In the United Kingdom, schools are either state schools funded by government and are free for all pupils, or they are independent schools and charge fees to the parents of the pupils. In the United Kingdom independent schools have an excellent reputation for high standards of teaching and learning and almost all pupils go on to prestigious universities when they leave. There are also many excellent state schools. But scholarships to state schools can only be offered to students from countries in the EU.
Education in England is one of the most prestigious and high-quality in the world. London, the capital of Great Britain is known as the world’s capital for higher education, having 4 globally top-ranked universities.

Experts identify 4 main stages of education: primary education, secondary education, further education and higher education. Children in the UK have to legally attend primary and secondary education which runs from about 5 years old until the student is 16 years old. The education system in the UK is also split into "key stages" which breaks down as follows:
Key Stage 1: 5 to 7 years old
Key Stage 2: 7 to 11 years old
Key Stage 3: 11 to 14 years old
Key Stage 4: 14 to 16 years old
Generally key stages 1 and 2 will be undertaken at primary school and at 11 years old a student will move onto secondary school and finish key stages 3 and 4.
Students are assessed at the end of each stage. The most important assessment occurs at age 16 when students pursue their GCSE's or General Certificate of Secondary Education. Once students complete their GCSE's they have the choice to go onto further education and then potential higher education, or finish school and try to find a job

3) Further Education. Once a student finishes secondary education they have the option to extend into further education to take their A-Levels, GNVQ's, BTEC's or other such qualifications. UK students planning to go to college or university must complete further education.
4) Higher Education. Probably the most important stage for a person future, higher education in England is provided by Higher Education (HE) colleges, university colleges, universities and private colleges. Students normally enter higher education as undergraduates from age 18 onwards, and can study for a wide variety of vocational and academic qualifications, including certificates of higher education and higher national certificates at level 4, diplomas of higher education, higher national diplomas and foundation degrees at level 5, bachelor's degrees at level 6, and integrated master's degrees and degrees in medicine, dentistry, and veterinary science at level 7.

There are 46 universities in Britain. The oldest and best-known universities are located in Oxford, Cambridge, London, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Southampton, Cardiff, Bristol and Birmingham. English universities greatly differ from each other. They differ in date of foundation, size, history, tradition, general organization, methods of instruction and way of student life.
Universities in the United Kingdom do not have a coherent system of funding or governance, and both remain heavily debated.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the UK Education System
The Pluses of Studying in England
There are certainly some clear advantages to studying in England. So here’s why students are bumping heads to get into a college in England:
1) Professional Study Environment
Students go abroad because they want to study. Obviously, if they do decide to leave their home country, this is because they couldn’t be provided the equipment or resources that they needed. Considering that the UK has some of the top-ranked universities in the world, you will find everything you need there in terms of facilities, research, socializing and sports.
2) You Graduate Fast
As opposed to most universities around the world that take around four years or more to get a degree, a university in England can offer it after three years or less. The courses are more focused, and you can gather the knowledge much faster than you usually.
3) Strict Educational System
Since professors are rather strict with you, you can’t get away with sleeping through your classes because you have too much free time on your hands. It’s focused on the subject and it really wants you to study — which is why the British educational system bred so many geniuses.
4) Quality of education
Many countries may want to implement the British instructional framework because of its quality, which is considered as the best in the world. British universities are systematically examined by the QAA to study models of teaching, learning, and research to ensure that all the benchmarks are met.

The Disadvantages of the British Educational System
While there are indeed advantages to the British educational system, but at the same time, there are also disadvantages. Before you set out for an education in the UK, here’s what you need to prepare yourself for.
1) Too Little Time to Learn
Remember when i said that graduating early is an advantage? Well, it can also be a disadvantage. Since you take 3 years to study what others do in 4 or 5, you do not have the time to actually let that info sink in or go deeper. And if your college does decide to go deeper, prepare for the next disadvantage.
2) It’s Very Stressful
We’ve all heard about stressed students who do not sleep or eat during exam period because they are too stressed — and that part is true. While there’s less time to get a degree in the UK, there’s also more stress — because you have to dab all that info in your brain in less time than normal. Add that to some pretty hardcore professors; you will definitely need a lot of coffee to get by.