All children in Britain up to the age of 16 must by law receive full-time education. Around 93 percent of Britain's 9.8 million pupils receive free education from public funds. The others attend independent schools financed by fees paid by their parents.
National curricula ensure that pupils study a balanced range of subjects.
About 70 percent of 16 year olds choose to continue in full-time education to achieve vocational or advanced academic qualifications. There are over 1.7 million home and overseas students at universities and other higher education institutions. Almost 3.6 million people are enrolled on largely vocational further education courses. Around 210,000 students from overseas attend Britain's publicly funded higher and further education institutions. For details on studying in Britain check out the British Council's website .