Structure of Education in England & Wales
The education system in the UK has three stages although each of these can be
subdivided –
Pre-compulsory (0-5)
This stage can include playschools, playgroups, parent and toddler groups, nursery
schools, kindergarten and pre-prep and all will be subject to some form of inspection.
Some children will stay at home or with a child-minder or nanny until they start school
at 5, this is becoming less common. If children enter a primary school before they are
5 they are often said to be in the Reception class.
Compulsory (5-16)
This stage is usually broken into two – primary (5-11) and secondary (11-16) although
some education authorities operate a middle school system and schools in the
independent sector may vary.
The Compulsory sector is broken down into 4 key stages, the end of each key stage is
marked with Standard Assessment Tests (SATs). All the teaching during the
compulsory stage is based on the National Curriculum, except in the independent
sector which may or may not follow the National Curriculum.
Key Stage Age Group School Year Notes
1 5-7 1 and 2 This is the Foundation Key Stage
2 7-11 3,4,5 and 6
3 11-14 7,8 and 9
There are no SATs at the end of Key
4 14-16 10 and 11 stage 4 as this is when GCSE or other
examinations are taken
There are not SATs at the end of this
5 16 -18 12 and 13 Key Stage and it is not part of the
National Curriculum
Post-compulsory (16 - )
There are a wide range of education opportunities once compulsory education has
finished. Many young people will choose to stay at their secondary school and
complete years 12 and 13 (Sixth Form), others will go to Sixth Form Colleges and yet
more to Colleges of Further Education. Some will decide to enter the work place and
may continue their education on a part-time basis. Others will decide to return to
education after a period of working and they may attend courses at Colleges of Further
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Education, Adult Education, University or a variety of other providers, these maybe
part- or full-time, attending or distance courses. This means that adults as well as
young people will be seeking information on the many aspects of Higher Education
and they will have a wide variety of examination results as well as experiential
learning.
The traditional Sixth Form in a secondary school tends to be a more traditional
environment than that of a Sixth Form or Further Education College. There is often a
public address system to indicate the end of lessons and students may be required to
attend assembly and other school activities. Most Sixth Forms do not require students
to wear uniform but may have a rigid dress code, for example a smart suit for both
sexes.
Sixth Form Colleges tend to more relaxed and to encourage young people to take
greater responsibility for their own behaviour. However, they may still have a bell
system to indicate changes in lessons and some form of assembly.
Further Education Colleges are much closer to university in their styles of teaching and
organisation; with much greater emphasis on students own responsibilities. There is a
much greater diversity in the age of students, their educational backgrounds and the
courses they are following. Many students will be taking Access programmes, these
may be specific, i.e. Access to Teaching or more general – Access to Higher
Education. Generally speaking such programmes are equivalent to GCSEs although
often a student may follow one or two subjects to a higher level giving A level
equivalence.
Some colleges offer pre-access courses, these are for students who may have left
formal education at an early age or who have not studied for many years. They are
intended to prepare students for the rigors of education.
Examinations
Towards the end of year 9 students make their choices for the GCSE courses, these
are usually referred to as options and schools may offer options events for students,
parents and carers or both together. GCSE examinations are taken at the end of year
11. Students must take certain National Curriculum subjects – English, mathematics,
science and ICT, but the choice of other subjects is made following discussion with
teachers, parents and carers. There is a choice of academic or vocational courses,
vocational GCSE’s are normally double awards, for example health and social care
and can be taken at two levels, foundation and intermediate. Foundation is equivalent
to two GCSE’s at grade D or below and intermediate to two GCSE’s at grades A*-C.
Most schools want students to gain 5 A*-C GCSE’s for progression to AS/A2
programmes.
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At the end of year 12 students take AS level GCE examinations, normally between 3
-5 subjects are studied. A2 level examinations are taken at the end of year 13 and
normally one or two of the AS subjects are dropped.
Schools and colleges may also offer Advanced Vocational Certificates of Education
(AVCE), GNVQ, BTec and a range of other examinations including the International
Baccalaureate. Many schools also offer key skills and general studies qualifications
which can be counted towards entry requirements for university.
Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS)
UCAS is the central organisation through which applications are processed for entry to
full-time first degrees, HNDs and university diplomas in the UK. UCAS has drawn up a
tariff system which is used to report achievement for entry to higher education (HE) in
a numerical format. It establishes agreed equivalences between different types of
qualifications and provides comparisons between applicants with different types and
volumes of achievement.
How does the tariff work?
Points can be aggregated from the different qualifications included in the tariff
There is no ceiling to the number of points which can be accumulated
There is no double counting – applicants cannot count the same or similar
qualifications twice
Achievement at a lower level will be subsumed into the higher level, ie, AS
points will be subsumed into the A level points for the same subject. The same
principle applies to Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers, VCE A levels and
Double Awards, Key Skills and Music awards at different levels or grades
All certificated Key Skills in Application of Number, Communication and IT will
attract points whether achieved through proxy or not
What qualifications are covered by the tariff?
