Education in England | Education System in England

Education in England:

Education in England is overseen by the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills. At a local level, local authorities take responsibility for implementing a policy for public education and state schools.

Full-time education is compulsory for all children aged between 5 and 16 (inclusive). Students may then continue their secondary studies for a further two years (sixth form), leading most typically to an A-level qualification, although other qualifications and courses exist, including Business and Technology.

Education Council (BTEC) qualifications and theInternational Baccalaureate. The leaving age for compulsory education was raised to 18 by the Education and Skills Act 2008. The change will take the effect in 2013 for 17-year-olds and 2015 for 18-year-olds. State-provided schools are free of charge to students, and there is also a tradition of independent schooling, but parents may choose to educate their children by any suitable means.

Higher education typically begins with a 3-

year Bachelor's Degree. Postgraduate degrees include  Master's Degrees, either taught or by 

research, and Doctor of Philosophy, a research 

degree that usually takes at least three years. 

Universities require a Royal charter in order to 

issue degrees, and all but one are 'financed' by 

the state with a 'low' level of fees, though these 

are increasing, for home and the European 

Union students.

Students normally enter University from 18 onwards and study for an Academic Degree. All undergraduate education outside the private University of Buckingham is largely state-financed, with a small contribution from top-up fees. The state does not control syllabuses, but it does influence admission procedures. Unlike most degrees, the state still has control over teacher training courses and uses Ofsted inspectors to maintain standards.

The typical first degree offered at British universities is the Bachelor's degree (typically three years). Many institutions now offer an undergraduate Master's degree as a first degree, typically lasting four years. During a first degree students are known as undergraduates. The difference in fees between undergraduate and traditional postgraduate Master's degrees (and the possibility of securing LEA funding for the former) makes taking an undergraduate Master's degree as a first degree a more attractive option, although the novelty of undergraduate Master's degrees means that the relative educational merit of the two is currently unclear.

Some universities offer a vocationally-based Foundation degree, typically two years in length for those students who hope to continue to take the first degree but wish to remain in employment.

Postgraduate education

Students who have completed the first degree are eligible to undertake a postgraduate degree, which includes:

•   Master's degree (typically taken in one year)
•  Doctorate degree (typically taken in three years)

 Postgraduate education is not automatically financed by the State, and so admission is in practice highly competitive.

Specialist qualifications:

Education: Postgraduate Certificate in 
Education  (PGCE), Certificate in Education (Cert 
Ed), C&G7407 or Bachelor of Education (BA or BEd), most of 
which also incorporate Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
      Law: Bachelor of Laws LL.B.

   Medicine: Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery studied at

 Medical school (United Kingdom)Business: Master of Business 

Administration MBA.Psychology: Doctoral training. Educational

 Psychology (D.Ed.Ch.Psychol) or Clinical Psychology(D.Clin.Psych.).Fees

In the academic year, 2009/2010 undergraduates pay tuition fees set at a maximum £3225
per annum. The fees are repayable after graduation contingent on attaining a certain level of income, with the state paying all fees for students from the poorest backgrounds. UK 
students are generally entitled to student loans for maintenance.
Postgraduate fees vary but are generally more than undergraduate fees depending on the degree and university. There are numerous bursaries (awarded to low-income applicants) 
to offset the undergraduate fees, and for postgraduates, full scholarships are available for 
most subjects which are awarded competitively.
Differing arrangements apply to English students studying in Scotland and Scottish / Welsh students studying in England. Students from outside of the UK or the EU attending English universities are charged differing amounts, often in the region of £5000 - £20000 per annum for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. The actual amount differs by institution and subject, with the lab-based subjects charging a greater amount.