Education in England is overseen by the Department for Education, a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Local government authorities are responsible for implementing policy for public education and state-funded schools at a local level. State-funded schools may be selective grammar schools or non-selective comprehensive schools. All state schools are subject to assessment and inspection by the government department Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills). England also has private schools (some of which are known as public schools) and home education; legally, parents may choose to educate their children by any suitable means.
The state-funded compulsory school system is divided into Key Stages, based upon the student's age by August 31. The Early Years Foundation Stage is for ages 3–4. Primary education is divided into Key Stage 1 for ages 5–7 and Key Stage 2 for ages 7–11. Secondary education is divided into Key Stage 3 for ages 11–14 and Key Stage 4 for ages 14–16. At the end of Year 11 (at age 15-16) students typically take General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams or other Level 1 or Level 2 qualifications.
Education is compulsory until 18, thus post-16 education can take a number of forms, and may be academic or vocational. This can involve continued schooling, known as sixth form, leading to A-levels or alternative Level 3 qualifications. It can also include work-based apprenticeships, traineeships and volunteering. The Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) covers national school examinations and vocational education qualifications.
Higher education often begins with a three-year bachelor's degree. Postgraduate degrees include master's degrees, either taught or by research, and doctoral level research degrees that usually take at least three years. The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ), which is tied to the RQF, covers degrees and other qualifications from degree-awarding bodies.
History of English education
During the Middle Ages, schools were established to teach Latin to the sons of the aristocracy destined for priesthood or monastic work with the ministry of government or the law. Two universities were established in affiliation with the church: the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, to assist in the further training of the Catholic Christian clergy.
Education in England remained closely linked to religious institutions until the nineteenth century, although charity schools and "free grammar schools", which were open to children of any religious beliefs, became more common in the early modern period.
Public schools, and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, for example through English public school football games and the Cambridge rules established in 1848, played a significant role in the development of modern sports,; which shaped British sports that spread worldwide.
Nineteenth century reforms expanded education provision and introduced widespread state-funded schools. Until 1870 all schools were charitable or private institutions, but in that year the Elementary Education Act 1870 (33 & 34 Vict. c. 75) permitted local governments to complement the existing elementary schools in order to fill any gaps. The Education Act 1902 allowed local authorities to create secondary schools. The Education Act 1918 abolished fees for elementary schools.
Women's colleges were established in the 19th century to give women access to university education, the first being Bedford College, London (1849), Girton College, Cambridge (1869) and Newnham College, Cambridge (1871). The University of London established special examinations for women in 1868 and opened its degrees to women in 1878. University College Bristol (now the University of Bristol) became the first mixed higher education institution in England upon its foundation in 1876, followed in 1878 by University College London (which had held some mixed classes starting in 1871).
Legally compulsory education
Education or training is compulsory for all children aged 5 to 18. Students must stay in a traditional school setting until the age of 16. After this age they are required to continue in education or training until their 18th birthday, either through full-time further education, training through an apprenticeship, or working or volunteering while in part-time education or training. State-provided schooling and sixth-form education are paid for by taxes.
A child begins primary education during the school year they turn 5. Children between the ages of 3 and 5 are entitled to 600 hours per year of optional, state-funded, pre-school education. This can be provided in "playgroups", nurseries, community childcare centres or nursery classes in schools.
All children in England must currently therefore receive an effective education (at school or otherwise) from the first "prescribed day", which falls on or after their fifth birthday, and must remain in school until the last Friday in June of the school year in which they turn 16.Section 8. Compulsory school age, Education Act 1996 , 1996 c.56, UK Parliament. The prescribed days are 31 August, 31 December and 31 March. The school year begins on 1 September (or 1 August if a term starts in August).The Education (Information as to Provision of Education) (England) Regulations 1994, Statutory Instrument 1994 No. 1256, UK Parliament.
The compulsory stages of education are broken into a Foundation Stage (covering the last part of optional and first part of compulsory education), 4 Key Stages, and post-16 education, sometimes unofficially termed Key Stage Five, which takes a variety of different forms, including the sixth-form.
Types of school A number of different terms and names exist for the various schools and stages a pupil may go through during the compulsory part of their education. Grammar schools are selective schools, admitting children from 11 years old onward; they are normally state-funded, though fee paying independent grammars do exist. Schools offering nursery (pre-school) education commonly accept pupils from age 3; however, some schools do accept pupils younger than this.
