About Education in the UK

A. Background

Britain is home to some of the oldest universities in the world. The University of Oxford

is the first university listed in British history. There is evidence to suggest that the oldest university

in this English-speaking country has started teaching since 1096 and has grown rapidly since 1167.

One of the important milestones in the history of education in the UK was the first time

the compulsory education program was enacted, namely in 1880. Compulsory study was enforced

at that time only for children aged 5 to 10 years. The deadline for compulsory education then

gradually increased and reached the age of 14 years in 1918. In 1947 and 1973, the final age limit

returned to 15 and 16 respectively. With the enactment of the Education and Skills Act 2008 law,

from 2013 to 2015, the deadline for compulsory education will gradually increase to 18 years.

B. Education In the UK

The education system in England is divided according to the four countries incorporated

in it, namely England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each country has a separate system

under its respective governments: the British Government is responsible for England, then the

Scottish Government, the Government of Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive are

responsible for their respective state education system.

C. Basic Structure of Education System in UK

In this section we describe briefly the education system in the UK which is generally

divided into several levels based on age.

1. Pre-primary education (pre-primary education), age 3-4 years.

2. Primary education (primary education), age 4-11 years.

 3. Secondary education (secondary education), age 11-16 years.

4. Further education, age 16-18 years.

5. Higher education (higher education), age above 18 years.

D. National Curriculum in the UK

There are two levels of education set out in the National Curriculum for England (National

Curriculum), namely: Pre-Primary Education and Primary and Secondary Education.

a. Pre-Primary Education

Under the law, pre-primary education is education for children who have not entered the

compulsory school age (children not yet 5 years old). This education can be provided at school,

for example in kindergarten or nursery classes in elementary school, or elsewhere.

The child development curriculum, or so-called foundation stage in the National

Curriculum since the enactment of Education Act 2002, is structured in several learning areas,

such as:

1. Personal, Social and Emotional Development

2. Communication, Language and Literacy
3. Development of Mathematics
4. Knowledge and Understanding of the World
5. Sports or Physical Development
6. Development of Creativity

b. Primary and Secondary Education

1. Primary Education (5-11 years of age), and

2. Secondary Education (age 11-16 years).

 Generally students continue from primary school to secondary school at the age of 11

years. However, there are some areas in the UK using 3 levels (tier) and providing middle schools

(middle schools) for students aged 8 or 9 years to 12 or 13 years. Many secondary schools after

completing the compulsory education stage also provide advanced education for students ages 16

to 18.

Schools must be open for 190 days in a year. Teachers must be in school 5 days longer for purposes

outside of teaching time, such as professional development. The period and the holiday are

determined by the local government or the school board, depending on the legal basis of the

school. The new school year usually begins in early September and ends in July of the following

year. Schools generally operate five days a week (Monday to Friday). Minimum teaching time of

the week:
5-7 tahun 7-11 tahun 11-14 tahun 14-16 tahun
21 jam 23,5 jam 24 jam 25 jam

Study time in one day generally start at 09.00 until between 15.00 and 16.00. The timing of

learning is determined by the school. The number of students in primary school in one class of

age group of 5-7 years is limited to 30 students. Students are generally grouped with diverse

abilities, although many teachers use grouping based on students' abilities. In primary schools

students are generally taught by general teachers, while in secondary schools are taught by specialist

teachers. In the UK, the role of developing compulsory education curriculum is in the hands of

the Department of Education (DfE).

Key Stage 2 Key Stage 3 Key Stage 4

Key Stage 1
Umur (tahun) 5-7 7-11 11-14 14-16
Kelas 1-2 3-6 7-9 10-11