Science education in England
For the ages of 16, 17 and 18 (and older for those that remain in education below university-level), students in England do what is sometimes loosely called ‘key stage 5’ or KS5; it has no legal meaning (unlike the other key stages). And unlike KS1–4 in which the levels of complexity of topics learnt at each stage are prescribed within relatively narrow limits, at KS5, the levels of complexity of topics cover a wide range, although the highest level of complexity at KS5 is RQF level 3. Whether or not a student actually studies at this level of complexity in KS5 depends on his/her GCSE results—crucially on what subjects the student obtained passes at RQF level 2 standard (including mathematics and English) as well as the actual grades themselves. In other words, unlike KS1–4, where a specific student studies at one RQF level, at KS5, a specific student may be studying at several RQF levels depending on what s/he obtained at GCSEs. Regardless of the RQF-level mix, a KS5 student can do his/her post-16 study in one of the following:
National Academy For Learning
NAFL is a day school offering classes from Montessori and Kindergarten to Grade 12. There is no prescribed syllabus that the school follows until Grade 9. For higher grades, NAFL offers the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) program. The school also offers the Cambridge International Examinations program for Class 10 (Cambridge Secondary 2 for 14 to 16-year-olds) and the Cambridge Advanced program for Classes 11 and 12 (the Cambridge International A Level which is typically a two-year course, and the Cambridge International AS Level which is typically a one-year program). In grade 9 students are also given the option between ICSE and the CAIE IGCSE.