Education
Scotland’s education system has deep historic roots, dating back to church schools of the Middle Ages, with schemes for a universal system of free education being drawn up as early as the 16th century. Under the 1707 Act of Union, Scotland retained its separate education system, a distinction from England that persists at secondary level to this day.
Early education is optional, and provided through a mix of public and private provision, with government guaranteeing a place to every child aged 4-5 in nursery schools, day nurseries and play groups, as well as through private child care and other arrangements. School education is compulsory for ages 5 to 16, and provided free by the state. There is no direct counterpart to the English National Curriculum, but guidelines are set by the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum. Students transfer from primary to secondary school as 11-year-olds, going on to study for 'O Grade' and 'Higher' examinations, which are generally taken at ages 15 and 17, with nearly three-quarters continuing at school beyond 16. Scotland is also home to some of Britain’s oldest and most distinguished private schools.
The university sector has undergone two major phases of expansion in recent decades, during the 1960s and the 1980s-1990s, with a corresponding growth in the numbers of Scottish students undertaking higher education, while further education colleges offer other post-secondary options, often of a more vocational nature.
Education is among the responsibilities devolved to the
Scottish Parliament, with policies and bulk funding administered through the
Scottish Government for pre-school, primary and secondary school and further and higher education. Many aspects of administration and delivery are devolved further to local authorities (including schools, special educational needs and community education) and to schools themselves, with tertiary level bodies operating largely autonomously, funded through the
Scottish Funding Council (SFC).