Schools in England and Wales

 Britain still has a strong independent school system, and 7-8 per cent of the youngsters go to independent schools.  Big changes in the schools of England and Wales occurred in the 1980s and early 1990s, most were the work of the Conservative Government, until 1991, by Margaret Thatcher.  The Government decided that parents must be able to choose between local schools, so they could send their children to the one they liked best.  The Government decided that schools should publish exam results so that parents could find out which schools were best.  The normal local school in Britain for pupils aged over 12 is the comprehensive school. These schools are supposed to take in pupils of every sort of ability.  The most important test in England and Wales is taken by pupils when they are about 16. The test is called the General Certificate of Secondary Education.  If pupils stay in school after the GCSE they can take the Advanced level exams when they are about 18.  Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schools systems, separate from England and Wales.  You have to have good a level results if you want to get into university.  From the 1980s the Government in London took more and more educational decisions.