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UK state schools have welcomed Ukrainian-arrival pupils throughout the post-2022 period and have established protocols for disrupted schooling, EAL support, and trauma-informed pastoral care. This guide maps the Ukrainian school structure onto the UK system, sets out year-group equivalence by age, and walks through the 90-day decisions you'll face after arrival.
Key facts
Ukraine runs an 11/12-year general-education school structure (4 years primary + 5 years basic + 2-3 years specialised secondary). Compulsory schooling is from age 6 to 17. UK state schools place by age. The mapping below uses the UK 1-September cutoff.
| Age | Ukraine | UK (England) | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5–6 | Pre-school / Class 1 (start) | Reception / Year 1 | Early Years / KS1 |
| 6–7 | Class 1 (Primary) | Year 2 | Key Stage 1 |
| 7–8 | Class 2 | Year 3 | Key Stage 2 |
| 8–9 | Class 3 | Year 4 | Key Stage 2 |
| 9–10 | Class 4 (end of Primary) | Year 5 | Key Stage 2 |
| 10–11 | Class 5 (start of Basic) | Year 6 (SATs) | Key Stage 2 |
| 11–12 | Class 6 | Year 7 | Key Stage 3 |
| 12–13 | Class 7 | Year 8 | Key Stage 3 |
| 13–14 | Class 8 | Year 9 | Key Stage 3 |
| 14–15 | Class 9 (end of Basic) | Year 10 (GCSE start) | Key Stage 4 |
| 15–16 | Class 10 (Specialised Secondary) | Year 11 (GCSE) | Key Stage 4 |
| 16–17 | Class 11 — NMT (university entry) | Year 12 (AS / start of A-level) | Key Stage 5 |
| 17–18 | (Class 12 from 2027 reform) | Year 13 (A-level) | Key Stage 5 |
Scotland uses P1–P7 (primary) and S1–S6 (secondary); Northern Ireland uses Year 1–14 with a one-year offset; Wales follows England's Year numbers. See the UK School System guide for full nation comparisons.
Get your child's exact UK Year placement and risk warning
Free: year + top transition risk for Ukrainian Атестат / NMT arrivals. Sourced to MoES Ukraine.
UK admissions teams handle Ukrainian transcripts routinely — including incomplete or disrupted documentation. For UK university entry, plan a foundation-year route 12+ months ahead.
All Ukrainian-scheme routes and standard work / family routes give dependent children full state-school access. School Atlas does not give immigration advice; consult an OISC-regulated adviser for visa questions.
A UK government scheme matching Ukrainian arrivals with UK-based sponsor hosts. Children of Homes for Ukraine visa holders have full access to UK state schools, free of charge, with priority in many local-authority admissions.
Family-route schemes for Ukrainian nationals. Children of Family Scheme visa holders have full state-school rights from arrival.
Used by Ukrainian professionals on the standard work-route. Same school-access rights for dependants.
Since January 2024 only PhD/research-level student visas can bring dependants. Children of eligible student-visa parents have full state school access.
School Atlas is not authorised to give immigration advice. For Homes for Ukraine, Family Scheme, or Permission Extension Scheme questions, consult an OISC-regulated adviser (search the official OISC adviser register) or read official guidance at gov.uk/government/collections/ukraine-uk-visa-schemes. We can help you choose a school once you know your visa.
Search by postcode once you know where you'll live. Once results load, filter by school type (state vs independent), phase, faith, fees, and inspection grade.
Enter your UK postcode to discover schools in your area, with filters for state vs independent, phase, faith, fees, and inspection grade.
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Explore all UK schools
Filter by phase, type, faith, and inspection grade after a postcode search
Free school meals & Pupil Premium
Eligibility for Ukrainian-scheme families and how to apply
SEND Rights & Processes
Special Educational Needs support — including for trauma-informed pathways
School Anxiety & Refusal
EBSA, mental-health support, and CAMHS referrals
Most UK state schools have welcomed Ukrainian-arrival pupils since 2022 and have established psychosocial-support protocols. Disrupted schooling, mid-year arrivals, and incomplete documentation are familiar to admissions teams. You will not be alone in navigating this.
