The four areas of the United Kingdom – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – follow a system which educates children from age 5 until they go onto university at age 18 or 19. There are some minor differences in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but the same broad outlines still apply:
Age |
Education |
|
2 – 5 |
Kindergarten (usually called Nursery School) |
Optional |
5+ - 11+ |
Primary Education (years 1-6) |
Compulsory |
11+ - 16+ |
Secondary Education (Years 7-11) |
Compulsory |
16+ - 18+ |
Secondary Education (Sixth Form : Years 12 & 13) |
Optional |
Fee-paying and Non-Fee-paying Schools
There are two main types of school :
● Maintained schools, where the costs of education are covered by the government and the parent pays no fees. Most maintained schools are day schools, but a very few have boarding facilities and for these the parents must pay the cost of boarding only.
○ Note: Maintained boarding schools are only allowed to accept students who are British Citizens, or who hold a passport of another European Union country.
● Independent Schools where the whole cost of the education (and boarding) are paid by the parent. The fees for a boarding education in an independent school are normally the same for an overseas student as for a British student, but there may be an additional charge for English language support.
The Academic Year
The school/college/university year is divided into three terms: Autumn (from early September to mid December), Spring ( from early January to March) and Summer (from mid-April to early July)
Though the practice of student joining in mid-year is rare, UK schools sometimes consider allowing admission for entry in January or April, depending on the availability of places and the year group that is applied for.
The Examination System
The British examination system is more flexible and is basically divided into two major public exams.
Age 14+ - 16+
Most schools still use the GCSE examination (General Certificate of Secondary Education) which students could take in around 8 – 10 subjects. In terms of streaming, they are not required to scope themselves into a particular area of subjects, but having a free choice within a variety of subjects.
More info on GCSE link
Age 16+ - 18+
The majority of schools still use the A Level examination, which students take in two parts arranged at the end of Year 12 and Year 13, which are called the AS level and the A2. Students are to choose 4-5 subjects in their AS level and sometimes drop one in their A2 levels. We recommend our students to take Chinese as one of their subjects, but to bare in mind that some Universities do not recognise this as one subject.
More info on A-level link
There are schools believing that A-level does not show enough of their excellent students. Therefore they hold the alternative examinations, the International Baccalaureate and the Cambridge Pre-U, these examinations are becoming more popular and more acceptable by Universities.
More info on IB link
Foundation
University foundation courses last for one year. Teaching and learning approach is similar to that of universities and they are courses that help students to be prepared for Universities. Progression to year one of undergraduate degrees in partner universities is usually guaranteed if certain requirement is met in internal examinations. Hence this is very popular for students who do the not satisfied the age requirement of High schools to study in a foundation course. All in all, it is in anyway a quicker way to get into University as only 1 year is needed.
More info on Foundation link
University
Most students proceed direct to university on completion of Year 13, provided their performance in the A Level exam (or one of the alternatives) meets the requirements of their chosen university. First degree university courses in the UK are generally 3 years in length, but some courses, such as medical studies, veterinary science and engineering, are more than 3 years.