How does the education system in the UK work?

[user079622]

I have a few question about education system in UK..

Primary education 6years same subjects for everyone?
Has secondary education (5 years)more courses or it is same for everyone?
further education (2 years) what are courses? (for exapmle if you want be mechanic who repair cars, you go to this school only 2 years , gymnasium last only 2 years?)

Honour degrees refer only to bachelor or at master too?

If I finish bachelor, to become master I must finish just one more year or I must study from start for master?

 

[Steve4Physics]

Primary education 6years same subjects for everyone?

It's not that simple (of course!). E.g. there are differences between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

But, (oversimplfying a lot, and leaving stuff out) it’s like this…

For children in state-funded schools (run by local authorities), the main syllabus is the same for all children. It is specified in the KS2 (Key Stage 2) part of the 'National Curriculum'. Look through this if you want more detail: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum

Has secondary education (5 years)more courses or it is same for everyone?

There is more choice during secondary education (especially KS4). Pupils often choose courses related to their specific interests - e.g. more arts or more science; but core subjects (maths, English, science) are compulsory. It's complicated - e.g. at the end of KS4 (age ~16) many students takes GCSE examinations - but there are different commercially-run Examination Boards each with their own syllabus and examinations for a given subject.

further education (2 years) what are courses? (for exapmle if you want be mechanic who repair cars, you go to this school only 2 years , gymnasium last only 2 years?)

In KS5 (age 17-ish-18 ish) real specialisation starts. Many students study GCE A-levels. There is a wide range of subjects. Students choose, say 3 or 4 subjects they particularly want to focus on, especially if needed for entrance to university.

There are alternatives to A-levels – e.g. BTECs and the International Baccalaureate. Students wanting to pursue a technical career (e.g. mechanic) often choose a BTEC.

You will need to look-up these terms for yourself if you want more info’.

But be warned - it's all likely to change in the next few years as politicians may be about to change things!

Honour degrees refer only to bachelor or at master too?

An 'honours degree' only applies to bachelor (B.A., B.Sc) degrees.

If I finish bachelor, to become master I must finish just one more year or I must study from start for master?

I don't fully understand the question. However, entry and course requirements vary a lot between universities and even between courses at the same university. You would need to contact the relevant department at each university of interest to find out.

Good luck!

 

[user079622]

Pupils often choose courses related to their specific interests - e.g. more arts or more science; but core subjects (maths, English, science) are compulsory.

Isnt this too young age for 10 year old kid to choose something?

We have 8 years basic school then high school 3 or 4 year and then university...very easy to understand ..

I think even 15 year old is too young to make some decisions...

 

[Steve4Physics]

Isnt this too young age for 10 year old kid to choose something?

I didn't say there was any choice at age 10! There isn't.

The first opportunity for (significant but limited) choice is age 15-16-ish (Key Stage 4, 'KS4'). But certain subjects must still be studied.

At KS5 (age 17-18-ish) students are required to remain in education or some sort of training (e.g. apprenticeship). But there is a lot of choice.

After that, university is an option for those who choose it.

 

[user079622]

@Steve4Physics

So basically you have 11 basic years that is same for everyone, then 2 years "high school" and than university?
Your high school is very short, just 2 years.

 

[f95toli]

Note also that there are several different types of schools in the UK: state schools (including academies), grammar schools (a special type of state funded school that at least originally was meant for academically gifted children). schools run by various religious organisations (notably church of England and the Catholic church, these are very common and are not only attended by kids from religious families) and of course public (=private) schools (which are way more common in the UK than in the rest of Europe) .

There is indeed a national curriculum, but that does not mean that the schools are the same or that you will end up studying exactly the same thing. Additionally., there are also different exam boards meaning not even state schools use exactly the same curriculum.

The educational system in the UK is very, very complicated and much less uniform than in most other countries.

 

[user079622]

grammar schools (a special type of state funded school that at least originally was meant for academically gifted children).

How do you know if 10 years old kid is gifted or not, isnt that too young to judge?

 

[Steve4Physics]

@Steve4Physics

So basically you have 11 basic years that is same for everyone, then 2 years "high school" and than university?
Your high school is very short, just 2 years.

