Education in Great Britain

Great Britain has three administrative systems of public education - one for England and Wales, one for Northern Ireland and one for Scotland. The three systems differ mainly in terms of the administration of charges, but the organisation of the education system is similar.
Education in Great Britain is compulsory and free for all children between the ages of five and 16. At the age of 16 about two thirds of pupils leave school and start working, with around 30 percent staying at school until the age of 18. There are around 30,000 state schools and 2,000 private schools, with about 93 percent of all children attending state schools and the rest studying at private schools.