Ukrainian-scheme families typically qualify for free school meals (means-tested) and the school receives additional Pupil Premium funding for these pupils, which schools spend on additional academic and pastoral support.
Every UK state school has a statutory duty to provide English as an Additional Language support. Children with limited English typically reach social fluency in 1–2 years and academic fluency in 5–7 years — this is normal, well-documented, and not a learning difficulty.
Ukrainian Saturday supplementary schools have expanded substantially since 2022. Major Ukrainian community programmes operate in Manchester, London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and other cities. Some UK schools offer Ukrainian as a GCSE or A-level via the AQA Modern Languages framework, but provision is uneven.
Many UK LAs have specialist Educational Psychology Service support specifically for Ukrainian-arrival pupils dealing with post-2022 disruption and displacement. Ask the school SENCO about local pathways. CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) referrals are also available where relevant.
UK universities typically require the Атестат plus NMT scores plus either a 1-year foundation programme or A-level top-up for direct undergraduate entry. Some universities accept the Атестат with strong grades for specific courses. Plan the route 12+ months ahead.
Some Ukrainian children were in Russian-medium schooling pre-2022; many have switched to Ukrainian-medium since. UK schools handle this neutrally — note the medium of instruction the child has had so EAL planning is accurate. Russian and Ukrainian are linguistically related but distinct languages.
Many Ukrainian families moving to the UK consider both state and independent (private) schools. UK state schools are free and high-quality across most of the UK, but independent schools may fit for: curriculum continuity (Cambridge IGCSE / IB / AP-track families), boarding (for families splitting countries), faith-aligned education, smaller class sizes, or selective day-school academic profiles. Below are the practical levers — fees, scholarships, boarding, admissions mechanics, and the recent VAT change.
Day: £15k–25k/year (lower-fee day schools £8k–15k in some regions).
Senior boarding: £35k–55k+/year. Top boarding schools (Eton, Harrow, Winchester etc.) at the top end.
Plus uniform, trips, music tuition, exams. Allow ~10–15% on top of headline fees.
Most independent schools offer scholarships (5–25% off fees) for academic, music, sport, art, drama, or all-rounder strength. Bursaries are means-tested and can cover 50–100% of fees at some schools.
International families are eligible — check each school's policy.
If your child was on Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge International A-level, IB Diploma, or AP at an international school in your origin country, many UK independent schools (and some state schools) offer the same qualifications — no curriculum switch needed.
IB Diploma is offered at ~100+ UK schools; IGCSE at most independents and some state.
UK boarding has a long-established international tradition. Common reasons international families choose boarding: family splitting countries, established UK boarding networks from extended family, or pursuing a specific school's academic / sporting profile.
Full, weekly, and flexi boarding all available. Pastoral care is rated as part of inspections.
VAT on independent school fees (since January 2025)
UK independent school fees now attract 20% VAT. Many schools absorbed part of the rise rather than passing it through in full. The headline fee figures above already reflect post-VAT pricing at most schools. See the VAT guide for detail.
Start here: UK private school system explained
Terminology (independent / private / "public school" paradox), HMC / GSA / IAPS associations, and orientation to the sector.
Private vs state — side-by-side
Direct comparison across academics, fees, class size, EAL provision, and admissions.
Independent school fees: the true cost
Tuition + extras + uniform + trips. Day £15k–25k; senior boarding £35k–55k+.
Scholarships & bursaries
Most independent schools offer 5–25% off fees; some bursaries cover 100% on means-test.
UK boarding schools
Long-established international boarding tradition; full / weekly / flexi options.
How independent admissions work
11+, 13+, 16+ entry tests; ISEB Common Pre-Test; per-school applications, not centralised.
VAT on independent school fees
Since January 2025, independent fees attract 20% VAT. Many schools absorbed part of the rise.
International Families Guide
Year-group mapping for any country, EAL support, mid-course GCSE entry
Free School Meals & Pupil Premium
Eligibility, application, and what schools spend the money on
SEND Rights & Processes
EHCPs, IDPs, CSPs, tribunals — your rights across all 4 nations
School Anxiety & Refusal
EBSA, triggers, CAMHS referrals, parent action plan