That's not what I said. There are variations, but broadly it’s like this…

Between ages 5-11 children attend what we call a ‘primary school’.

Between ages 11-16 children attend what we call a secondary school (there are different types, e.g. high schools, comprehensive schools, grammar schools).

Between ages 16-18, education and/or training occurs in a variety of institutions:, e.g.post-16 departments of high schools, 6th form colleges, FE (further education) colleges.

After that, university courses are an option.

 

[user079622]

Between ages 11-16 children attend what we call a secondary school (there are different types, e.g. high schools, comprehensive schools, grammar schools).

.

So 11 year old kid must decide in wich "type" of school will go...I think that is too young for any selection.

 

[gwnorth]

An 'honours degree' only applies to bachelor (B.A., B.Sc) degrees.

The term "honours" as it pertains to university degrees in the UK can be a bit confusing. It can both signify the grade you received "graduating with honours" also known as achieving a first or a 1:1, but the term can also be used to denote 3 year bachelor's degrees that have a higher credit requirement or a 4 year combined bachelor's/master's degree.

If I finish bachelor, to become master I must finish just one more year or I must study from start for master?

A master's degree is usually 1-2 years and is completed after the bachelor's degree. If you already have a bachelor's degree you don't need to repeat it.

 

[user079622]

A master's degree is usually 1-2 years and is completed after the bachelor's degree. If you already have a bachelor's degree you don't need to repeat it.

If I want to be MEng then I must apply for Meng or I must first apply for BEng and after that for Meng?

 

[PeroK]

So 11 year old kid must decide in wich "type" of school will go...I think that is too young for any selection.

It's a decision for the parents, depending on where they live and what, if any, school fees they can afford.

 

[user079622]

It's a decision for the parents, depending on where they live and what, if any, school fees they can afford.

Yes but at that age you cant judge is kid more for math or more for languages.
That I want to say...

 

[f95toli]

How do you know if 10 years old kid is gifted or not, isnt that too young to judge?

Yes, it is too early.
I don't think anyone in the thread is saying that the current system makes any sense whatsoever, but you asked about the existing system; not if if it was a good system.

Generally speaking, there is a lot of emphasis on offering the parents a lot of choice when it comes to their kids education. this does not necessarily mean offering what is best for the kids.
This combined with the fact that making changes is very, very difficult not just politically but also in practice since any significant change would have a negative impact on the kids already in the current system.

If I want to be MEng then I must apply for Meng or I must first apply for BEng and after that for Meng?

That depends on the university; some offer integrated MSc programs.

 

[Steve4Physics]

So 11 year old kid must decide in wich "type" of school will go...I think that is too young for any selection.

No. The kids do not 'decide'. And there is no 'selection' for the great majority of children.

Selective schools exist but are a fairly small proportion (~20%?) of the total. Applying to a selective school (or not) is a parental choice.

At age 11, most children simply move from their local primary school to their local secondary school. There may be some parental choice: if parents prefer one (local) secondary school to another, they'll try to get their child a place at the preferred school.

 

[PeroK]

Yes but at that age you cant judge is kid more for math or more for languages.
That I want to say...

You could write to His Majesty's Secretary of State for Education.

 

[user079622]

You could write to His Majesty's Secretary of State for Education.

UK education system in world is very appreciated, so I thought system produce good results=good students.
After all UK had many famous scientists in history..

Is this system relatively new or from time when Newton studied?

At age 11, most children simply move from their local primary school to their local secondary school. There may be some parental choice: if parents prefer one (local) secondary school to another, they'll try to get their child a place at the preferred school.

So usually primary and secondary school are not in same building/place?

 

[user079622]

I find this:
https://www.brightworldguardianships.com/en/guardianship/british-education-system/

It sounds complicated..

 

[PeroK]

Is this system relatively new or from time when Newton studied?

Comprehensive education was introduced in Scotland in 1965 (300 years after Newton) and I'm one of the first generation to take advantage of it.

 

[f95toli]

No. The kids do not 'decide'. And there is no 'selection' for the great majority of children.

