UK School System

8/12/2019 UK School System

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UK School System

This page provides an overview of school-level study in the UK, including information on terminology

differences, types of schools, grade levels and assessment.

Terminology Differences

As you begin your research of UK schools, you should note the following differences in terminology

between the US and UK:

Year is used in the UK to describe a students grade.

The UK term public schools refers to independent (privately-funded) schools.

College in the UK refers to the final two years of secondary school, while university denotes

undergraduate and postgraduate study.

Types of Schools

There are two types of schools in the UK, state-funded or independent (privately-funded) schools.

State-funded schools

Approximately ninety percent of British students attend state-funded schools. State schools follow the

National Curriculum, with core subjects including English, mathematics and science.

State schools (and some independent schools) are inspected by the Office for Standards in Education,

Child Services and Skills (Ofsted) every three years and publishes the resultsonline.

Independent schools

Also referred to as public schools, independent schools set their own curricula and are funded by

student fees and interest earned on school endowments/investments. There are approximately 2,600

independent schools in the UK. About half of these institutions participate in a voluntary accreditation

program facilitated by theIndependent Schools Council.
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Grade Levels and State Exams

Age Level of Study Grade US Grade

3 - 4/5 Nursery School N/A N/A

4/5 -

11Primary School Years 1 - 6 Kindergarten - 5th

12 -

16Secondary School

Years 7 -

116th - 10th

17 - 18Sixth Form or Work-based

Training

Years 12-

13

11th - 12th (Junior -

Senior)

As described in the chart above, formal education in the US is generally mandatory to 16. School-level

education is divided into years, and US grades K (Kindergarten) - 12 in the US correspond to Years 1

- 13 in the UK, as summarized in the chart below. Schooling usually begins with nursery or primary

school (Years 1-6), followed by secondary school (Years 7 - 11).

GCSE Exams

Unlike in the US, assessment is not on a continuous, but is primarily cantered on national standardized

exams. At the end of Year 11, students take national standardized exams, theGCSE exams(General

Certificate of Secondary Education). Students may choose the number and subject of their exams

(from the 48 GCSE exams available). They may opt to sit higher (possible results: A* - D) or lower (C-

G) level exams. However, English, Math and Science are required subjects, and UK universities

typically expect students to sit at least five GCSE exams.

Post-16 Qualifications

After GCSEs, students may choose to pursue either an academic or vocational track. Students on a

vocational track can choose to obtain a work qualification such as theBTEC or OCR Nationals.

Students continuing on an academic track attend sixth form colleges during Years 12-13.

Students may choose the number and subjects of their A levels (from approximately 80 subjects

available). However, universities typically expect students to complete at least 2 A level qualifications,

and some university degree programs may specify A level subjects and results required for admission.
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A level results range from A E and are awarded by external examination bodies. Scores are based

primarily on the AS and A2 level examinations, but may also include teacher assessment of

coursework. AS level exams are sat at the end of Year 12, while A 2 level exams are sat at the end of

Year 13.

Scottish Education System

Please note that Scotlands education system operates under a different framework. Students attend

seven years of primary education and four years of compulsory secondary education. Following this

(at the age of 16 or 17), student may earn the Scottish Certificate of Education which is considered

the equivalent to Englands A-levels. For more information on the Scottish educational system, please

see theScottish Governments Schoolswebpage.

EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE UK

Across the UK there are five stages of education: early years, primary, secondary,Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE). Education is compulsory for allchildren between the ages of 5 (4 in Northern Ireland) and 16. FE is not compulsoryand covers non-advanced education which can be taken at further (including tertiary)education colleges and HE institutions (HEIs). The fifth stage, HE, is study beyondGCE A levels and their equivalent which, for most full-time students, takes place inuniversities and other HEIs and colleges.

