In England children must attend school from the age of 5 to 16 and many extend their education to 18 before entering university or college. From the age of 5 to 11, children attend primary schools and at 11 they then transfer to secondary schools. The structure of the education system in the UK has changed considerably over the last few years, reflecting the Government's aims to improve quality, increase diversity and make institutions more accountable to students, parents, employers and taxpayers.
Primary
Pre-school education is available for ages two to four/five through playgroups and nursery schools. The emphasis is on group work, creative activity and guided play. Compulsory education begins at five in England and Wales. At primary level, there is little or no specialist subject teaching and there is great emphasis on Literacy (English) and Numeracy.
Secondary
Compulsory education ends at age sixteen, though many pupils stay on beyond the minimum leaving age.
The majority of state secondary school pupils in England and Wales attend comprehensive schools. These provide a wide range of secondary education for most children of all abilities from a particular district, in the eleven to eighteen age ranges.
At secondary school, teachers teach specialist subjects in addition to many cross curricular subjects such as Literacy, Numeracy, Citizenship, ICT and Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE).
Schools in England and Wales
Working hours in schools are from approximately 8.30am to 4pm, with an average of at least one hour for after-school meetings per week. These hours do not include time for lesson preparation and marking.
School Categories
Nursery Schools, 3-4 year olds
Infant Schools, Reception classes for 4-5 year olds, Infant classes for 5-7 year olds (KS1). Most Infant schools also have a Nursery class
Junior Schools, Junior classes for 8-11 year olds (KS2)
Primary Schools, Infant and Junior classes within the one school
Secondary Schools, 11-16 year olds (can cater for up to 18 years old) (KS3 / KS4)
Sixth Form Colleges, 16-18 year olds
Special Schools, Pupils who have special educational needs
PRU, Pupil Referral Units for excluded pupils
Structure of the school year
Most schools operate on a 39 week school year broken into three terms starting in September and finishing in July. Each term is made up of approximately 13 teaching weeks with a ‘half term’ break of one week after 6 weeks.
Terms
Autumn Term: First week in September to third week in December
Spring Term: First week of January until Easter
Summer Term: Two weeks after Easter until third week in July.
The usual pattern for school holidays is two weeks at Christmas, two weeks at Easter and six weeks in the summer.
Structure of the school day
Primary School
All schools have control over the structure of their own school day although most will finish at 3.30pm. The statutory Literacy Hour and Numeracy Hour will be a feature of all school timetables. The example below illustrates what you will typically find in a primary school. Teaching Personnel consultants will be able to provide you with further details of the exact timetable in your assigned school for long term placements.
9.00am Registration
9.10am School Assembly
9.30am Literacy Hour
10.30am Breaktime
10.45am Numeracy Hour
11.45am Subject class
12.15pm Lunch
13.30pm Afternoon Registration
13.35pm Classes
14.45pm Breaktime
15.00pm Classes
15.30pm End of school day
Secondary School
A typical day is shown below. However, there is much variation within secondary schools and you will need to speak to your consultant to obtain timetable information for schools. Some secondary schools operate a two-week timetable, which means that if you are in the school for more than one week you may not be teaching the same class at the same period each week.
09.00am Registration
09.20am Period 1
10.00am Period 2
10.40am Break
11.00am Period 3
11.40am Period 4
12.20pm Lunch
13.20pm Registration
13.40pm Period 5
14.20pm Period 6
15.00pm Period 7
15.40pm School ends
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