1. EDUCATION in BRITAIN
British children
are required by law
to have an education
until they are 16 years old.
That means that education is
compulsory,
but school is not, children are not required to
attend school. They can be educated at
home. (Home schooling)
© Dulce EOI

2. Education is free for all children from
5 to 16.
Full-time education is compulsory for all
children across England. This can be
provided by state schools, independent
schools, or home schooling.
All government-run schools (state
schools) follow the same National
Curriculum.

3. The School Year
• The school year runs from
September to July and is 39
weeks long.
• When do kids start school?
• Children normally start
primary school at the age of
four or five, but many schools
now have a reception year for
four-year-olds.

4. • Children normally leave at the age of 11, moving on to
secondary school (High school).
• At the age of 16, students take an examination called the
GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education).
Study of GSCE subjects begins at the start of Year 10
(age 14-15), and final examinations are then taken at the
end of Year 11 (age 15-16).

5. • After completing the GCSE, some students leave
school, others go onto technical college, while
others continue at high school for two more years
and take a further set of standardized exams,
known as A levels, in three or four subjectsthree or four subjects. These
exams determine whether a student is eligible for
university.

6. • Children attend primary school for seven years,
where they study:
English, mathematics, science, religious
education, history, geography, music, art and
crafts, physical education (PE), information
technology (IT) and a foreign language.
•Most schools in England require
children to wear a school uniform.

7. Secondary School SubjectsSubjects
• Maths
• English
• Science
• IT
• Drama
• Music
• Art
• PE
• Humanities (History,
Geography, and
Religion)
• French or Spanish

8. Children attend school from
Monday to Friday, from 08:55 - 15:15.
• Lunch break is from 12.15 noon to 1.15
p.m. and children may have a school meal
or bring a packed lunch.
• There are also two 20-minute
breaks.

9. School holidays
The main school holidays are:
• Christmas- 2 weeks
• Spring (Easter) - 2 weeks
• Summer - 6 weeks
There are also one week holidays:
– At the end of October
– In mid February
– end of May

10. Total school days per year:
195 School days
In other countries
• American students: 180 days
• Australian students: 198 days
• Israeli students: 216 days
• German students: 220 days
• Japanese students: 243 days
• Spanish students: 17175 days
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