Early Years Education

In England since September 2010, all three and four year olds are entitled to 15hours of free nursery education for 38 weeks of the year. Early Years educationtakes place in a variety of settings including state nursery schools, nursery classesand reception classes within primary schools, as well as settings outside the statesector such as voluntary pre-schools, privately run nurseries or childminders. Inrecent years there has been a major expansion of Early Years education andchildcare. The Education Act 2002 extended the National Curriculum for England toinclude the Foundation Stage which was first introduced in September 2000, andcovered childrens education from the age of 3 to the end of the reception year, whenchildren are aged 5. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) came into force inSeptember 2008, and is a single regulatory and quality framework for the provision of

learning, development and care for children in all registered early years settingsbetween birth and the academic year in which they turn 5. The EYFS Profile(EYFSP) is the statutory assessment of each childs development and learningachievements at the end of the academic year in which they turn 5.

In Wales, children are entitled to a free part-time place the term following a childsthird birthday until they enter statutory education. These places can be in amaintained school or a non-maintained setting such as a voluntary playgroup, privatenursery or childminder which is approved to provide education. The FoundationPhase is a holistic developmental curriculum for 3 to 7-year-olds based on the needs
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of the individual child to meet their stage of development. Statutory rollout of theFoundation Phase framework started in September 2008 and the process wascompleted in the 2011/12 school year.

In Scotland, education typically starts with pre-school. Local authorities have a dutyto secure a part-time funded place for every child starting from the beginning of theschool term after the child's third birthday. Pre-school education can be provided bylocal authority centres, or private and voluntary providers under a partnershiparrangement. In Scotland, early years education is called ante-pre-school educationfor those who are start receiving their pre-school education in the academic yearafter their 3rd birthday until the end of that academic year (note: depending on whenthe child turned 3 years of age, some children may only receive part of an academic

years worth of ante-pre-school education (e.g. 1 term), whereas other children mayreceive an entire academic year of pre-school education). All children are entitled toreceive a full academic years worth of pre-school education in the academic yearbefore they are eligible to, and expected to, start primary school.

The commitment in the Northern Ireland Executives Programme for Government isto ensure that at least one year of pre-school education is available to every familythatwants it. Funded pre-school places are available in statutory nursery schools

and units and in those voluntary and private settings participating in the Pre-SchoolEducation Expansion Programme (PSEEP). Places in the voluntary/private sector are part-time whilst, in thestatutory nursery sector, both full-time and part-timeplaces are available. Pre-school education is designed for children in the yearimmediately before they enter Primary 1. Taking into account the starting age forcompulsory education in Northern Ireland this means children are aged between 3

years 2 months and 4 years 2 months in the September in which they enter their finalpre-school year. The Programme incorporates a number of features designed topromote high quality pre-school education provision in all settings including acurriculum which is common to all those involved in pre-school education

Primary

The primary stage covers three age ranges: nursery (under 5), infant (5 to 7 or 8)(Key Stage 1) and junior (up to 11 or 12) (Key Stage 2) but in Scotland and NorthernIreland there is generally no distinction between infant and junior schools. In Wales,although the types of school are the same, the Foundation Phase has broughttogether what was previously known as the Early Years (from 3 to 5-year-olds) andKey Stage 1 (from 5 to 7-year-olds) of the National Curriculum to create one phase ofeducation for children aged between three and seven. In England, primary schoolsgenerally cater for 4-11 year olds. Some primary schools may have a nursery or achildrens centre attached to cater for younger children. Most public sector primaryschools take both boys and girls in mixed classes. It is usual to transfer straight tosecondary school at age 11 (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or 12 (inScotland), but in England some children make the transition via middle schoolscatering for various age ranges between 8 and 14. Depending on their individual age

ranges middle schools are classified as either primary or secondary.

The major goals of primary education are achieving basic literacy and numeracyamongst all pupils, as well as establishing foundations in science, mathematics andother subjects. Children in England and Northern Ireland are assessed at the end ofKey Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. In Wales, all learners in their final year of FoundationPhase and Key Stage 2 must be assessed through teacher assessments.

