School Years
Children start primary school aged between 4½ and 5½ depending on when the child's birthday falls. Scottish school policy places all those born between March of a given year and February of the following year in the same year group. Children born between March and August start school in August at between 5½ and 5 years old, and those born between September and February start school in the previous August at between age 4 years 11 months and 4½ years old. The Scottish system is the most flexible in the UK, however, as parents of children born between September and December can request a deferral for 1 year (not automatic, requires to be approved), whilst children born between January and February can opt to hold their child back a year and let them start school the following August. This usually allows those not ready for formal education to have an extra year at nursery school. (Funding is only available for children born in January and February).
Pupils remain at primary school for seven years. Then aged eleven or twelve, they start secondary school for a compulsory four years with the following two years being optional. In Scotland, pupils sit Standard Grade or Intermediate exams at the age of fifteen/sixteen, for normally eight subjects including compulsory exams in English, Mathematics, a Science subject (Physics, Biology or Chemistry) and a Social Subject (Geography, History or Modern Studies). It is now required by the Scottish Parliament for students to have two hours of physical education a week; each school may vary these compulsory combinations. The school leaving age is generally sixteen (after completion of Standard Grades), after which students may choose to remain at school and study for Higher and/or Advanced Higher exams. Increasingly, students in S3 and S4 are able to take Intermediate courses, as these have become more popular and are more closely linked to Highers.
A small number of students at certain private, independent schools may follow the English system and study towards GCSE instead of Standard Grades, and towards A and AS-Levels instead of Higher Grade and Advanced Higher exams. The International Baccalaureate has also been introduced in some independent schools.
The table below lists rough equivalences with the year system in the rest of the United Kingdom (For England and Wales, the equivalence given is for children born before 1 September; the equivalence for those born from September to February is given in brackets):
| Scotland | Age at start of school year | Age at end of school year | England and Wales | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary 1 | 4 - 5 | 5 - 6 | Year 1 | P2 |
| Primary 2 | 5 - 6 | 6 - 7 | Year 2 | P3 |
| Primary 3 | 6 - 7 | 7 - 8 | Year 3 | P4 |
| Primary 4 | 7 - 8 | 8 - 9 | Year 4 | P5 |
| Primary 5 | 8 - 9 | 9 - 10 | Year 5 | P6 |
| Primary 6 | 9 - 10 | 10-11 | Year 6 | P7 |
| Primary 7 | 10 - 11 | 11-12 | Year 7 | Year 8 (1st Year) |
| S1 (First Year) | 11 - 12 | 12-13 | Year 8 | Year 9 (2nd Year) |
| S2 (Second Year) | 12 - 13 | 13 - 14 | Year 9 | Year 10 (3rd Year) |
| S3 (Third Year) | 13 - 14 | 14 - 15 | Year 10 | Year 11 (4th Year) |
| S4 (Fourth Year) | 14 - 15 | 15 - 16 | Year 11 | Year 12 (5th Year) |
| S5 (Fifth Year) | 15 - 16 | 16 - 17 | Year 12 | Year 13 (Lower sixth) |
| S6 (Sixth Year) | 16 - 17 | 17 - 18 | Year 13 | Year 14 (Upper sixth) |
Read more about this topic: Education In Scotland
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