UK Education System

The education system here in the UK may be different to the one back in your home country. The table below will help you to identify which school your child needs to go, followed by additional information on each type of school.

Note:
The links to the schools below are for state schools. There are fee paying schools that are available around the area, for these schools you will need to apply directly to them.
Make sure you know what time your child starts and finishes school. It is important to plan and make sure your child gets to school on time and picked up on time. If you cannot pick your child up and require someone else to pick them up, do inform the school. The school may sometime ask for a safe word to ensure the child is being picked up by the correct person, and for safety purposes.
Also until your child is 18 they must either go to college or gain an apprenticeship/ traineeship. For more information on compulsory schooling please look at ‘Compulsory Schooling’ in 'Schooling information' section.

Pre-school (not mandatory)

Preschool is also known as Nursery, Play School, Kindergarten.

Each pre-school has different rules & regulations, services and accepting age range. Some providers may accept your child when they are 3 months old, whilst some may accept them when they are 2 years old. When your child is 3 years old they will start being prepared for school.

As pre-school is not mandatory, this service is something you will have to pay for. Though you are entitled to 15 or 30 hours of free childcare, for more information please look at the Free Childcare section Each provider will have different prices and services, check to see which is most suitable for you or contact the school for additional information.

Sometimes pre-schools and nurseries are separated, for instance a pre-school may already be attached to another school or your child attends a private independent nursery. Some nurseries are more childcare focused and run sessions from 8am till 6pm whilst some pre-school may only be half a day. There are various of offers and services, again, check with the school you are applying for as they are all different.

The Reading Admission Team does NOT process applications for Nurseries, you will need to contact each provider direct for further information and to apply, for more information click here.

Finding your local:

To find your local pre-school, day nurseries providers and other options, click here.

There is a nursery on the Whiteknights campus run by the Reading University Students Union that takes children from 3 months old, click here for more information.

FREE Childcare

All 3 to 4-year-old in the UK will receive 15 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year, of free childcare. You will be given the option to take few or more hours per week. However, to redeem the free childcare service, you must be with an approved childcare provider. For more information click here.

30 hours free childcare
You may be eligible to apply for the 30 hours free childcare per week. For more information click here.

Note: The 15/30 free childcare scheme will end when the child starts reception or compulsory school age (age 5). Please be mindful that in addition to the childcare, you will need to pay the childcare provider for the cost of nappies, meals or trips that your child consumes/participate in.

Reception and primary/infant school

Reception (also known as Year R) is the first year when children (age 4 to 5) officially start compulsory schooling. In Primary/infant school your child will start Key Stage 1 education and enter year 1 & year 2.Where in Year 2 your child will complete SATS (national curriculum test), this is to identify what level your child is working to.

Note:Primary schools is when infant and junior school are together, whilst Infant School alone is when its Reception to Year 2 only.

Finding your local:

Primary/infant schools in Reading.

Junior school

After Primary school children move up to Junior school (although if the child is at a school which has both Infants and Junior, there will be a smooth transition with no additional applications required) where they will be for the next 4 years. In year 3 children start Key Stage 2 of their education and complete SATS (national curriculum test) again, in year 6. This is done to identify your child progress and the level your child is working to, to prepare them for Secondary school.

Finding your local:

Primary/Junior school in Reading.

Secondary school

By the time children reach Secondary school they will be around the age of 11 or 12. In Year 7 to Year 9, children complete Key Stage 3 education and in Year 9 they will choose subjects to study for their GCSEs. Whilst in Year 10 and Year 11 they will be completing Key Stage 4 education, studying towards GCSE exams which take place at the end of Year 11.

Note:Secondary schools can also be known as High School/ Middle School. GCSE results will determine applications to College and University, depending on the course applied for.

Finding your local:

Secondary Schools in Reading.

College/Sixth form college

In college students can choose to do A Level (Advanced Level) or BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council). BTEC is Level 3 Extended Diploma were students are more likely to learn through practical work as well as studying. Whilst A Level students can choose three to four subjects, which are studied via classroom based activities with written work and exams.

College education can be at standalone colleges or be part of a Secondary school and referred to as Sixth Form. Students outside of a Secondary School which has a Sixth Form can also apply to study there. In Sixth form colleges they predominantly do A Levels.

Application process:

Applying for College/Sixth form college is different to applying for Primary and Secondary schools. To apply for college/Sixth form college, t will need to apply directly to the chosen college. Applications can often be made online through the college website or can be completed on a paper application form and submitted direct to the college.

Depending on the programme applied for, the college may invite the applicant for an interview or request the applicant to bring in their portfolio or school reports. The college will inform the applicant in advance, to give them time to prepare.

It is recommended that applicants attend open days/evenings of colleges/ Sixth form college they are interested in to see which college and course they prefer.

List of Colleges nearby.

Comparing Sixth form College and College.

Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship is learns combination of learning on the job and classroom study. Generally, this means the student will earn a small wage, but must also attend college once a week to complete specific study.

All apprenticeships have different durations and can be between 1 and 5 years. This would depend on the company and the area of training.

Apprenticeships in Reading and applications click here.