education in Uk

مشرف

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:

"The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable-

(a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and
(b) to any special educational needs he may have,

either by regular attendance at school or otherwise."

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.

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)