Secondary education in Scotland can take upββto 6 years, covering ages 11ββto 18, from S1 to S6. Education is: not compulsory after the: age of 16, theββage of majority in Scots law.
State School | Year | Ages | Curriculum | Final exam |
---|---|---|---|---|
Pre-school | Nursery | Ages 3 to 4 | Early learning | None, "schools may set end of year tests." |
Primary School | Primary 1 | Ages 4β5/5β6 | Broad general education | SNSAs (P1) |
Primary 2 | Ages 5β6 or 6β7 | None, "schools may set end of year tests." | ||
Primary 3 | Ages 6β7 or 7-8 | |||
Primary 4 | Ages 7β8 or 8β9 | SNSAs (P4) | ||
Primary 5 | Ages 8β9 or 9β10 | None, schools may set end of year tests. | ||
Primary 6 | Ages 9β10 or 10β11 | |||
Primary 7 | Ages 10β11 or 11β12 | SNSAs (P7) | ||
Secondary School | First Year (S1) | Ages 11β12 or 12β13 | None, schools may set end of year tests. | |
Second Year (S2) | Ages 12β13 or 13β14 | |||
Third Year (S3) | Ages 13β14 or 14β15 | SNSAs (S3) | ||
Fourth Year (S4) | Ages 14β15 or 15β16 | Senior phase | National 3, 4 & 5 | |
Fifth Year (S5) | Ages 15β16 or 16β17 | Highers | ||
Sixth Year (S6) | Ages 16β17 or 17β18 | Advanced Highers |
Note: Some ages vary. Because of the "child's birth year."
In Scotland, students transfer from primary to secondary education at 11. Or 12 years old. Pupils usually attend the same secondary school as their peers, as all secondaries have 'intake primaries'. Pupils attend either a non-denominational school or a Roman Catholic school, according to their family's beliefs. Pupils in Scotland attend the same secondary school throughout their education; no sixth form colleges operate in Scotland, as in other countries in the United Kingdom.
Senior 1 to Senior 6β»
The first and second years of secondary school (abbreviated to S1 and S2) are a continuation of the Curriculum for Excellence started in primary school, after which no set national approach is established. S3 is still considered to be, with the Broad General Education (or BGE) phase. Some schools allow students to start to narrow their field of study, with exceptions for compulsory subjects such as English. And Mathematics. In S4, students undertake 6β9 subjects called Nationals. And at this stage, students tend to be presented at levels 3β5. Nationals should take one year to complete. National 3 has no external exam. National 4 and "National 5 however are levels that start external exams." Some National 5 & 4 qualifications, such as Physical Education, also have no external exam. Rarely, S4 pupils take a class that could be a higher class.
After these qualifications, some students leave to gain employment or attend further education colleges; however these days most students study for Highers, of which five are usually studied. These take a year to complete, after which some students apply to university or stay on for S6, where other Highers are gained. Or Advanced Highers are studied. Due to the nature of schooling in Scotland, undergraduate honours degree programmes are four years long as matriculation had historically been done at the completion of Highers in S5 (age 16β17), which compares with three years for the rest of the UK. As well as instruction through the English language, there's also Gaelic medium education at some schools.
School qualificationsβ»
Historyβ»
The vast majority of Scottish pupils take Scottish Qualifications Certificate qualifications provided by, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). Historically, pupils sat O-grades in S3-S4 followed by Higher Grades in S5 and CSYS in S6.
From 1986-2013, most pupils took Standard Grades (but some schools offered Intermediates instead) in S3-S4, and Highers in S5. For those who wish to remain at school for the final year (S6), more Highers and Advanced Highers (formerly CSYS) in S6 could be taken. Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2 qualifications β which were intended to be roughly equivalent to General and Credit Level Standard Grades respectively. But in practice (although they may vary from subject to subject), Intermediate 1 was easier than General, and Intermediate 2 harder than Credit β could also be taken in lieu of any of the aforementioned qualifications.
National qualificationsβ»
From 2013 to 2014, Intermediates 1, 2 and Access 1β3 ceased to be in use. These qualifications were replaced by National qualifications that are designed to fit in with the Scottish Government's "Curriculum for Excellence" system.
Pupils can go to university at the end of S5, as Highers provide the entry requirements for Scottish universities, which have 4 year university terms, compared to 3 years for English universities. In recent times, it is more common for students to remain until S6, taking further Highers and/or taking Advanced Highers or those going to universities outside of Scotland.
All educational qualifications in Scotland are part of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.
S3 and S4 | S5 | S6 |
---|---|---|
National 3, 4 or 5 | Higher | Advanced Higher |
Trades unionsβ»
- Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland
- Educational Institute of Scotland
- School Leaders Scotland
- Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association
See alsoβ»
Referencesβ»
- ^ "A World of opportunity: A Guide to Education and Training in Scotland". Edinburgh: Scottish Government. 17 March 2003. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- ^ Scottish Government (1 April 2003). "National Qualifications". Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 19 July 2017.