In a podcast a very long time ago, in November 2006, I told you that most English children wear a school uniform to go to school. My daughter, who is 15 years old, goes to a girls secondary school. [Sorry – I say “11 years old” in the podcast, but this is wrong. It should be “15 years old”]. She has to wear a dark green skirt or trousers, and a white blouse and a dark green jumper.

　　She is in year 10 at school. In year 11, the girls sit their GCSE exams. GCSE stands for “General Certificate of Secondary Education”. After their GCSE exams, the girls leave the secondary school to go to sixth-form college, or to a further education college, to continue their studies or to learn practical skills. By tradition, in my daughter’s school, the year 11 girls are allowed to wear black jumpers, instead of dark green jumpers. They like their black jumpers, not because the jumpers look beautiful, but because they show everyone that year 11 are the senior girls, the most important girls, in the school.

　　However, the year 11 girls do not have to come to school any more. From today, they are on “study leave”, a time when they can stay at home and work and revise for their GCSE exams. Some of them, of course, use “study leave” as a time to go shopping or have parties, but perhaps we had better not talk about that.

　　This means that, from today, the year 10 girls are the most senior girls in the school. It is now their turn to wear the black jumpers, to show the rest of the school how big and important they are. They have looked forward to this day for weeks. They have all searched the local shops to find a black jumper in a style which they like. And today, they have all left for school, wearing their new black jumpers.

　　They have “left for school”. That means, they have left home to go to school. Here are some more examples. Do you understand what they mean?

　　At eight o’clock, Kevin leaves for work.

　　At half past eight, Harry leaves for college.

　　George has left for a meeting with some clients.

　　Sarah has left for lunch.

　　At the end of the day, Kevin will leave for home.

　　Tomorrow, Joanne will leave for her mother’s (ie she will go to her mother’s house).

　　George has a business trip to America. On Thursday, he will leave for New York.

　　The train leaves for London in 10 minutes.

　　And, of course, the girls leave for school wearing their black jumpers.