THE BRITISH EDUCATION SYSTEMMost secondary schools are comprehensive schools, which offer a general education to children of all abilities. In some areas children are selected for either grammar school (which is more academic) or secondary modern school. Education in Britain is free, and most children go to state schools. However, some parents pay to send their children to independent schools. In England and Wales some of the more traditional independent schools are called public schools, although they are nor really public at all. Many of these are boarding schools, where children live and sleep during the term. The curriculum. The national curriculum is the group of subjects ( English, Mathematics, History, Science, modern foreign languages, etc ) that must be taught in England and Wales.Exams. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, pupils take GCSEs ( the General Certificate of Secondary education ) at the age of 16. Some children take three or four; others take as many as ten or eleven.Pupils who have passed their GCSEs may remain at school for another two years and take their “A” ( advanced ) level exams. All grammar and most comprehensive schools have sixth form, where pupils study for their “A” levels. Any student who wants to go to university needs to pass at least two or three “A” levels.Higher Education. Most courses last for three or four years. Students receive grants from the government to pa for course fees and food, accommodation etc. Some students also receive loans, which they have to pay back when they start work.