- Education is free and compulsory in Britain between the ages of 5-16. Children typically start primary school at age 5 and move to secondary school at age 11. - Schools follow a national curriculum and are typically divided into primary (ages 5-11) and secondary (ages 11-16 or 18). Children wear uniforms and the school year runs from September to July. - Exams include GCSEs taken at age 16 and A-Levels taken at ages 16-18 to determine university eligibility. The majority of children attend state schools funded by taxes, while a small percentage attend independent private schools with paid tuition.

1. Educational system in Great Britain
Education plays a very important role in our life. It is one of the most valuable
possessions a person can get in his/her life.
During all the periods of human history education ranked high among people. Human
progress mostly depended upon well-educated people. We get our knowledge of this
world and life through education. Many famous discoveries would have been
impossible if people were not interested in learning something.
The concept of education is centered on the development of understanding,
consideration and respect for others, their beliefs, values and cultures. This is
considered to provide the basis for the avoidance of conflicts or their non-violent
resolution and for ongoing peaceful coexistence. Beyond that, it implies recognizing
difference and diversity as opportunity rather than danger and as a valuable resource to
be used for the common good.
There are a lot of countries in the world. Each country has its own educational system.
In this quest you'll know about the educational systems of the UK.
Let‟s get started! I „m going to try to answer these questions:
1. At what age do children start school in Britain?
2. When do kids leave compulsory school?
3. What grades are there at school ?
4. Do children in England wear a uniform?
5. What subjects are taught in a primary school?
6. Public or State school?
Introduction to school life
Education is an important part of British life. There are hundreds of schools
colleges and universities , including some of the most famous in the world.
Education is free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 5 to 16.
Some children are educated at home rather than at school. Children education
In England is divided in two separate stages. They begin with Primary Education
When they are 5 and this usually lasts until they are 11. Then they move to
Secondary School where they stay until they reach 16 ,17 or 18 years of age.
Current government proposals are to raise the age until children receive some
form of education or training to 18.This is expected to be phased in by 2015.
Teachers in primary schools are always addressed by their surname by parents
and pupils alike : Mr., Mrs. or Miss….Smith. In secondary schools(11- 18)
teachers are usually addressed as Mrs. , Miss or Sir.
In England children are required by law to have an education until they are 16
years old. Education is compulsory, but school is not, children are not required
to attend school. They could be educated at home.
1996 Education Act of the UK

2. Section 7 of the 1996 Education Act states:
“The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive
efficient full –time education suitable to his age , ability and aptitude and to any
Special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance of school
or otherwise”.
Education is free for all children from 5 to 16 and compulsory. This can be
provided by state schools , independent schools, or homeschooling. About 94%
of pupils in England, and the rest of the UK, receive free education , while 6%
attend independent fee paying schools or homeschooling.
Curriculum
All government-run schools, state schools, follow the same National Curriculum
The school year
The school year runs from September to July and is 39 weeks long.
The year is generally divided in 6 terms:
September to October
October to December
January to February
February to March
April to May
June to July
(Some counties in England still follow the traditional 3 terms a year.)
School holidays
The main school holidays are:
Christmas 2 weeks
Easter 2 weeks
Summer 6 weeks
There are also one week holidays:
End of October
Mid February
End of May
General Certificate of Secondary Education -GSCE
At the age of 16 ,students in England ,Wales and Northern Ireland take an
examination called GSCE. Study of GSCE subjects begin at the start of year 10
(age 14-15)and final examination are then taken at the end of year 11 (age 15-16).
In state schools English, Mathematics, Science, Religious Education and
Physical Education are studied during Key stage 4(the GSCE years of school).
In England, some form of ICT and citizenship are studied , in Wales , Welsh
must be studied. Other subjects , chosen by the individual pupil are also studied.
After completing the GSCE some students leave school , others go onto technical
colleges, whilst others continue the upper secondary school (high-school as it is

3. called in the northern and western part of England) for 2 more years and take a
further set of standardized exams, known as A levels, in 3 or 4 subjects. These
exams determine if a student is eligible for university.
Do children wear a uniform at school?
Schools in England generally require students to wear a uniform.
Uniforms are created and approved by the school itself. For boys generally: long
grey or black trousers (shorts might be worn in summer) white shirt , tie and
jumper with the school logo. For girls skirt or trousers grey or black , white shirt
and jumper with the school logo. The school has a certain autonomy in
designing the uniform and deciding the colours.
The grades in England
Primary school/Infant school
5-6 –Key stage I –Year 1
6-7 Key stage I –Year 2
Primary school/Junior school 7-8 Key stage II-Year 3
8-9 Key stage II- Year 4
9-10 Key stage II –Year 5
10-11 Key stage II-Year 6
Secondary school 11-12 Key stage III-Year 7
12-13 Key stage III –Year 8
13-14 Key stage III-Year 9
14-15 Key stage IV-Year 10
15-16 Key stage IV-Year 11
Secondary upper school 16-17 A level -Year 12
high school or technical 17-18 A level-Year 13
college
Typical day in a Primary school:
School starts at 8 .55 AM
The duty teacher blows a whistle and the children line up in their class groups.
They wait quietly for their teacher to send them to their classrooms. On arriving
to their classrooms children empty their school-bags and put their homeworks
in their marking trays. They hang their bags and clothes on the pegs in their
cloakrooms. Each classroom has its own cloakroom.
Registration
The teacher takes the attendance register. The attendance of every child
attending school each morning and afternoon is recorded in a special book.
Primary school children are usually taught by the same teacher for all subjects.
Assembly
At 9.10 there‟s the assembly. Children go to the main hall where they sit on the
floor in rows with the youngest children at the front and the oldest at the back.
This is a moment when children might listen to a story ,sing a song and pray. It‟s
a positive and relaxing way to start a new school day. The story is either taken
from the Bible or is a story with a moral.
First lesson

4. It begins at 9.30 and lasts for an hour. The morning lessons are usually Literacy
or Numeracy.
Each classroom has an interactive board and a data projector.
Break Time
Children have their break time from 10. 20 to 10.35 am. They bring a snack from
home to eat in the playgrounds. At the end of the break time the duty teacher
blows a whistle. The children stay still and wait to be told to line up in their class
lines.
Lesson two
It‟s 1 h and 15 minutes left until lunch time and children .The first 15 minutes
might be spent on test :spelling test or mental maths. After the daily test they
will have their Literacy or Numeracy lesson.
Lunch Time
Lunch time is from 12 to 1.10
Most children bring their packed lunch from home, others prefer to have their
lunch in the school canteen. After having lunch they play games in the
playgrounds or attend lunch time clubs. There are Midday Supervisors who take
care of the children during lunch break and teaching staff are also on hand to
help out and supervise.
Afternoon lessons
Lessons resume with reading activities, or other school subjects. Afternoon
lessons continue until 15.15 when children go home.
After school activities
There are many after school activities and clubs in which children can express
themselves. They are run by teachers.
What different types of school do we have in England?
The main categories of schools are:
-local authority maintained schools (state schools)
Free for all children between 5-16 (or 17 /18)
-public schools ( independent schools/ private schools)
Parents pay for the children education.
State Schools
In Great Britain 93% of the children go to state schools. These are free schools
funded from taxes and most are organized from Public Authorities.
Public Schools
Only 7% of the British kids go to public schools. Parents pay a fee for their
children „s education.
Some of the most famous Public Schools are Eton, Harrow ,and Winchester.