Education

This can be described as the learning and teaching of various sources of information. Typically, the process starts at a very early age and progresses through to early adulthood. In the UK, education starts at the age of 5 with primary school, then at age 11, children go onto to a secondary, grammar or independent school where they stay until the age of 16. Many opt to stay for a further 2 years until they are 18, with the aim of going to university.

Education after the age of 16 is called further education and is taught at either sixth form colleges or specialist further education colleges. This type of education is based upon students either studying for A levels or some other similar qualification or for what might be termed a vocational or non-academic qualification. Vocational qualifications are work related and include such subjects as business, social care and health and beauty. Education at age 18 is termed higher education as it entails the pursuit of a higher level qualification or a degree, in a specialist field. This is undertaken at a university or a college and typically lasts for 3 years.

There is the further option to continue this into postgraduate study, via a Masters degree or a PhD. Other forms of education include adult education or evening courses, which are undertaken by many adults purely for leisure purposes. The aim of these is to learn about a new subject, often in the company of others, for reasons of personal satisfaction.