That is true. However, you also have banding and in practice this means that doing well in your 11+ can make it easier to get into a good state school. This is what happened to us, we were technically outside the catchment area for the "good" school in our area but my step-son did well on his 11+ so was still offered a place (this was 10 years ago, perhaps it has changed).
It also depends on where you live, here in London selecting the "right" secondary school can be quite complicated since there are typically many possibilities (especially if the kids are eligible for e.g., one of the catholic schools which are often academically very good). This will obviously be less of an issue if you live in an area with fewer schools.

 

[user079622]

Does universities in UK follow on Bologna process and are degrees compatible with EU degrees?

 

[gwnorth]

If I want to be MEng then I must apply for Meng or I must first apply for BEng and after that for Meng?

That depends. Do you already have a BEng? If not then you need to do that first. If you do then you just go onto the MEng.

So first 3 years are same for bachelor and master?

So I need graduade 2 times, once for BEng and once for MEng? That mean all masters have two diplomas

Degrees go bachelor's, master's, PhD (or as in the case of the UK possibly DPhil). Typically each are separate degrees and follow from the previous. To do a master's degree you need to have completed a relevant bachelor's degree first but they don't have to be completed at the same university. You could do your bachelor's at school A where you graduate after 3-4 years with your B.Eng and then apply to do your master's degree afterwards at a different school B where you would study for 1-2 more years and graduate with your M.Eng. So long as you already have a relevant bachelor's you don't repeat it when you go to school B. You just study for the master's.

If you then wanted to do a PhD you would apply to that after your master's and when completed (typically after 3-4 years of additional study) you would be granted a PhD (or DPhil) which would be your 3rd degree. Again it could be completed at the same university as your master's, or at a completely different one, school C.

Your titles would then be user079622, B.Eng, M.Eng, PhD.

Another alternative which is common in the US and is sometimes offered in the UK and other countries as well is integrated degrees. These could be either an integrated bachelor's/master's degree, or an integrated master's/PhD (DPhil). For the first, after your bachelor's you continue straight to the master's at the same university and you still graduate with 2 degrees (or sometimes an Honours degree). If you have already previously completed a bachelor's degree at a different university, you would not do one of these programs.

For the second after you complete your bachelor's you would then apply directly to either a PhD (US) or an integrated master's + PhD (DPhil) (UK and other countries).

The advantage of integrated degrees is that it usually only requires 1 application and provided you make acceptable progress in the first degree you automatically continue on to the second.

 

[gwnorth]

Does universities in UK follow on Bologna process and are degrees compatible with EU degrees?

Yes they follow Bologna. They will quote bachelor's and master's degrees in ECTS. You can then check the admissions requirements for the Euro programs you're interested in and see if the UK programs provide sufficient preparation.

 

[user079622]

@gwnorth

Here university offer BEng and MEng separately.
But here first 3 years are not 100% the same, so maybe you first must pass these subjects to move to master..https://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/aeronautics-astronautics-degree-beng

https://www.southampton.ac.uk/courses/aeronautics-astronautics-degree-meng

 

[f95toli]

Again, there are no exact rules here. There are both integrated masters (typically 4 years) and separate graduate/MSc programs that require you to already have a BSc (or equivalent) before you can apply. Sometimes these are 1.5 years (1 year of course work and then a 6 month projects).

There are fewer general rules about education in the UK than in the rest of Europe; universities/schools have quite a lot of freedom when it comes to how they structure their programs and what they offer students.

 

[user079622]

At what grade kids start learn calculus? At further education(12,13 grade)?

 

[user079622]

Again, there are no exact rules here. There are both integrated masters (typically 4 years)

At integrated do you have 2 diplomas one for bachelor one for master?

 

[jtbell]

It might help people here if you can feel free to tell us something about your situation. Are you considering entering the UK educational system yourself? At what level? Are you wondering what your children will have to go through if you move your family to the UK? Or both?

 

[user079622]

It might help people here if you can feel free to tell us something about your situation. Are you considering entering the UK educational system yourself? At what level? Are you wondering what your children will have to go through if you move your family to the UK? Or both?

No I am just interested..

 

[gwnorth]

At integrated do you have 2 diplomas one for bachelor one for master?

I think it's up to the individual institution as to whether or not to award 2 degrees or just the higher level one but I believe the norm is to just grant 1 degree for integrated bachelor's/master's and 2 degrees for MS/PhD (in the UK).

