I finally did it! I bought the Gregory's Girl DVD. And watched it over and over again. One question from the west side of the Atlantic Ocean. I'm trying to figure out how old the characters are supposed to be? In one conversation, Gregory is supposed to be in Fourth Year at school. What age range is that? And what is "the big school" as opposed to where little sister Madeline attends? Thanks to anyone who can answer!!
shareThey are supposed to be around 16 years old.
Over here we go to a Primary School first. We start that at 5 and go there for 7 years. This is the school Madeline is at.
After primary school we go to High School (the big school) for 4 to 6 years.
The most common system in britain is Primary schools then Secondary Schools.
Gregory is in year 4 of Secondary school so that would make him 14/15 years old.
Madelaine is 10 years old (mentioned in one of the scenes) so she is in the last year of Primary school.
That was the numbering system in those days. These days the years are numbered in similar fashion in american 'grades'.
So children start at 4/5 in Reception then go through Year 1, Year 2, etc...
So Madelaine is in Year 6 and Gregory is in Year 10.
Don't take this the wrong way Mark-2361 but I'm assuming you're not from Britain.
Firstly, if you are in 4th year of Secondary School you will be 15 or more likely 16 not 14/15 (14/15 year olds would be in 3rd year). You can leave school at the end of 4th year and legally you must be 16 to do this.
Secondly, you are correct, Madeline is most likely in Primary 6 but this is not the last year of Primary School as you say. That would be Primary 7. Also at 10 she could still be in Primary 5.
Lastly, the numbering system used in Gregory's Girl is still very much alive today. We still go through Primary 1, Primary 2 all the way up to Primary 7. Then we go to High School and go through 1st Year, 2nd year etc. The years are not numbered like american grades. Not where I'm from anyway.
Scottish and English/Welsh school systems are not the same.
shareWow, thanks guys! I appreciate all the responses. I didn't intend to start such a discussion, but I think I got the idea about how old the characters are. One more question ... what is the driving age? What made me curious was the exchange between Gregory and Carol at the chip shop, where "Ricky Swift" is mentioned as having his own car... the boy at the PE college whom Dorothy fancies.
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It's primary 1, 2 etc then 1st, 2nd year etc of high school in Scotland still.
'Oooh yeah'
You have to be 17 to drive a car in the UK.
shareIn the third year of Secondary School, Year 9, you're either 13 or 14.
shareMark-2361 seemed to sum up the school numbering system in England, I think you might be talking about the Scottish one although it's always baffled me. In Gregory's Girl it's more likely to be the latter one.
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I was describing the English numbering system but of course that was a pretty stupid thing to do given that it is set in Scotland :D My bad :)
I started primary school in 1985. The school I went to was in an area of London, and years were named after the general age of the pupils in that group. So, starting at age 4 (going on to the age of 5), we were in Year 5!! This changed later on.
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