England

The new Labour government set about making a series of changes to the education system - changes which are still going on.

For parents, an understanding of how the system works is needed long before their first child starts on his or her progress through school - but their own experience is probably years out of date.

Then at each stage there will be new procedures, new options, new tests and public examinations - all presented in a welter of jargon and acronyms that sometimes seems designed to baffle.

This is a guide to the current education system in England.