Integrated master's as part of a bachelor's/master's are often viewed differently than standalone master's or ones awarded as part of integrated MS/PhDs. The former is still seen as an undergraduate degree while the latter graduate degrees.

 

[user079622]

What is A level and GCSE in UK? Is this high school ?
They call college same as university?

 

[Vanadium 50]

What is A level and GCSE in UK? I

If you type that into Google, verbatim, here is what pops out. Verbatim.

GCSEs, or General Certificate of Secondary Education, are typically taken by students aged 14-16, while A-levels, or Advanced Level qualifications, are taken by students aged 16-18.

What didn't you understand?

 

[f95toli]

The UK system is quite complicated; and not everyone follows exactly the same path. There is also much more choice in terms of what you study even at an early age compared to most other countries.

That said, GCSEs can be thought of as the final part of the obligatory part of the education system. The GCSE exam results are e.g. what you would use when you apply to the next stage of your education. However, not everyone studies the same GCSE subjects (most students will do something like 5-6 subjects with English and math being mandatory, but some do more)
A-levels is a bit like high-school and the "usual" path if you want to attend university is to do A-levels. However, not everyone does so, and there are various other schemes.
The word "college" is used for several different things in the UK. It can be part of a university ( E.g. Oxford is divided into many different colleges), but there are also e.g. sixth form colleges where you can do A-levels. You would also attend a college if you want to do a BTEC instead of A levels. It is essentially just a place which offer higher education.

Again, it is a really messy and complicated system

 

[user079622]

The UK system is quite complicated; and not everyone follows exactly the same path. There is also much more choice in terms of what you study even at an early age compared to most other countries.

That said, GCSEs can be thought of as the final part of the obligatory part of the education system. The GCSE exam results are e.g. what you would use when you apply to the next stage of your education. However, not everyone studies the same GCSE subjects (most students will do something like 5-6 subjects with English and math being mandatory, but some do more)
A-levels is a bit like high-school and the "usual" path if you want to attend university is to do A-levels. However, not everyone does so, and there are various other schemes.
The word "college" is used for several different things in the UK. It can be part of a university ( E.g. Oxford is divided into many different colleges), but there are also e.g. sixth form colleges where you can do A-levels. You would also attend a college if you want to do a BTEC instead of A levels. It is essentially just a place which offer higher education.

Again, it is a really messy and complicated system

GCSE is mandatory for all, A level is not?

 

[gwnorth]

Yes, but you have to be in school until you're 18 so if you don't do A levels you're still required to do further education or training.

https://www.gov.uk/know-when-you-can-leave-school

 

[user079622]

Yes, but you have to be in school until you're 18 so if you don't do A levels you're still required to do further education or training.

https://www.gov.uk/know-when-you-can-leave-school

Only with A level you can go to university?

 

[gwnorth]

Only with A level you can go to university?

It used to be that way but I understand they've recently introduced a new pathway called BTEC.

https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/advic...u-get-into-university-if-youre-studying-btecs

 

[Steve4Physics]

Only with A level you can go to university?

AFAIK for entrance to UK universities, it’s mainly A-levels but could can also be:
BTECs
Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers
Welsh Baccalaureate
International Baccalaureate
T-levels (only introduced in the last few years)

Different entry requirements apply to overseas students typically based on performance in their own country’s examination system.

There may be additional entrance tests for some courses and universities (e.g. medicine, Oxford, Cambridge).`

No doubt there are exceptons but I’d guess that covers well-over 90% of entrants.

 

[bhobba]

Only with A level you can go to university?

That is different for international students. You need to check the requirements for each country at the particular university.

An interesting university is the University of Buckingham:
https://www.buckingham.ac.uk/

Have a look at the entrance requirements for your country. UK three-year degrees are the equivalent of US 4 year degrees (strangely, Australian 3-year degrees are not). They do a UK 3-year degree in two years. So, you can do a US 4 year degree in two years. The entrance requirements are also interesting for US students. One year of college studies is one of the possible admission requirements. Using Dual Credit is now common in many US High Schools, or if you homeschool, you can often meet that by year 11, leaving just two years to get your degree (dual credit subjects are one semester but count as a year HS credit).

People here would likely be interested in computing or medicine.

Thanks
Bill