Secondary


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In England, public provision of secondary education in an area may consist of acombination of different types of school, the pattern reflecting historical circumstanceand the policy adopted by the local authority. Comprehensive schools largely admitpupils without reference to ability or aptitude and cater for all the children in aneighbourhood, but in some areas they co-exist with other types of schools, forexample grammar schools. Academies, operating in England, are publicly fundedindependent schools. Academies benefit from greater freedoms to help innovate andraise standards. These include freedom from local authority control, the ability to settheir own pay and conditions for staff, freedom around the delivery of the curriculumand the ability to change the lengths of terms and school days. The AcademiesProgramme was first introduced in March 2000 with the objective of replacing poorlyperforming schools. Academies were established and driven by external sponsors, toachieve a transformation in education performance. The Academies Programme wasexpanded through legislation in the Academies Act 2010. This enables all maintainedprimary, secondary and special schools to apply to become an Academy. The earlyfocus is on schools rated outstanding by Ofsted and the first of these new academiesopened in September 2010. These schools do not have a sponsor but instead areexpected to work with underperforming schools to help raise standards.

In Wales, secondary schools take pupils at 11 years old until statutory school age

and beyond. Education authority secondary schools in Scotland are comprehensive in characterand offer six years of secondary education; however, in remote areas there areseveral two-year and four-year secondary schools. In Northern Ireland, post-primary education consists of 5compulsory years and twofurther years if students wish to remain in school to pursue post GCSE / Level 2courses to Level 3. Ministerial policy is that transfer should be on the basis of non-academic criteria, howeverlegally post primary schools can still admit pupils based on academic performance.At the end of this stage of education, pupils are normally entered for a range ofexternal examinations. Most frequently, these are GCSE (General Certificate ofSecondary Education) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Standard Gradesin Scotland, although a range of other qualifications are available. In Scotland pupilsstudy for the National Qualifications (NQ) Standard grade (a two-year course leadingto examinations at the end of the fourth year of secondary schooling) and NQ Higher

grade, which requires at least a further year of secondary schooling. From 1999/00additional new NQ were introduced in Scotland to allow greater flexibility and choicein the Scottish examination system. NQ include Intermediate 1 & 2 designed primarilyfor candidates in the fifth and sixth year of secondary schooling, however these areused in some schools as an alternative to Standard Grades.

Further Education

Further education may be used in a general sense to cover all non-advancedcourses taken after the period of compulsory education. It is post-compulsoryeducation (in addition to that received at secondary school), that is distinct from theeducation offered in universities (higher education). It may be at any level from basicskills training to higher vocational education such as City and Guilds or Foundation

Degree.

A distinction is usually made between FE and higher education (HE). HE is educationat a higher level than secondary school. This is usually provided in distinct institutionssuch as universities. FE in the United Kingdom therefore includes education forpeople over 16, usually excluding universities. It is primarily taught in FE colleges,

work-based learning, and adult and community learning institutions. This includespost-16 courses similar to those taught at schools and sub-degree courses similar tothose taught at higher education (HE) colleges (which also teach degree-levelcourses) and at some universities.


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Colleges in England that are regarded as part of the FE sector include General FE(GFE) and tertiary colleges, Sixth form colleges, Specialist colleges (mainly collegesof agriculture and horticulture and colleges of drama and dance) and Adult educationinstitutes.

In addition, FE courses may be offered in the school sector, both in sixth form (16-19)schools, or, more commonly, sixth forms within secondary schools.

In England, further education is often seen as forming one part of a wider learningand skills sector, alongside workplace education, prison education, and other typesof non-school, non-university education and training. Since June 2009, the sector isoverseen by the new Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, although someparts (such as education and training for 14-19 year olds) fall within the remit of theDepartment for Education.Higher Education

Higher education is defined as courses that are of a standard that is higher than GCEA level, the Higher Grade of the SCE/National Qualification, GNVQ/NVQ level 3 orthe Edexcel (formerly BTEC) or SQA National Certificate/Diploma. There are three

main levels of HE course:

(i) Postgraduate courses leading to higher degrees, diplomas and certificates(including Doctorate, Masters (research and taught), Postgraduate diplomas andcertificates as well as postgraduate certificates of education (PGCE) andprofessional qualifications) which usually require a first degree as entryqualification.(ii) Undergraduate courses which include first degrees (honours and ordinary), firstdegrees with qualified teacher status, enhanced first degrees, first degreesobtained concurrently with a diploma, and intercalated first degrees (where firstdegree students, usually in medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine, interrupttheir studies to complete a one-year course of advanced studies in a relatedtopic).

