take the final exam.

I regret it now because it means I don't have a qualification of any kind in any of the three sciences (biology, physics, chemistry). I barely passed maths!