The British education system

British schools have a mixed reputation: while the quality of state education varies widely, universities and other higher education institutions have an excellent international reputation and educate tens of thousands of foreign students a year from all corners of the globe.

Full-time education is compulsory in the UK for all children between the ages of 5 (4 in Northern Ireland) and 16, including the children of foreign nationals permanently or temporarily resident in the UK for a year or longer. No fees are payable in state schools, which are attended by over 90 per cent of pupils.

The rest attend one of the 3200 private fee-paying schools, which include American, international and foreign schools. Some 80 per cent of pupils stay on at school after the age of 16 or go on to higher education. However, for those children entering secondary education in September 2007, the new compulsory age for schooling will mean they have to either be in school or on an approved training scheme until they are 18. From 2013, full-time paid employment will be against the law for under-18’s.

Most state schools (primary and secondary) are co-educational (mixed) day schools, with the exception of a few secondary schools that accept boarders. Private schools include day and boarding schools and are mostly single-sex, although an increasing number of junior and some senior schools are co-educational. Admission to a state school for foreign children is dependent on the type and duration of the residence permit granted to their parents. Your choice of state and private schools varies considerably depending on where you live.

Courtesy: ( Internet search: www.justlanded.com)