England

==Education==
{{Main|Education in England}}

The [[Department for Education]] is the government department responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including education.<ref>{{harvnb|Gearon|2002|p=246}}.</ref> State-funded schools are attended by approximately 93% of English schoolchildren.<ref>{{harvnb|West|2003|p=28}}.</ref> Education is the responsibility of the [[Secretary of State for Education]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Secretary of State for Education – GOV.UK |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/secretary-of-state-for-education |website=www.gov.uk}}</ref>

Children between the ages of 3 and 5 attend nursery or an [[Early Years Foundation Stage]] reception unit within a primary school. Children between the ages of 5 and 11 attend primary school, and secondary school is attended by those aged between 11 and 16. State-funded schools are obliged by law to teach the [[National Curriculum for England|National Curriculum]]; basic areas of learning include English literature, English language, mathematics, science, art & design, citizenship, history, geography, religious education, design & technology, computing, ancient & modern languages, music, and physical education.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Curriculum |url=https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum |access-date=8 July 2020}}</ref>[[File:Radcliffe Camera by Fenlio.jpg|thumb|The [[University of Oxford]] was founded in 1096, making it the world's second-oldest university.]]The [[Programme for International Student Assessment]] coordinated by the [[OECD]] currently ranks the overall knowledge and skills of British 15-year-olds as 13th in the world in literacy, mathematics, and science with the average British student scoring 503.7, well above the OECD average of 493.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oecd.org/pisa/Combined_Executive_Summaries_PISA_2018.pdf|title=OECD: PISA 2018}}</ref>

Although most English secondary schools are comprehensive, there are selective intake [[grammar school]]s to which entrance is subject to passing the [[eleven-plus]] exam. Around 7.2 per cent of English schoolchildren attend [[Independent school (UK)|private schools]], which are funded by private sources.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009 |title=Independent Schools in the United Kingdom |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580406/Independent_Schools_in_the_United_Kingdom.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829163013/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580406/Independent_Schools_in_the_United_Kingdom.html |access-date= |archive-date=29 August 2009 }}</ref> Standards in state schools are monitored by the [[Office for Standards in Education]], and in private schools by the [[Independent Schools Inspectorate]].<ref>{{harvnb|Gearon|2002|p=102}}.</ref>

After finishing compulsory education, students take [[General Certificate of Secondary Education|GCSE]] examinations. Students may then opt to continue into [[further education]] for two years. [[List of further education colleges in England|Further education colleges]] (particularly [[sixth form colleges]]) often form part of a secondary school site. [[A-level]] examinations are sat by a large number of further education students, and often form the basis of an application to university. Further education covers a wide curriculum of study and [[apprenticeship]]s, including [[T Level|T-levels]], [[Business and Technology Education Council|BTEC]], [[NVQ]] and others. [[Tertiary college]]s provide both academic and vocational courses.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Watson |first1=Judith |last2=Church |first2=Andrew |year=2009 |title=The Social Effects of Travel to Learn Patterns – A Case Study of 16-19 Year Olds in London |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02690940903166971 |journal=Local Economy: The Journal of the Local Economy Policy Unit |volume=24 |issue=5 |pages=389–414 |doi=10.1080/02690940903166971 |s2cid=145187656}}</ref>

===Higher education===
Higher education students normally attend university from age 18 onwards, where they study for an [[academic degree]]. There are over 90&nbsp;universities in England, all but one of which are [[Public university|public institutions]]. The [[Department for Business, Innovation and Skills]] is the government department responsible for higher education in England.<ref>{{Cite web |last=United Kingdom Parliament |author-link=Parliament of the United Kingdom |title=Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee Contents |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmdius/170/17004.htm |access-date=16 September 2009 |publisher=publications.parliament.uk}}</ref> Students are generally entitled to [[student loan]]s to cover [[tuition fees]] and living costs.{{Efn|Students attending English universities now have to pay tuition fees towards the cost of their education, as do English students who choose to attend university in Scotland. Scottish students attending Scottish universities have their fees paid by the devolved Scottish Parliament.<ref name="House of Commons Library">{{cite web |url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/cost-of-living-support-for-students/ |title=Financial support for higher education students |last= |first= |date=31 January 2024 |website=commonslibrary.parliament.uk |publisher=House of Commons Library |access-date= |quote=}}</ref>}} The first degree offered to undergraduates is the [[bachelor's degree]], which usually takes three years to complete. Students are then able to work towards a postgraduate degree, which usually takes one year, or a doctorate, which takes three or more years.<ref name="FHEQ">{{Cite web |date=November 2014 |title=The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies |url=http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/qualifications-frameworks.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305083730/http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/qualifications-frameworks.pdf |archive-date=5 March 2016 |access-date=4 November 2016 |page=17}}</ref>

[[List of universities in England|England's universities]] include some of the highest-ranked universities in the world. As of 2024, four England-based universities, the [[University of Cambridge]], [[University of Oxford]], [[Imperial College London]], and [[University College London]], are ranked among the top ten in the 2024 ''[[QS World University Rankings]]''. The University of Cambridge, founded in 1209, and the University of Oxford, founded in 1096, are the two [[List of oldest universities in continuous operation|oldest universities in the English-speaking world]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 2017 |title=QS World University Rankings 2023 {{pipe}} Top Universities |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2023 |access-date=28 February 2023 |publisher=QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited}}</ref>

The [[London School of Economics]] has been described as the world's leading social science institution for both teaching and research.<ref name="london_156">{{Cite news |last=Hoyle |first=Ben |date=23 September 2007 |title=The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2007&nbsp;– Profile for London School of Economics |work=The Times |location=London |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/sunday_times_university_guide/article2496158.ece |access-date=6 June 2008}}</ref> The [[London Business School]] is considered one of the world's leading business schools and in 2010 its MBA programme was ranked best in the world by the ''[[Financial Times]]''.<ref name="ft">{{Cite web |title=FT Global MBA Rankings |url=http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-rankings |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504135153/http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-rankings |archive-date=4 May 2011 |access-date=25 January 2010 |website=Financial Times}}</ref> [[Academic degree]]s in England are usually split into classes: first class, upper second class, lower second class, third, and unclassified.<ref name="FHEQ" /> [[The King's School, Canterbury]] and [[King's School, Rochester]] are the oldest schools in the English-speaking world.<ref>{{harvnb|Webster|1937|p=383}}.</ref> Many of England's most well-known schools, such as [[Winchester College]], [[Eton College|Eton]], [[St Paul's School (London)|St Paul's School]], [[Harrow School]] and [[Rugby School]] are fee-paying institutions.<ref>{{harvnb|Lowe|1971|p=317}}.</ref>