For families planning to move to the UK from Hong Kong, one of the biggest challenges would be switching to a completely different school system. Twinkl, as an international education publisher founded in Sheffield, totally understands the needs of Hong Kong parents and therefore turns our experiences collaborating with British local schools into bright insight that can help newcomers to adapt to English schools as quickly as possible. 

In this article, Twinkl would like to introduce readers briefly to the British school system and how it differs from Hong Kong’s. We will also provide free Twinkl Phonics resources recognized by the Department of Education so that parents can do all the preparation they need before school starts. 

UK School System

In Hong Kong, academic years are normally divided into 4 parts: nursery/kindergarten, primary school, secondary school and university. While in the UK, although pupils still have to go through these 4 types of schools, years are divided into different Key Stages instead: EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage), Year 1-2 (Key Stage 1), Year 3-6 (Key Stage 2), Year 7-9 (Key Stage 3), Year 10-11 (Key Stage4) and Year 12-13 (Key Stage 5). When looking for educational materials, parents can search according to the corresponding Key Stage. 

During the period of Years 1 - 8, pupils’ all-around development is valued. Hence, a significant number of extra-curricular activities will be composed to consolidate students’ non-academic areas such as music and physical education. If your kid is around this age when moving into the country, he/she would very likely be allocated automatically to a class matching his/her original grade. However, if you are looking for a school place in a more competitive academic organisation, try showcasing the student’s non-academic achievements, it will give him/her a larger chance of getting into the targeted school.

Heading on to the next stage, secondary schools. In the UK, they are split into state and private schools, the former one normally starts their admission process in Year 7. State schools can be further categorised into selective and non-selective schools, based on a standard similar to Hong Kong secondary schools’ “banding”. Parents can check the Ofsted Report website for relevant information. 

Grammar schools, for example, are one type of selective school which are popular among HK parents. To secure a school place in a grammar school, every candidate must take an 11+ test in Year 6 for screening purposes. Examination curriculums are different depending on the schools you apply for. Private schools, alternatively, would generally start admitting students in Year 9, also with various formats of admission tests. Parents might take the different admission times into consideration when drafting their moving plan to the UK. Please be reminded that the calculation of admission age is slightly different from what we use in Hong Kong, you can refer to this page for more information. 

All pupils will then have to take GCSE examinations in Year 11. The GCSE curriculum for 2 years (Year 10-11) and the average number of subjects students take part in is around 7-10. Assessment formats include school-based evaluation and examination papers. Scores are given in grades, with Grade 9 as the highest, 4 as the passing line and 1 as the lowest. After getting the GCSE certificates, students can choose among A-Level, IB or university foundation courses as their ladder towards higher education. 

The UK A-Level exam is similar to the old HK A-Level assessments, which is also the most popular option that students would go for after GCSE. The A-Level curriculum lasts for 2 years (Year 12-13), with an AS-Level examination booked in Year 12 and an A2-Level examination in Year 13. Students have to attend the assessments in both years for the electives they have chosen, in order to get the full A-Level qualification.

Twinkl Phonics

All Twinkl resources are created by experienced teachers, well-used among local British schools. Our materials are handily categorised into different Key Stages, school subjects and topics, allowing parents and students to find the resources they need easily.

Twinkl provides materials in all sorts of themes like original stories, STEM and ESL. Twinkl Phonics, one of our most popular collections, has recently been recognised by the Department of Education as one of the recommended phonics-teaching schemes. 

To download our phonics resources free, follow this link and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Simply click on the one you like and we’ve prepared everything for you in our material pack.

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