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More than 90 percent of pupils in the UK attend publicly-funded state schools. Approximately 8.5 million children attend one of the 30,000 schools in England and Wales; in Scotland, 830,000 children attend about 5,000 schools, including pre-schools and other special education schools; and Northern Ireland sends 350,000 children to 1,300 state schools.
Primary schools usually include both girls and boys as pupils. • Secondary schools may be either single-sex or co-educational.
The relevant education departments in England, Scotland and Wales dispense funding for schools through a Local Education Authority (or Education Authority in Scotland). In Northern Ireland, schools are largely financed from public funds through five Education and Library Boards.
National Curriculum 1989 • English, Mathematics, Science, Religious Education, History, Geography, Music, Art, Physical Education, and a modern foreign Language
Parents can choose between sending their children to state schools or to private school. • State schools are funded by local and central government. • In the private sector there are independent schools which are commonly, but confusingly, called public schools.
1. Up to age 5: Pre-primary schooling in nursery schools, daycare, or play group • 2. Ages 5-11: State sector primary schools • 3. Ages 11-19: secondary school • 4. Five years of secondary education, English, Northern Irish and Welsh students sit their GCSE exams.
Pupils who hope to attend university carry on their academic study in the sixth form for a further two years and then sit A-levels exams. Most pupils try to achieve • 3 or 4 A-levels in the subjects they are most proficient at.
University History • 1. 12th and 13th centuries: • Oxford University, Cambridge University • 2. 14th and 15th centuries: • Scottish Universities of St Andrews, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen • 3.The rest were founded in19th and 20th centuries. • 4. By 2008, Britain had 129 universities.