All children and young people between the ages of 5 and 16 must get fulltime education. State schools work from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m. The school day generally starts at 9 a.m. During the longer morning there is a break known as play time by younger children. It is usual to have an hour for lunch and most schools provide hot meals and snacks. All lessons stop for an hour and many extra-curricular activities take place during this time. The afternoon has fewer lessons. The schools use a 3-term pattern: Autumn Term = September – Christmas, Spring Term = January – Easter, Summer Term = Easter – July. They have usually six weeks off in summer and some holidays during the school year (at Christmas, Easter and Whit sun).

It is compulsory for all towns to provide pre-school provisions to allow mother to go out to work. These may be privately owned or establishment by the borough. Pre-school establishments are crèches for children from an early age up to their third year, and kindergartens for children aged 3-5 years.

Infant School (age 5-7) and junior Schools (age 7-11) are Primary Schools and are frequently in same building

The government introduced a new scheme called the National curriculum to colleges and gives parents more possibilities to choose the school. In Scotland the system is slightly different. Subjects taught at schools are given by this National Curriculum: English, maths, science, technology, history, geography, music, art, P.E., foreign languages (at age 11-16) and optional religious education or technical and vocational education.

Secondary Schools

G.B. used to have two types of secondary schools: Grammar Schools and Secondary Modern Schools but now most children go to one type of school. The Comprehensive Schools. G.B. does not have special art or music schools or apprehensive or vocational schools. Secondary Schools for children aged 11-16 years are called High Schools. Further Education for children aged 16-18 years is provided in VI Form Colleges. Most British secondary schools have about 750 pupils.

Children have to take tests four times in their school lives. These are called Key Sages:

KS 1: Pupils aged 7 are tested in reading, writing and basic mathematics
KS 2: Pupils aged 11 in the final are of junior school are given tests in several subjects.
KS 3: Pupils aged 14 in the third year of high schools are given tests in English, mathematics, and some science
KS 4: Pupils aged 16 in their final year must take exams called GCSE (the General Certificate of Secondary Education). This examination used to be called Ordinary Level (“O” level). The pupils sit their GCSE exams in 3 compulsory subjects and their other options (usually 5).

All exams are marked on scale of A – G with an extra U for unclassified. By tradition grades A, B, C are considered to be passes and D, E, F, G failures. It is in these results that students apply for places in VI Form Colleges. VI Form Colleges run two-year courses. Some insist that students take “General studies” which includes nearly everything – politics, art, science, economy, social studies etc. At the age of 18 students take their exams called Advanced Level (“A” level). The students opt for (choose) 3 subjects. The marking is a points system, which allows students to get a place at university. The higher the student’s number of points the better university he or she can attend. (For grade A the student gains 5 points, for B – 4 points, C- 3 points, D – 2 points and E- 1 points. Grade F and G are failures. A very good university requires 18 points).

More then a third of young people receive some form of post-school education. About one seventh of 18 years olds enter full-time higher education courses at universities, polytechnics and other publicly funded colleges. Those who do not want to study at universities can be trained in nursing, law, banking and accountancy or in manufacturing or service industry.