The first stage of children's education is from the age of five to eleven, and is known as primary education.

The primary school is divided into Infants ( for ages 5-7) and Juniors ( for ages 7-11).

The British education system may seem rather complicated. It consists of two parts: the state schools and the non-state schools. The state schools form the public education system, which is free . Schooling is compulsory between the ages of five and sixteen. For under-fives there are playgroups and nursery schools, both private and state-ru n. At eleven, children begin secondary education. At sixteen most pupils take national examinations at ordinary level ( O-level ) called GCSEs ( General Certificate of Secondary Education ). The GCSE is not an overall qualification : pupils pass or fail in individual subjects. Some might have one, five, or ten GCSEs, meaning they have passed examinations in that number of subjects. Most state secondary schools are comprehensive schools: they admit local children of all abilities. However there are still a few old-style grammar

schools, which accept only pupils who do well at school. The private sector in education is small but socially important. Private secondary schools are known by the confusing name of public schools, of which the most famous are Eton and Harrow. Many public schools are boarding schools, with the majority of their pupils living in. Most schools are "mixed" or "co-educational" - they accept boys and girls - but there are some single sex schools in both the private and state sectors.

The United States does not have a national system of education. As a result, each of the states is free to determine its own system for its own public schools. There are some 16.000 school districts within the states. School boards made up of individual citizens elected from each community decide what is to be taught. Typically , local high schools will offer courses of study which they feel best reflect their students' needs. Students at the same school will commonly be taking courses in different areas. Some might be following pre-university programs, with an emphasis on those academic subjects required for college

work. Others might be taking course work which prepares them for vocational or technical positions. In America education begins at the age of six with the first grade, and continues to the twelfth grade.

Secondary education is in one or two stages. From the age of eleven or twelve to eighteen pupils attend the so-called 'high school'. The first two or three years of this are called junior high school and the senior classes are called senior high school. A high school pupil earns a certain number of academic credits or courses, in order to graduate from high school. When he/she does this, he/she receives a certificate called a high school diploma.