State schools are run on a regional basis by LEAs - Local Education Authorities and standards are maintained by regular inspections from the OFSTED - Office for Standards in Education.
State sector schools in England and Wales are obliged to follow the National Curriculum. Students generally study about ten subjects, which must include the core subjects: mathematics, science and English, plus Welsh in Wales. British school education is divided into 4 key stages:
 |
 |
|
key stage 1: 5-8 years old |
|
|
|
key stage 2: 8-11 years old |
|
|
|
key stage 3: 11-14 years old |
|
|
|
key stage 4: 14-16 years old |
At the end of Key stage 4, most students take GCSE - General Certificate of Secondary Education in each subject. Every subject passed is graded from A (best) to G (worst). GCSEs enable students to develop knowledge and understanding in a range of both art and science areas.There are three main awarding bodies, AQA - Assessment and Qualifications Alliance, Edexcel, OCR - Oxford Cambridge RSA Examinations, which also award A levels and Vocational A levels.
In Scotland, there is no statutory curriculum but guidelines are offered by the Scottish Executive. The curriculum is broken down into 5 broad areas and 4 key subjects must be studied up to the age of 16: English, Maths, Science, and a modern foreign language.
At age 15-16, most pupils take SCE - Scottish Certificate of Education Standard Grades, considered roughly equivalent to GCSEs. They may then stay on for further 2 years and take SCE Higher Grades, the broad equivalent of A levels and the recognised entry qualification for higher education.
The body with responsibility for policy and funding is the SEED - Scottish Executive Education Department. Schools inspections and reports are undertaken by HMIE - Her Majesty’s Inspector of Education.
In Northern Ireland there is a common curriculum made up of 6 broad subject areas and 6 cross-curricular areas.
As in England and Wales, students take GCSEs at the age of 16 and may choose to study for AS levels or A levels.
The body with responsibility for policy and funding is the Department for Education – Northern Ireland (DENI). School inspections and reports are undertaken by the Education and Training.
| 
