Academic Year and Language of Instruction

Academic Year refers to the period of time each year when the schools or Universities are open for students to study.

The academic year of schools in the United Kingdom is generally split into three terms running from autumn to summer. The academic year of state schools is about 195 days, of which there are 190 teaching days and five INSET teachers training days, whereas the school year of independent schools consists of 175 days. The academic year of schools varies between the component nations of the United Kingdom with school holiday dates varying between local education authorities.

In the UK, the standard academic year starts in September or October and runs until June or July. However, the start dates may change depending upon the course of study and institution.

Universities: Many universities in the United Kingdom run ten-week autumn, spring and summer terms. While many other universities run the terms of odd length, with the autumn term generally the longest. Some universities also have a "Reading week" which varies depending upon the department, course, faculties or university. In “Reading week”, no teaching takes place at all rather students are encouraged to read back over the subject matter of the course taught so far.  

In the United Kingdom, English is mostly used. But there are other official languages too, such as Welsh, Scots and Gaelic.