(iii) Other undergraduate courses which include all other higher education courses,for example SVQ or NVQ: Level 5, Diploma (HNC/D level for diploma and degreeholders), HND (or equivalent), HNC (or equivalent) and SVQ or NVQ: Level 4 andDiplomas in HE.

As a result of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, former polytechnics andsome other HEIs were designated as universities in 1992/93. Students normallyattend HE courses at HEIs, but some attend at FE colleges.


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Education system in the UK

Secondary Education in England, Wales andNorthern Ireland

Schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland tend to emphasise depth in a few chosen subjects.

Year 7 to 11 (Year 8 - 12 in N. Ireland), typically for students aged 12 to 16.

Some secondary schools offer a non-compulsory sixth form department, Year 12 and 13

After the successful completion of Year 10 and 11 a General Certi ficate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is

awarded, usually in five to ten different subjects.

Secondary Education in ScotlandScottish education tends to focus on more breadth across subjects than in England, Wales and NorthernIreland.

Year 1 to 4, typically for students from the age of 12/13 to 15/16. Scottish Qualification Certificate is awarded after successful completion of Standard - Grade courses taken

during Secondary 3 and 4, usually in seven to nine subjects.

Optional upper secondary education: Secondary 5 and 6 is available, typically from the age of 16/17 to 17/18.

Post-16 Education in the UK

A-Levels (England, Wales, Northern Ireland)

The most common form of post-16 education is the study of A-levels (General Certificate of Education in

Advanced Level certificates), which are used as a form of preparation for admission into university. Students

generally study three or four subjects to A-level relevant to their chosen degree subject.

Year 12 and 13, commonly called Sixth Form, typically for students from the age of 16/17 to 17/18.

A-Levels can be studied at a secondary school, sixth form col lege or further education college.

Find out more about the Kaplan International Colleges A-level program

Highers (Scotland)

Generally, students take Highers, a Scottish Qualification certificate offered by the Scottish Qualifications

Authority, after Secondary 4. Highers are a university entrance qualification and are offered in a wide range of

subjects. Though students can typically enter university at the end of Secondary 5, most remain through

Secondary 6 to take more Highers courses or progress to the Advanced Highers level.

Secondary 5 and 6, typically for students from the age of 16/17 to 17/18.

Highers take place at secondary school.

Requires the completion of Standard Grade exams

Higher Education in the UK

BachelorsDegree (England, Wales, Northern Ireland)

Students apply to UK universities, through the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS), a central

government agency that coordinates applications for every university. Students may make 5 choices on their

UCAS form. Wide ranges of degree courses are available, which provide skills for a variety of jobs or further

study.


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A Bachelors degree is usual ly a 3 year program at a university or higher educat ion college.

Universities evaluate students predicted A-level scores (or equivalent), among other criteria, during the

admissions process

Students must choose course as part of the university application

Types of degrees include: Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc)

Some degree programs are for 4 years and include a sandwich year when students gain relevant workexperience for 1 year.

In countries where students have fewer than 13 years education, it is likely that students will need to study a

year-long Foundation Certificate program before starting a Bachelor's degree.

Prepare for your UK Bachelors Degree with our International Foundation Certificate, Pre -Sessional and A-Level

programs.

BachelorsDegree (Scotland)

Wide ranges of degree courses are available at Scottish universities, which tend to emphasise breadth across

subjects and students typically do not specialise subjects until the third year.

A Bachelors degree is a 4 year program at university.

During the admissions process universities evaluate the students Highers results among other criteria.

Students may take a sandwich course, a year of study abroad or work before courses are completed

Traditionally, Scottish universities award a Master of Arts (MA) degree, which is equivalent to a Bachelors

degree

The Honours degree is awarded after an additional year of research at the university.

Documents

UK School System