Question for British list members/school years

[Geoff Bannister]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)" <catlady at ...> 
wrote:
>
> --- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Carol" <justcarol67@> wrote:
> 
> > I'm not sure what GCSE exams are.
> 
> O.W.L.s Formerly O-levels (for "Ordinary").
> 
> > Do British schools have a Year Twelve, or do students finish school
> > and start university (or get a job) at seventeen (sixteen for those
> > born in summer) rather than eighteen (seventeen for the summer-borns)
> > as in the U.S.?
> 
> Per Geoff, old First Year (First Form) is now Year 7. Which would make
> Second Form year 8, Third 9, Fourth 10, Fifth (the OWL year) 11, Sixth
> 12, and Upper Sixth (Seventh Year at Hogwarts) Year 13.

Geoff:
Years 12/13 are not used as identifiers in the UK system.

We continue to use the old terminology so you will see schools 
referring to Lower Sixth/Upper Sixth or First Year Sixth/Second 
Year Sixth.

Just to cover some comments, the cut-off age date throughout 
the UK is 31st August.

Year 1 deals with the 5+ group - those who have reached 5 from 
the 1st September in the preceding up to the 31st August of the 
year in  which they enter Year 1.

So we tend to refer to Year 7 as the 11+ year. At one time - until 
the late 1960- all children changed from Junior school to Secondary 
at this point. Now, it's a mix. Depending on the area, the switch to 
Secondary can be Year 7, 8 or 9.