Educational system in the UK.

Children in the UK have to legally attend primary and secondary education which runs from
about 5 years old until the student is 16 years old, after age 16, education is optional.

Early years foundation stages.

For children under age of five, publicly-funded nurseries and pre-schools are available for a
limited number of hours each week. FOUNDATION STAGE 1 : Pre-school/ childcare
environment, Children between 2 and 4 years old, Not compulsory
FOUNDATION STAGE 2: Reception class, Children between 4- 5, Compulsory

The Compulsory Education in UK

Key Stage 1

 This stage includes pupils at the primary school aged 5 to 7 years old. Basically, during
the key stage 1, kids are introduced to some of the most basic knowledge on subjects
like the English language, Mathematics, History, Physical Education, Geography,
History and Music. Typically, the student will speak loudly to his teacher a list of 40
words. At the end of this stage (same as in each of them), these pupils will sit for an
examination aiming to measure their development in English, Maths and Science.

Key Stage 2

Between 7 to 11 years pupils will be in the second Key Stage of the compulsory education. Now
the curriculum aims to move them further in gaining a bit more knowledge on core subjects. At
the end of this stage, they will be tested in the following subjects

 English reading
 English grammar, punctuation and spelling
 Mathematics
 Science

In English and Mathematics, the testing will be done through national assessment tests, while
the teacher will independently assess the level of improvement of each student in Science.

Key Stage 3-secondary school.

Pupils aged 11 to 14 are in the third stage of compulsory education. To a certain degree, this
period of their education is very important because only a few years later they will sit for the
GCSE national qualification. The curriculum during this stage of education will also contain
new subjects at which students are supposed to get some basic knowledge before moving any
further in the upcoming stages of education. The subjects learned in Key Stage 3 are English,
Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Art and Design, Music, Physical Education,
Modern Foreign Languages, Design and Technology and Computing. At the end of the Key
Stage 3, some students may take their GCSE or other national qualifications.
Key Stage 4

The final stage of the compulsory education, the Key Stage 4 lasts from the age of 14 to 16.
This is the most common period of time for students to undertake the national assessment tests
that will lead them to take a GCSE or other national qualifications.

The compulsory national curriculum at this stage contains the “core” and “foundation”
subjects.These are the “core” subjects taught at the Key Stage 4:

 Computing
 English  Physical
 Mathematics Education
 Science  Citizenship

Additionally, schools in UK are obliged to offer one of the following subjects during this stage
of educationArts,Design and Technology,Humanities,Modern Foreign Languages.

 At the end of year 11, all pupils are required to sit General Certificate of Secondary
Education (GCSE) exams in the core subjects as well as their choice subjects. The
GCSE is a single-subject examination, set and marked by independent examination
boards. Students usually take up to ten (there is no upper or lower limit) GCSE
examinations in different subjects, including mathematics and English language. After
this examination, students may choose to either leave school or continue with their
education. They may continue at vocational or technical colleges, or pursue higher
education in a university.
Further Education (sixth form)

Between the ages of 16 and 18 you can go to sixth form (you have the lower sixth and the upper
sixth which is the highest class at school. Here students pursue academic qualifications such as
A- Levels. If you study for a year you get a A-Levels and if you study for two years you get a
AS Level. Generally you do 4 A-Levels

You can also go to colleges that follow International Baccalaureate IB in order to go to

university, or vocational qualifications such as GNVQs and BTECs to prepare them for full-
time employment.

You can go to sixth form or college, the main difference is that sixth form is attached to your
secondary school and you will have two more years after year 11 (year 12 and 13).College is a
completely separated institution, so you complete the year 11 of school and you go to a different
place.
Exams & Qualifications

Standard Attainment Test (SAT): is a national test that is used in all government-funded
primary school. Children go in for SATs at the end of KS1 and KS2.
It is used as an indicator of the progress that pupils have made.

Eleven- plus (11- plus): is an entrance- examination taken by some students at the age of 11. It
involves sections on Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non- verbal Reasoning. After this
exam you can go to a grammar (more academic) or a secondary modern which is more
vocational

General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE A- Level): is the traditional school-
leaving qualification for students aged between 16 and 18. A- levels are focus on academic
subjects.

Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC): is a specialist work- related

qualification. BTECs are undertaken in vocational subjects ranging from business studies to
engineering.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP): is an educational programme
administered by the IB. It provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher
education.

To take into account.

