School system in the UK includes 3 phases of which 2 are mandatory (primary and secondary) followed by sixth form
Primary school
Primary school starts at the age of 5 (Year 1) and continues until the age of 11 (Year 6). In Year 6 pupils are taking Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) assessing skills in 3 core areas: Reading, Writing and Math.
You can check average SATs results on SchoolOpinion
Secondary school
After the age of 11 (Year 6) pupils move to secondary school which takes 5 years finishing at the age of 14 (Year 11) with General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams. The compulsory subjects are:
- English
- Maths
- Science
Students can choose other subjects depending on their preferences and career plans. Available qualifications also vary across different schools. The list of English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects is provided by DfE
Attainment 8 score shows average GCSE results calculated across 8 best subjects. Progress 8 score is an additional benchmark which shows how GCSE results compare to average results for students with similar SATs outcome in Primary school. Both metrics are available on SchoolOpinon to help you with your choice.
Grammar schools
Grammar schools are academically focused secondary schools. Unlike normal secondary schools, grammar schools admit pupils based on academic results and entrance exams as opposed to catchment areas. There are only 185 grammar schools in the UK but SchoolOpinion can help you to find one for you.
Sixth form
GCSE exams conclude the mandotory part of school education but majority of students continue their studies in sixth form schools and colleges as well as higher education institutions.
At the end of sixth form students are taking Advanced level qualifications (A level) exams. You can check average results as well as Progress Score metric on SchoolOpinion