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 - 16. Some children are educated at home rather than in school.
Children's education in England is normally divided into two separate stages. They begin with primary education at the age of five and this usually lasts until they are eleven. Then they move to secondary school, there they stay until they reach sixteen, seventeen or eighteen years of age.
Teachers in primary schools ( 4 - 11 year olds) are always addressed by their surname by parents and pupils alike, always Mr, Mrs or Miss Smith.…. In secondary schools (11 - 16 years), teachers are usually addressed as Miss or Sir.
Education is important in England, as it is Wales and Scotland too.
British 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
Section 7 of the 1996 Education Act states:
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Education is free for all children from 5 to 16.
Full-time education is compulsory for all children aged between 5 and 16 (inclusive) across England. This can be provided by state schools, independent schools, or homeschooling.
About 94 per cent of pupils in England, and the rest of the UK, receive free education from public funds, while 6 per cent attend independent fee paying schools or homeschooling.
(Homeschooling numbers uncertain - BBC report)
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.
For many areas the year is divided into six 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 three terms a year.)
The dates for school terms and holidays are decided by the local authority or the governing body of a school, or by the school itself for independent schools.
School holidays
The main school holidays are:
- Christmas- 2 weeks
- Spring - 2 weeks
- Summer - 6 weeks
There are also one week holidays:
- end of October
- mid February
- end of May
When do kids start school?
Children normally start primary school at the age of four or five, but many schools now have a reception year for four year olds.
Children normally leave at the age of 11, moving on to secondary school (High school).
Please note aslo:
Every three and four year old in England is entitled to 12.5 hours of free early learning per week, in nurseries, playgroups, pre-schools or at their childminders for 38 weeks of the year.
Every three and four year old in England is entitled to 12.5 hours of free early learning per week, in nurseries, playgroups, pre-schools or at their childminders for 38 weeks of the year.
When do kids leave school?
British children are required to attend school until they are 16 years old. In England, compulsory schooling currently ends on the last Friday in June during the academic year in which a pupil attains the age of 16. Current government proposals are to raise the age until which students must continue to receive some form of education or training to 18. This is expected to be phased in by 2015.
At the age of 16, students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland take an examination called the GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education). Study of GSCE subjects begins at the start of Year 10 (age 14-15), and final examinations 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 GCSE years of school); in England, some form of ICT and citizenship must be studied and, in Wales, Welsh must be studied. Other subjects, chosen by the individual pupil, are also studied.
In Scotland, the equivalent of the GCSE is the Standard Grade.
After completing the GCSE, some students leave school, others go onto technical college, whilst others continue at high school for two more years and take a further set of standardized exams, known as A levels, in three or four subjects. These exams determine whether a student is eligible for university.
Education stages:
| Nursery Schools | 3-4 years old | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Primary Schools | 5-11 years old | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Foundation Stage - Nursery, Reception, (Infants)Key Stage 1 - Years 1 and 2 (Infants) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Key Stage 2 -Years 3 - 6 (Juniors) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Secondary Schools | 12-18 years old | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years 7-13 (Key Stage 3, 4 & 5)
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