Public schools follow the National Curriculum, which is a government-determined set of
standardised subjects and tests, designed to ensure that all students are taught the same thing to
the same level.  Compulsory core subjects include Mathematics, English and Science. Pupils
also select from a wide range of optional subjects in the last years of secondary education (the
choice of which will, to an extent, define the options available for further study)

National curriculum was introduce in 1988

It was established by the Education Reform Act 1988.
It is a framework for learning and it was brought in to standardise learing across the
country so all the students can acquire the same knowledge
It is a common programme of study in schools that is designed to ensure nationwide
uniformity of content and standards in education, and it is structured into four Key Stages.
The National Curriculum must be taught in “local authority- maintained schools”.
Educational laws.
Education reform act (1988)
Its main provisions can be summarised as follows:

- All maintained schools had to teach the 'basic curriculum', made of religious education and the
National Curriculum, which set out attainment targets, programmes, and arrangements for
assessment. The National Curriculum consisted of three core subjects (Mathematics, English,
and Science), six foundation subjects (History, Geography, Technology, Music, Art, and
Physical Education) plus a foreign language. Schools in Welsh-speaking areas of Wales would
also teach Welsh;
- As for religious education, every day was to begin with an 'act of collective worship', the
majority of which had to be of a Christian character. Councils on religious education were to be
set up, consisting of representatives from religious groups, the Church of England, teachers, and
local authorities;
- The National Curriculum Council and the School Examinations and Assessment Council were
established, with the function to review all aspects of curriculum and examinations;
- The act provided for the establishment of grant-maintained schools independent of local
authorities and under the direct funding from the central government. Funds for such schools
would be deducted from the relevant local authority's budget.

Education and skills Act

The Education and Skills Act 2008 (c 25) is an Act of the Parliament of the United
Kingdom that raised the minimum age at which a person can leave education or training to
eighteen for those born after 1 September 1997, with an interim minimum leaving age of 17
from 2013. The Act also introduced a number of other changes including the right of choice
and appeal for young people regarding their sixth form college, and placing duties on
the Learning and Skills Council regarding payment and finance of courses for both children
and adults

Special education needs and disability act

Ensure students not to suffer from discrimination in schools
Make responsible provisions
Provide the same opportunities
The act required schools, colleges, universities, adult education providers, statutory youth
service and local education authorities to make 'reasonable provisions' to ensure people
with disabilities or special needs were provided with the same opportunities as those who
were not disabled

Higher education

Undergraduate programme

In the UK most undergraduate degree programs take three years to finish. However, the
“sandwich course” is increasing in popularity, which is four years and involves one year in the
workplace (normally in your third year). In Scotland the courses are four years for
undergraduate programs.

Someone with no knowledge of their chosen field of study, or with a related degree not
recognized by higher education in the UK, should go for an undergraduate course. These
programs are usually taught as a combination of lectures, seminars, and small tutorial
classes in several modules with varying topical cores. They mostly take three years to
complete and lead up to a bachelor’s degree (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science,
Bachelor of Education, or Bachelor of Engineering).

Graduate Degrees
If you already have an undergraduate degree, either from a university in the UK, or an
accredited institution abroad, you can continue your studies in the same or a closely-
related field with a postgrad master’s degree. These programs may take one year of
additional study or two years of research.

masters programs are generally shorter in length and undertaken after completion of an
undergraduate program. Some professional degrees like medicine, veterinary, law etc., have
longer programs that can take as many as five years.

International students pay the full school fees in the UK, and the total cost will vary depending
on the school.

A master’s degree is the requirement for entry into a PhD course. In contrast to the US,
higher education in the UK doesn’t require an undergrad degree if you want to go to
med school or become a lawyer. All students of law and medicine can enter such
courses immediately after completing their secondary education .

To take into account…

In the United Kingdom education system, most syllabi are set by the universities which are
offering them and are not controlled by the government or certain British educational
institution. The only exception to this is teacher education programs, which the government has
a lot of say over.

College vs University

In the UK education system in contrast to the US higher education, there is a difference between
college and university. While in the US there is no distinction between college and university
with most of the people referring to a higher education provider as a college, in the UK this is
not the case. Here, a college is a Further Education institution which prepares its students to
earn degrees, while a university is licensed HE institution so, at the end of it, students will gain
a degree.

Requirements to access higher education

When the high school is over, Britons have to sit in a standard examination, which makes them
eligible or not to continue their education in the higher level of education.

Institutions determine their own admissions policies and the minimum entry
requirements for each programme. For bachelor’s degrees, the minimum entry
requirement is usually two or three General Certificate of Education Advanced-level
(GCE A level) passes, as well as a minimum number of General Certificate of
Secondary Education (GCSE) passes at grade C or above. These remain the most
common form of entry qualification held by young entrants to higher education. A wide
range of other qualifications is acceptable for entry. They include the International
Baccalaureate and some vocational options such as GCE A levels in applied subjects
and Edexcel BTEC National Qualifications

Most British students usually opt for A-levels rather than a diploma. A-level exams are
the main admission requirement for an undergraduate degree at  universities in the UK.

Students prepare for their A-levels during Years 12 and 13 in school, the upper
secondary stage