Education in the Uk
In Britain education is compulsory for all children between the ages of five and sixteen.However many children also go to a nursery school or kindergarten before five and a lot of students stay at school until they are 18 to study for more qualifications.Primary school starts in yesr 7(when children are about twelve) and goes on to year 11 (16years) or year13(18 years)Sixth form college prepare students for university entrance exams in years 12 and13.
All state primary schools and most secondary schools can accept any child and there are no entrance exams. Independent schools are private and manage their own finances and organisation.Many have their own entrance exams but most of them follow the National Curriculum and put pupils forward for the national exams (GSCEs and A levels)
at16and18 like state schools. Religious groups run some schools but most are secular and have a board of independent directors. The contusing name public schools in the United Kingdom actually refers to a group of very old private schools(for example Harrow Eton and Rugby). They arre expensive and elitist and are usually for children of the very rich or the aristocracy.Many private school are boarding school pupils study and live there.
Thecurriculum in all British secondary school today dates from the 1990s. All secondaryschool pupils in years 7 to 11 now have to study English maths science physical edocation information and communication technology citizenship.Among the optional subgects are history geography are and music.These changes to the traditional curriculum aim to give all students better training in the basic literacy and numeracy skills they need for life after school plus some knowledge of computers and other languages.