Education in England

Education in England

Department for Education
Secretary of State for Education Minister of State for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education[1]	Gillian Keegan Luke Hall
National education budget (2008–09)
Budget	£62.2 billion[2]
General details
Primary languages	English
System type	National
Compulsory education	1880
Literacy (2012[3])
Total	99%
Enrollment
Total	11.7 million
Primary	4.50 million (in state schools)[4] (2016)
Secondary	2.75 million (up to Year 11 in state schools)[4] (2016)
Post secondary	Higher Education: 1,844,095[5] (2014/15) Further Education: 2,613,700[6] (2014/15) Total: 4,457,795 (2014/15)
Attainment
Secondary diploma	Level 2 and above: 87.4% Level 3 and above: 60.3% (of 19 year olds in 2015)[7] Level 2 and above: 81.0% Level 3 and above: 62.6% (of adults 19–64 in 2014)[6]
Post-secondary diploma	Level 4 and above: 41.0% (of adults 19–64 in 2014)[6]

Education in England is overseen by the Department for Education. 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 5–6 and Key Stage 2 for ages 7–10. Secondary education is divided into Key Stage 3 for ages 11–13 and Key Stage 4 for ages 14–15.^[8] At the end of Year 11 (at age 15 or 16, depending on their birthday) students typically take General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams or other Level 1 or Level 2 qualifications.

While education is compulsory until 18, schooling is compulsory to 16: 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.^[9][10] The Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) covers national school examinations and vocational education qualifications.^[11]

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.^[12]