British & Spanish Education System Differences Hello and welcome to this podcast brought to you by That’s English! The Spanish Ministry of Education’s official distance learning English course. To find out more about That’s English! go to www.thatsenglish.com or contact your local Official School of Languages. Are you a parent and thinking about spending some time in the United Kingdom or are you considering sending your child to a British school in Spain? Perhaps you have a son or daughter that already attends a British curriculum school and are just a little confused about how the education system differs between the two countries. Well, the aim of this podcast is to explain these differences clearly starting from the age of 3 through to adulthood. Let’s begin by saying what the UK national curriculum is. Basically, it is a set of subjects and standards used by state-maintained schools, so that all children are learning the same things. This curriculum is organised into groups, that are known as ‘key stages’, and each key stage consists of a certain range of school years. When a child reaches the end of his or her key stage, they are formally assessed by the teachers in order to evaluate their performance and progression. All children aged 5-18 must be in full-time education in the United Kingdom, however, the education structure starts from the age of 3. The first and second non-obligatory stages are known as the infants Early Years Foundation Stage. The first year group, ages 3-4 is in the nursery stage, followed by the reception stage for 4 to 5 year-olds. These two stages are equivalent to primero y segundo de educación infantil in Spain. When a child reaches 5 in the UK, they start obligatory primary education. This is where the key stage structure starts, taking the child through from aged 5 to 18, that is, up to segundo de Bachillerato in Spain. There are five key stages in total. Key stage 1 are the child’s first three years in primary education. This does not exactly tally with the Spanish system because children in Spain complete the tercer curso de educación infantil before starting the primary stage. So, that means year 1 of primary education in the UK for ages 5-6 is the start of key stage 1 but it is the 3rd year of infant education in Spain. There are six primary education years in total in the British national curriculum - key stage 1 for the first 3 years followed by key stage 2 for the last 3. The main difference between the Spanish and British primary education stages is that the primer curso de educación primaria is actually the equivalent of year 2 in the UK. So, year 2 is primero de primaria, year 3 is segundo etc. When a British child finishes their key stage 2, that is year 6 of primary, they are in what would be quinto de primaria. British children, therefore, start their secondary school education one year earlier than the Spanish. During the UK primary education, each child must complete national curriculum tests at the end of key stages 1 and 2 in English & Maths. They also have to undertake some teacher assessments. The British secondary education stage starts with year 7, as the numbers follow on from primary, and lasts for five years, finishing the end of obligatory schooling in year 11 when the child is between the age of 15 to 16. The secondary school years are divided into key stage 3 for the first three years and then the last two years are key stage 4, which is when the children sit their important national qualifications, which are usually GCSE exams. GCSE stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education. The results or grades from these exams can be a prerequisite for certain higher education courses, apprenticeships, or job opportunities. In many private international schools in Spain, the IGCSE exams are offered. These are very similar to the GCSE exams that are undertaken in the state British schools but are the internationally recognised equivalent. As la ESO in Spain, which corresponds to key stages 3 and 4 in the UK, only lasts 4 years, the children end their secondary education in both Britain and Spain at the same age, this is between the ages of 15 to 16. This is because the primer curso de la ESO is the second year of secondary in the British system, known as year 8. One main difference with the Spanish system is that children are more regularly assessed throughout their primary and secondary years through formative and summative tests - there are no GCSEs - and at the end of each school year, parents receive a report showing the child’s results for each subject. In all the UK countries, except Scotland, 16-year-olds must continue further education for another two years, until they are 18. In Spain, however, obligatory schooling ends after la ESO. Options for British 16-year-olds can vary from staying on at their secondary school, which is called ‘Sixth Form’, or going to a college to continue their studies. Alternatively, they can decide to get a job with a training element attached. Unless they live in Scotland, they are not allowed to work full-time without some training included, until they are 18. Academic qualification options for them include A-levels, which are subject-based qualifications, and BTECs which are technical or vocational subject qualifications. Other options can include an apprenticeship, or a job combined with some training. In Spain, 16-year-olds can choose to leave education and find work or continue their studies, choosing one of the many options available to them, for example the 2-year bachillerato course. In international schools over 16s are often able to study for the international A-level exams or are offered the International Baccalaureate which is a qualification that is recognised by all universities across the world. Basically, whether you are Spanish or British, by the age of 18, the world is your oyster, as we say in English, or tienes el mundo a tus pies. If you have a question for us on the subject or simply have a comment to make, please get in touch, we would love to hear from you. We hope you have enjoyed this podcast, brought to you by That's English! Please follow us on social media. We look forward to hearing from you. Bye for now!