School Life in Great Britain

The school year in British schools starts early in September and continues into the following July. Classes are held from Mondays to Fridays from about 9 a.m. until 3 or 4 p.m. Pupils can join in extracurricular activities, such as sport and drama clubs, during lunch break or after school.

Around the end of compulsory education, at the age of 15-16, pupils take GCSEs (General Certificates of Secondary Education. GCSEs are available in a wide range of subjects, and pupils are tested by assessment of work during the course and by exams

A National Curriculum is taught in state schools. This sets out what subjects pupils should study, what they should be taught and what standards they should achieve.

Over 85% of state secondary school pupils go to comprehensive schools. These take children of all abilities and provide a wide range of secondary education for most children aged from 11 to 16 or 18 years.

About 4% of pupils go to grammar schools. Grammar schools offer a mainly academic education for the 11- to 18-year-old age group. Other types of secondary schools provide a more general education up to the age of 16 (the minimum leaving age).

All pupils in their last year of compulsory education have the opportunity to go on work experience. During a placement they carry out particular jobs in much the same way as regular employees.

All children in Britain must by law receive education between the ages of five and 16 and more than 70% of 16-year-olds stay on in full-time education. Other young people leave school at 16 to take up training for work or a job with training. Young people do not have undertake training. The Govrnment does not directly provide training for people in work.

Over 90% of children in Britain go to publicly -financed schools known as state schools. Some eight million children attend schools in England alone. They start primary school at the age of five in the infants' school. At seven they move to the junior school and the usual age for transfer from junior to secondary school is 11.

About 7% of children attend fee-charging independent or private schools in England. These range from small kindergartens to large day and boarding schools, and from new experimental schools to schools famous throughout the world. Some independent schools are known for historical reasons as 'public' schools, although they receive no state funding.

All schools, colleges and universities provide careers education and guidance to raise students' awareness of training and careers opportunities, and help them prepare for the future.

Further Education (FE) provides a wide range of academic and vocational courses for students over the compulsory school age. Currently, some 70% of 16-year-olds continue their full-time education. All 16- to 18-years-olds have right to free education.

At 16+ both academic and vocational courses are offered by a diverse range of institutions such as sixth forms in secondary schools, sixth form colleges, general further education colleges, and specialist colleges. Students can choose to attend full-time or part-time, including day release from employment, evening classes and distance learning.

There are three main kinds of post-16 qualification:

GCE A (Advanced) levels are academically demanding exams, usually taken by pupils at 18 years and over. They are the main academic qualification for entry into higher education (universities).

GCE AS ( Advanced supplementary) levels require the same standard of work as A levels but have less content. They allow students to increase the breadth of their education, for example, those taking arts subjects at A level can continue to study science and technology.

GNVQs (General National Vocational Qualifications) provide a broadly based vocational qualification incorporating the core skills of communication, application of numbers and IT. They develop skills and understanding in a vocational area, such as business, engineering or health and social car.
They can lead to higher level study or employment