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Education in the UK

25.08.2020
Author: Dinara Gracheva
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British education is a recognized standard throughout the world, and often it is not only and not so much a story about knowledge and its qualities, but about skills, values and life experience; since most of the students at national schools and universities are primarily British, foreigners have a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the country's culture.

About 10% of foreign buyers of real estate in London purchase it for children who are studying in local higher education institutions. It is also often first that they first rent an apartment for the duration of their studies, and then, if subsequently students remain to live in London, they already buy apartments for ownership.

Education in the UK

However, foreigners are in demand not only for higher education in the UK, but also for secondary education - there are many foreign families who move to England precisely in order to teach their children in schools. Usually they also first rent real estate, and then, if they decide to stay there, they purchase it. This also applies to wealthy Russian-speaking buyers, especially since many of them regularly visit Europe and hold assets there, so excellent command of English for a child from such a family and getting a local education is no longer a luxury, but a vital necessity.

Education system

In the UK, the path to tertiary education has five main stages: Pre-Preparatory Schools, Junior Schools and Secondary School, as well as a university preparatory course (A-levels or IB) and tertiary education. (Higher education). The first three stages of education (preschool, primary, secondary) in the UK are compulsory, everything that comes afterwards remains on the conscience and capabilities of the student and his parents. Therefore, if after high school a student wants to go to work without continuing his studies, he may well do it.

Preschool

Pre-Preparatory Schools are analogous to our kindergartens, where children learn basic skills including reading, counting and initial writing skills. It is worth noting that they are all paid. True, it is possible to issue special vouchers (childcare vouchers) that allow you to save a little and are issued through the employer of one of the parents. Their meaning is that the amount spent on kindergarten services is not taxed and is transferred directly from the parent's salary before tax. You can also take advantage of another benefit: this is 15 hours a week, which is paid by the state for the kindergarten instead of the parents (free early education). This is about one and a half days a week, or three times half a day a week. For Londoners, the cost of a day in kindergarten can be as high as 100; in Central and Northern England, it averages 50 per day. As a rule, the garden fee is paid a month in advance and is not refundable or recalculated if the child is sick or absent for any other reason.

Average

After graduating from Junior Schools, an elementary school for children 7-13 years old, where they take a general course in various subjects, it is necessary to pass a special exam - Common Entrance Examination. It is required for admission to high school. At the Secondary School, training is carried out from 14 to 16 years old, after which students take exams to obtain GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) - the British version of our certificate of complete secondary education.

Pensions

If a foreigner plans to study at a British school, boarding school or university, then it is important to prepare for this in advance. For example, it will not be superfluous to go through a summer camp: they accept from 8 to 18 years old, so, depending on the purpose, you can choose a camp for studying English, more detailed subject preparation for school or at the university where the child plans to enter. In the case of boarding schools, and decide on a specific option, because they write in them much ahead of time, and it makes sense to prepare the future student for an interview.

Education in a boarding school, even if you do not take into account the cost of living in it, is more expensive than in a regular day private school. In 2019, the average primary boarding school fee was 8406 per term, the secondary 11304, and the final grade (Sixth Form) 12,239. Education in regular schools is 30-40% cheaper, and in daytime private schools without boarding school, the price is even lower. According to ISC statistics, the highest tuition fees are in London, its neighboring southeastern counties and Yorkshire, while the lowest is in North East England and Wales.

Higher education

The A-levels university preparatory program is designed for two years, during which students study subjects suitable for their chosen specialty. Or you can choose International Baccalaureate (IB), which is an International Baccalaureate program.

Education in the UK

Residents of the CIS countries are used to the fact that in order, for example, to enter the Faculty of Geography, it is imperative to study geography at school, so that this subject appears in the certificate. But in England, everything is different - for most of the humanitarian specialties, you can enter with almost any combination of subjects.

How to prepare for admission to a British university and school

If a student finishes school in Russia, then in order to enter a British university, he will need to take an annual Foundation - a training course where subjects relevant for the future specialty and in-depth English are studied. By the way, in September 2019, the UK government announced that from 2021 international students will be able to stay in England after receiving a diploma with a two-year graduate visa (The Graduate Immigration Route). And although this initiative is so far only an intention that has not been tested in practice, in theory, excellent opportunities open up for students.

Features of British studies

In British schools, luxury is not encouraged: it is customary to look modest here (even wardrobe lockers are so modest that there is no place to hang outfits), and schoolchildren are asked to allocate small money for pocket expenses - on average, from 5 to 20 pounds a week. This is liked by many parents who want to teach their child how to properly manage funds.

Differences between public and private schools

Public schools do not deal with the issues of children's accommodation, therefore, education in them often costs less than in private ones, moreover, there is no such close attention to the educational process as private secondary institutions are famous for. However, quality British education, which many parents and their families around the world aspire to, can be obtained in both types of schools.

Education in the UK

Not Oxford alone

Speaking about rankings, it is important to understand that although Oxford and Cambridge are well known to everyone, British universities are not limited to these universities. There are a lot of excellent educational institutions in the UK, therefore, by contacting good consultants, you can find a more realistic, but no less prestigious option. What "reality" are we talking about? Of 100% of Oxford applicants, only 18% become students, of which even fewer non-British are. Plus, rankings are often compiled on the basis of data on university research activities: and if a student is not going to get a doctorate or go into science, then it is not at all necessary to strive to enroll in leading educational institutions.

But it is very important to take into account specialization and pay attention to how the program is structured: for example, Cambridge and Oxford do not teach digital specialties as well as it can be at a university that is in the top ten of the country's universities. As for the average tuition fee, it is usually 14,000-20,000 pounds per year for a bachelor's degree from a university in London. Studying at Oxford is at the upper end of these fees, but in addition to the tuition fees, international students must also pay an annual membership fee, which is around 7,000 per year. And in order to cover the living costs of the legendary university, it will take about 9,000 pounds a year.

Elena Marinichev, vice - president of Moscow Sotheby's International Realty

Yulia Ovchinnikova, Director of Overseas Property Department, Savills

Marina Shalaeva, Director of Overseas Real Estate and Private Investments Department, Knight Frank

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