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England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland run four completely different education systems. Different year-group names, different exams, different curricula, different SEND laws. This guide maps every difference so you know exactly what to expect.
Key facts
4
Different education systems
3
Different exam bodies
0
EHCPs that transfer automatically
15+
Year-group naming differences
Select your child's current year group and nation to see the equivalent in all other UK nations.
Select a year group above to see equivalents in all other nations
The full age-to-year-group mapping across all four UK nations.
| Age | England | Wales | Scotland | N. Ireland | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3–4 | Nursery | Meithrin | Ante-preschool | Nursery | Early Years |
| 4–5 | Reception | Dosbarth Derbyn | P1 | Y1 (P1) | Infant / P1–3 |
| 5–6 | Year 1 | Blwyddyn 1 | P2 | Y2 (P2) | Infant / P1–3 |
| 6–7 | Year 2 | Blwyddyn 2 | P3 | Y3 (P3) | Infant / P1–3 |
| 7–8 | Year 3 | Blwyddyn 3 | P4 | Y4 (P4) | Junior / P4–7 |
| 8–9 | Year 4 | Blwyddyn 4 | P5 | Y5 (P5) | Junior / P4–7 |
| 9–10 | Year 5 | Blwyddyn 5 | P6 | Y6 (P6) | Junior / P4–7 |
| 10–11 | Year 6 | Blwyddyn 6 | P7 | Y7 (P7) | Junior / P4–7 |
| 11–12 | Year 7 | Blwyddyn 7 | S1 | Year 8 | Secondary |
| 12–13 | Year 8 | Blwyddyn 8 | S2 | Year 9 | Secondary |
| 13–14 | Year 9 | Blwyddyn 9 | S3 | Year 10 | Secondary |
| 14–15 | Year 10 (GCSE) | Blwyddyn 10 (GCSE) | S4 (Nat 5) | Year 11 (GCSE) | Exam years |
| 15–16 | Year 11 (GCSE) | Blwyddyn 11 (GCSE) | S5 (Highers) | Year 12 (GCSE) | Exam years |
| 16–17 | Year 12 (AS/A-level) | Blwyddyn 12 (AS) | S6 (Adv Higher) | Year 13 (AS) | Post-16 |
| 17–18 | Year 13 (A-level) | Blwyddyn 13 (A2) | — | Year 14 (A2) | Post-16 |
Scotland's start-age flexibility
Children born Jan–Feb have an automatic right to defer P1 entry by a year. Children born Mar–Aug can request deferral. This means some Scottish P1 classes have children aged 4–5½. An English child who started Reception at just-turned-4 may be up to a year younger than some Scottish P1 peers.
Northern Ireland's year-group offset
NI children start compulsory school at age 4 — the earliest in the UK. This means NI year groups are numbered one higher than England for the same age throughout. England Y7 = NI Y8. Don't panic — your child isn't “behind”; the numbering is just different.
Moving mid-exam-course is the biggest practical challenge. Here's what happens in each scenario.
The structure of schooling differs between nations — not just names but duration, assessment, and selection.
Even at the same age, children in different nations may have covered different content. These are the gaps most likely to affect your child.
England’s National Curriculum is highly prescriptive with specific content per year group. Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) is outcomes-based with more teacher autonomy. Children may find the teaching style very different — more project-based, more cross-curricular.
England teaches discrete, sequential science topics per year. Scotland integrates science within CfE’s “Sciences” area with teacher discretion on sequencing. A child may have covered topics the Scottish class hasn’t reached, or vice versa.
All schools in Wales teach Welsh as a compulsory subject. A child arriving from England with no Welsh faces an additional subject. Welsh-medium schools teach all subjects through Welsh — an enormous language barrier for incoming pupils.
The Curriculum for Wales (2022) uses 6 “Areas of Learning and Experience” rather than traditional subjects. It’s closer in philosophy to Scotland’s CfE than to England’s content-heavy National Curriculum.
NI’s curriculum includes Northern Ireland-specific content (the Troubles, local geography, Irish history). Religious Education is compulsory and content varies by school type (controlled vs Catholic maintained).
Scottish children may be “ahead” in some topics and “behind” in others. England’s year-by-year maths curriculum doesn’t map neatly to CfE numeracy benchmarks. Formal grammar teaching (SPaG) is more prominent in England.
Children arriving in NI at age 9–10 may face the Transfer Test for grammar school entry — an exam they haven’t prepared for. The test (GL Assessment or AQE) covers English, maths, and reasoning. Preparation typically starts 1–2 years in advance.
Scotland allows deferred entry for children born January–February (automatic right) and March–August (by request). A child who started Reception in England at age 4 may find themselves “a year ahead” of Scottish peers who deferred.
This is one of the most painful areas for families. Each nation has its own SEND legislation, its own terminology, its own statutory plans, and its own tribunal system. Nothing transfers automatically.
Your child's statutory plan does not cross borders
An English EHCP, Welsh IDP, Scottish CSP, or NI Statement has no legal forcein another UK nation. The receiving local authority must conduct a new assessment under its own legislation. Provision may lapse during the transition — contact the destination authority as early as possible.
The admissions process differs significantly between nations. Here's what to expect.
Find schools matched to your needs
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A timeline of everything you need to do before, during, and after moving your child between UK nations.
Sources
This guide draws on legislation and guidance from the Department for Education (England), Welsh Government education guidance, Education Scotland, the Northern Ireland Department of Education, UCAS tariff tables, the Children and Families Act 2014, the ALN and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018, the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, and the Education (NI) Order 1996. This guide is for general information only. Admissions policies, inspection frameworks, and school structures change regularly — always verify current details with the relevant school, local authority, or official body. Last reviewed April 2026.
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