Key stage Year Final exam Age State funded schools State funded selective schools Fee paying independent schools Early Years Nursery (or Pre-School) rowspan="7" 3 to 4 PrimaryLowerInfant colspan="2" rowspan="8" Pre-preparatory Reception (or Foundation) 4 to 5 KS1 Year 1 5 to 6 Year 2 6 to 7 KS2 Year 3 7 to 8Junior Year 4 8 to 9 Preparatory or Junior Year 5 9 to 10Middle Year 6 National Curriculum assessments A grammar school entrance exam, often the 11-plus 10 to 11 KS3 Year 7 rowspan="4" 11 to 12 Comprehensive or SecondaryLower school Comprehensive, Secondary or Senior Grammar school and selective Academiesrowspan="5" Year 8 12 to 13 Year 9 13 to 14Upper Senior (Public/Private school) KS4 Year 10 14 to 15University technical collegeUpper school Year 11 GCSE 15 to 16 KS5 Year 12Advanced subsidiary level or school-set end of year tests. 16 to 17Sixth form collegeFurther education college Maths school Year 13 A-levels, T- levels, BTEC, International Baccalaureate, etc. 17 to 18
State-funded schools
Some 93% of children between the ages of 3 and 18 are in education in state-funded schools without charge (other than for activities such as swimming, cultural visits, theatre visits and field trips for which a voluntary payment can be requested, and limited charges at state-funded boarding schools).
All schools are legally required to have a website where they must publish details of their governance, finance, curriculum intent and staff and pupil protection policies.
Types of schools in England include:
Academy schools, established by the 1997-2010 Labour Government to replace poorly-performing community schools in areas of high social and economic deprivation. Their start-up costs are typically funded by private means, such as entrepreneurs or NGOs, with running costs met by central government and, like Foundation schools, are administratively free from direct local authority control. The 2010 Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government expanded the role of Academies in the Academy Programme. Some such schools operate selective entrance requirements for some of their entry, similar to grammar schools. Community schools, in which the local authority employs the schools' staff, owns the schools' lands and buildings, and has primary responsibility for admissions. Free schools, introduced by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, are newly established schools in England set up by parents, teachers, charities or businesses, where there is a perceived local need for more schools. They are funded by taxpayers, are academically non-selective and free to attend, and like Foundation schools and Academies, are not controlled by a local authority. They are ultimately accountable to the Secretary of State for Education. Free schools are an extension of the existing Academy Programme. The first 24 free schools opened in Autumn 2011.
Foundation schools, in which the governing body employs the staff and has primary responsibility for admissions. School land and buildings are owned by the governing body or by a charitable foundation. The foundation appoints a minority of governors. Many of these schools were formerly grant maintained schools. In 2005 the Labour government proposed allowing all schools to become Foundation schools if they wished. Voluntary Aided schools, linked to a variety of organisations. They can be faith schools (about two thirds Church of England-affiliated; just under one third Roman Catholic Church, and a few another faith), or non-denominational schools, such as those linked to London Livery Companies. The charitable foundation contributes towards the capital costs of the school (typically 10%), and appoints a majority of the school governors. The governing body employs the staff and has primary responsibility for admissions. Voluntary Controlled schools, which are almost always faith schools, with the lands and buildings often owned by a charitable foundation. However, the local authority employs the schools' staff and has primary responsibility for admissions. University technical colleges (UTCs), introduced by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in 2010. These are sponsored by a university and have close ties to local business and industry. They are funded by the taxpayer, and are non-selective, free to attend and not controlled by a local authority. The university and industry partners support the curriculum development of the UTC, provide professional development opportunities for teachers, and guide suitably qualified students to industrial apprenticeships, foundation degrees or full degrees. The sponsor university appoints the majority of the UTC's governors and key members of staff. Pupils transfer to a UTC at the age of 14, part-way through their secondary education. The distinctive element of UTCs is that they offer technically oriented courses of study, combining National Curriculum requirements with technical and vocational elements. UTCs must specialise in subjects that require technical and modern equipment, but they also all teach business skills and the use of information and communications technology. UTCs are also supposed to offer clear routes into higher education or further learning in work. Maths schools were launched as selective specialist 16–19 schools in 2018, again sponsored by a university, following pilots with King's College London Mathematics School and Exeter Mathematics School.