Education in Great Britain

 Education in Great Britain

The educational system of Great Britain is different from the Greek educational system in many respects.

To begin with, in Great Britain the general obligatory education addresses every child who lives in the country regardless his or her nationality. There are both private and public schools and attendance is compulsory for students aged between 5 and 16 years of age. Obligatory education is divided into 4 stages. The first stage lasts until the age of 7 years, the second until the age of 11 years, the third one spans between 11 and 14 years and the fourth stage addresses to teenagers between 14 and 16 years of age. In addition, it is possible for a child to be taught at home but his or her parents have to obtain the relevant permission from the State. The school year lasts from the first week of September until the third week of July. Furthermore, Great Britain is well-known as a country full of notable universities. All the universities of Britain are public and well known except from the University of Buckingham which is private. One of the interesting facts is that Greek undergraduate students in Great Britain amount to almost 25.4% of undergraduate students.

 Primary education in Britain consists in two stages: Stage 1 addresses children aged 5 to 7 and the second one is suitable for children aged 8 to 11. Primary schools work by a well-balanced and versatile curriculum of subjects which is suitable for young children and their capabilities as well as any special needs that a child may have. A well-balanced curriculum focuses mainly on writing, reading and mathematics and a school should also promote the psychological, moral and physical development of students of this age. There are also “special needs schools” which are suitable for children with special capabilities.

Secondary education addresses to 12 to 18 years old students and it is mandatory until the age of 16 years.  The successful completion of studies at this stage leads to the acquisition of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). This certificate is awarded after written exams at the end of the year and its grades range from A*, which is the highest grade, to G or U (unclassified) in cases of failure. There are many schools of secondary education, 90% of which are called Comprehensive Schools and they accept all students regardless their academic performance. There are also Grammar Schools which accept students after a selection process, special schools like music or art schools, and other types of schools either state or private.

In order to be accepted in a British University, a student should study for two years in schools which are called “Sixth Form Schools” (after the age of 16). There he can choose 2-5 subjects and take exams after the end of the two-year period in order to obtain the Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education (A Level CSE). Universities and Institutes of higher education offer a wide range of courses. Every University is autonomous and decides which degrees and other titles it will offer and moreover the relevant admission prerequisites and conditions. The academic year lasts from September /October until the end of June for students who follow undergraduate courses. Normally it is divided into three terms or two semesters. Every institution of higher education applies its own policy in reference with the terms of student admission. Generally, the candidates have to achieve at least a grade of “C” into three subjects in the GSCE exams. They must also succeed into two different subjects of the General Certificate of Education. Foreign students should prove that they are competent speakers of English.
 Undergraduate courses lead to a degree, which is called Bachelor (BA), after 3 years of study. There are BA of Arts and BA of sciences.                                                                                                                                                       Master degrees (MA) can be obtained after 1 or 2 years of study and a degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) can be obtained after at least 3 years of study and after the completion of a thesis based on original research.
Students have to pay fees and there are two types of fees:

“home fees” which is paid  by inhabitants of Great Britain and the European Union                                                                                                    and

“full cost overseas fees” which is paid by foreign or overseas students who don’t live in the UK or the EU

For students who have financial problems, special scholarships as well as student’s loans are offered.