A NURSERY SCHOOL

A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of three and five years, staffed by qualified
teachers and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply
providing childcare. It is a pre-school education institution, part of early childhood education.
Nursery in England is also called FS1 which is the first year of foundation before they go into primary
orinfants.
The curriculum goals of a nursery school are more specific than for childcare, but less strenuous than
for primary school. For example, the Scottish Early Years Framework and the Curriculum for
Excellence define expected outcomes even at this age. In some areas, the provision of nursery school
services is on a user pays or limited basis while other governments fund nursery school services.
The preschool education institution is more commonly known as kindergarten (children's garden), a name
given by the german Friedrich Frbel who created the first institution in Germany, in 1837. The other
common names for nursery school are pre-school, playschool, playgroup and nursery. The German
word Kindergarten is also used in many non-English-speaking countries to denote a form of pre-school
education. However, in the United States, Canada and some parts of Australia kindergarten is instead the
term used to describe the first year of compulsory schooling. The word kindergarten is not generally used
in the UK.
Each child in England at the first school term after their third birthday, is entitled to five two and a half hour
sessions per week - in some counties this has gone up to 15 hours. This entitlement is funded by the
government through the local council.[6] Pre-schools in England follow the Early Learning Goals for
education produced by the Department for Children, Schools and Families which carries on into their first
year of school at the age of four. This year of school is usually called Reception. The Early Learning
Goals cover the main areas of education without being subject driven. These areas include

Personal, social and emotional development

Language, literacy and communication

Mathematical development

Knowledge and understanding of the world

Physical development

Creative development

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

The school year begins on 1 September. Education is compulsory for all children from their fifth birthday
to the last Friday in June of the school year in which they turn 16This will be raised in 2013 to the year in
which they turn 17 and in 2015 to the year in which they turn 18.
The state-funded school system

State-run schools and colleges are financed through national taxation, and take pupils free of charge
between the ages of 3 and 18. The schools may levy charges for activities such as swimming, theatre
visits and field trips, provided the charges are voluntary, thus ensuring that those who cannot afford to pay
are allowed to participate in such events. Approximately 93% of English schoolchildren attend such
schools.
A significant minority of state-funded schools are faith schools, which are attached to religious groups,
most often the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church. There are also a small number of statefunded boarding schools, which typically charge for board but not tuition.
Nearly 90% of state-funded secondary schools are specialist schools, receiving extra funding to develop
one or more subjects in which the school specialises.

HIGHER EDUCATION
Students normally enter University from 18 onwards and study for an Academic Degree. All
undergraduate education outside the privateUniversity 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 Ofstedinspectors 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 afirst degree but wish to remain in employment.

POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION
Students who have completed a 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.