Text 3. Education in great britain Primary and Secondary Education

Around half of 3 and 4-years-olds in Britain receive nursery education – they attend nursery schools and many other children attend pre-school playgroups.

Some parents send their children to private (fee-paying) nursery schools or kindergartens.

Full-time education is compulsory for all children aged between 5 and 16 (inclusive). Children first attend infant schools and move to junior schools or departments at 7.

The usual age for transfer from primary to secondary school is 11 (12 in Scotland). At the age of 16 pupils (students) may continue their secondary studies for 2 years (sixth form), leading most typically to an A-level qualification. The leaving age for compulsory education was raised to 18 by the Education and Skills Act (2008). The change will take effect in 2013 for 17 year olds and 2015 for 18 year olds. State-provided schools are free of charge to pupils and there is also a tradition of independent schooling. Parents may choose to educate their children by any suitable means.

The independent school sector is separate from the state educational system. An independent school in the United Kingdom is funded by private sources in the form of tuition charges and gifts. The most important of the independent schools are the public schools. In England and Wales the term “public school” refers to a privately funded independent school which had its origin in medieval schools.

About seven per cent of pupils go to private schools. These schools do not receive any money from the state: parents pay for their children. Most of these schools are single-sex boarding schools, that is, for boys or girls only, where students live during term-time. Usually they are very expensive, but their standards are very high.

Most pupils in Britain schools wear school uniform. The favourite colours for school uniforms are blue, grey, black and maroon.