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
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.