| Starting school | Reception usually in the September after the 4th birthday; compulsory from the prescribed date after the 5th birthday |
| State school | free place for every child aged 5 to 16 in England |
| Applying | through the council of your future home area, also from abroad |
| Private schools | fees, with 20% VAT since 1 January 2025 |
| Education or training | in England until 18: school, training or an apprenticeship |
How school in England is structured
Most children in England start in the September after their fourth birthday in the Reception class, the first year of primary school. It is not compulsory yet: a child reaches compulsory school age on 31 December, 31 March or 31 August after their fifth birthday, whichever comes first. You may start your child later, but you still have to apply at the normal time. Before that, all three- and four-year-olds in England are entitled to free early education.
After that, the English count in years and Key Stages. Years 1 and 2 form Key Stage 1, Years 3 to 6 Key Stage 2, and at eleven comes the move to secondary school: Key Stage 3 up to Year 9 and Key Stage 4 with Years 10 and 11. At the end of Year 11 most teenagers sit their GCSE exams, at 15 or 16.
At 16 they may leave school, but in England not education: until their 18th birthday they must stay in full-time education, an apprenticeship or work combined with training. Most stay on in the sixth form or go to college for A levels or vocational qualifications. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the structure, leaving age and admissions each work differently.
Age, year, stage: the translation table
English school years count from Reception, so Year 7 is the first year of secondary school, at about eleven. Line your child's age up against the left column rather than their current class number back home.
| Age | School year | Stage | Assessments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 to 5 | Reception | Early Years Foundation Stage | Reception baseline assessment |
| 5 to 7 | Years 1 to 2 | Key Stage 1 | Phonics check in Year 1 |
| 7 to 11 | Years 3 to 6 | Key Stage 2 | Times tables check in Year 4, national tests in Year 6 |
| 11 to 14 | Years 7 to 9 | Key Stage 3 | no national exams |
| 14 to 16 | Years 10 to 11 | Key Stage 4 | GCSEs in Year 11 |
| 16 to 18 | Years 12 to 13 | Sixth form or college | A levels or vocational qualifications |
GOV.UK: The national curriculum; School admissions; School leaving age
Academy, grammar, faith, private: which school is which?
Every child in England aged 5 to 16 is entitled to a free place at a state school. State does not mean uniform, though. Community schools are run by the council and follow the national curriculum. Academies and free schools are funded directly by the government, run by not-for-profit trusts, charge no fees and may depart from the national curriculum.
Grammar schools are state schools that select pupils by an entrance exam, often called the eleven-plus because it is taken at ten or eleven. They exist only in some areas, and the exam falls so early in the last year of primary school that families arriving from abroad easily miss it. Faith schools are religious schools, often Church of England or Catholic, which may give priority to children of their faith.
Private schools, confusingly often called public schools in England, are funded by fees and need not follow the national curriculum. Since 1 January 2025 private school fees carry 20% VAT, boarding included. If you budgeted with school fees paid from home or by your employer, redo the sums. There are also international schools, mostly in and around London, for families who want to keep another curriculum or language going.
Getting a school place, also from abroad
Applications for state primary and secondary schools in England go through the council, the local authority.
- 1
Settle where you will live
You apply to the council for the area where you will live. If you are moving from abroad, contact exactly that council. No address, no place, which is why the school belongs inside your search for a home, not after it.
- 2
Compare schools
Ofsted inspection reports, performance tables and open days. Every school must publish its admissions rules, curriculum and Ofsted reports on its own website.
- 3
Read the admission criteria
Each school has its own. Common ones are distance from home, siblings at the school, faith, an entrance test or the feeder primary school. At popular schools, distance can be decided by a whisker.
- 4
Prove your address
Expect the council to ask for proof of your new address, such as the tenancy agreement, and possibly evidence that you will live there before the start of the next term.
- 5
Sixth form and private schools direct
For sixth form at a school or college, and for private schools, you apply directly to the school, not through the council.
School life: uniform, lunch, childcare
School uniform is the rule in England, from primary school on. The school decides what it is, and the jumpers with the school crest soon tell you which families on your street go to the same school. The school day usually runs into the afternoon, with lunch at school.
Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 at state-funded schools in England get a free school lunch, whatever their parents earn. From the 2026/27 school year all children whose family receives Universal Credit are also entitled. For younger children of working parents there are government-funded childcare hours; the details are in our article on moving with children.
And if you would rather teach your child yourself: home education is legal in England. From age five you must provide a full education, but you need not follow the national curriculum. The council may ask whether the education is suitable.
What school has to do with visas and tax
A school place is not a right to live in the UK. If the family comes on a visa, children need their own status as dependants; the rules are in our section on family and dependants. For the school application itself, what the council mainly looks at is your address.
On the tax side, school choice works indirectly: where your children go to school is one of the facts tax authorities commonly weigh when deciding where a family's life is centred. If you plan to divide your time between two countries, keep that in mind from the start, and check how your home country looks at it.
Sources: GOV.UK: School admissions; GOV.UK: Types of school; GOV.UK: The national curriculum; GOV.UK: School leaving age; GOV.UK: Apply for free school meals; GOV.UK: VAT on private school fees; GOV.UK: Educating your child at home