A full list of the qualifications covered by the UCAS tariff, together with the allocation of
points is included in your training manual
Have any new qualifications been incorporated in the tariff?
The following qualifications have been included in the tariff for entry to higher
education in 2006 onwards:
The Irish Leaving Certificate Higher and Ordinary levels
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Advanced Extension Awards
The Diploma in Foundation Studies (Art and Design)
For 2007 entry, two qualifications will come into the tariff:
OCR Nationals
Wider Key Skills
New qualifications are regularly being added to the tariff and it is the aim of UCAS to
include as wide a range of achievement used for entry to HE as possible
Notes on offering advice
Some universities continue to make offers based on examination grades, for example
ABB with or without an added rider – ABB with A in history. Alternatively, they make
an offer using the old points score system in which A = 10, B = 8, C = 6, D = 4 and E =
2, an ABB would be equivalent to 26 points.
If offering advice on minimum entry requirements it is necessary to check the
individual prospectuses for each institution as they are no longer shown in the UCAS
handbook. You should also be aware that different schools and departments within
the same institution may word their offer in different ways.
Access courses are not included in the UCAS tariff and students will need to check
with prospective universities on the individual requirements for particular courses. It is
advisable for them to do this early in their course to ensure that they are studying the
correct subjects to the correct level.
Some vocational programmes in universities have basic formal requirements in certain
subjects, these maybe decided by the body governing that profession, for example the
Teacher Training Agency requires that all teachers have a minimum grade C GCSE
pass in English and Maths and in Science for primary teachers. Students who plan to
join such programmes and who have not completed traditional educational routes may
not have these qualifications although they may have appropriate higher level
qualifications. The prospective student will need to check with each individual
institution as some offer equivalence tests while others insist that the candidate takes
the appropriate examination.
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Any questions?
Contact the UCAS Outreach Department on:
Tel: 01242 544862
Fax: 01242 544954
E-mail: [Link]@[Link]
UCAS Quiz (Staff Version)
This quiz is based on the qualifications that are currently most common in England.
The same principles can be applied to all the other qualifications in the tariff.
Using the UCAS tariff work out how many points each applicant has:
A – AS Biology grade D, AS English grade C, A level Maths grade E, A level Art grade
A and A level Graphic Design grade B (350)
B – AS Physics grade C, AS Biology grade B, AS Drama grade A, A level PE grade B
(250)
C – AS Sociology grade B, AVCE Travel and Tourism Double Grade AB (270)
D – A level Biology grade A, AVCE Health and Social Double Care BB (320)
E – AS Textiles grade B, A level Graphic Design grade C, AVCE Art and Design
Double AB (350)
F – BTEC Nationals Diploma in Construction with 3 Distinctions (360)
G – BTEC Nationals Certificate in Hospitality Supervision with 1 Distinction and 1
Merit, AS Critical Thinking grade B and AS Sociology grade A (310)
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H – BTEC Nationals Award Media (Digital) with Distinction, BTEC Nationals Award
Media (Music Production) with Distinction and BTEC Nationals Award Media (Video)
with Merit (320)
I – CACHE Diploma in Child Care and Education (Theory grade A, Practical grade B),
AS Biology grade D and AS Drama grade D (400)
J – Diploma in Foundation Studies (Art and Design) with Merit, AS Graphic Design
grade B, A level Fine Art grade B, A level English grade C (455)
K – AS Drama grade E, AS Biology grade E, A level PE grade D, A level English grade
D (160)
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UCAS Quiz (Student Version)
This quiz is based on the qualifications that are currently most common in England.
The same principles can be applied to all the other qualifications in the tariff.
Using the UCAS tariff work out how many points each applicant has:
A – AS Biology grade D, AS English grade C, A level Maths grade E, A level Art grade
A and A level Graphic Design grade B
B – AS Physics grade C, AS Biology grade B, AS Drama grade A, A level PE grade B
C – AS Sociology grade B, AVCE Travel and Tourism Double Grade AB
D – A level Biology grade A, AVCE Health and Social Double Care BB
E – AS Textiles grade B, A level Graphic Design grade C, AVCE Art and Design
Double AB
F – BTEC Nationals Diploma in Construction with 3 Distinctions
G – BTEC Nationals Certificate in Hospitality Supervision with 1 Distinction and 1
Merit, AS Critical Thinking grade B and AS Sociology grade A
H – BTEC Nationals Award Media (Digital) with Distinction, BTEC Nationals Award
Media (Music Production) with Distinction and BTEC Nationals Award Media (Video)
with Merit
I – CACHE Diploma in Child Care and Education (Theory grade A, Practical grade B),
AS Biology grade D and AS Drama grade D
J – Diploma in Foundation Studies (Art and Design) with Merit, AS Graphic Design
grade B, A level Fine Art grade B, A level English grade C
K – AS Drama grade E, AS Biology grade E, A level PE grade D, A level English grade
D
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