Youth in Europe Study | participants

Yes

Topic | Children, Schools & Families
Researcher | Multiple Researchers

If you're visiting this page then your school has probably been invited to take part in the Youth in Europe Study. To find the answers to commonly asked questions about taking part in the study, you may want to visit our FAQs section here.

We are carrying out this study to compare the attitudes and experiences of young people from different backgrounds and to see if these differences have an impact on educational achievement. The study is taking place in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Results from the first year of the study can be found here.

In addition, some interesting facts about the countries taking part in YES can be found below:

1. Sweden
2. Germany
3. Netherlands
4. UK

Sweden
Sweden has a population of 9.2 million people.

Most of the population are considered to be ethnic Swedes with Finnish and Sami (Laplander) minorities

The main foreign-born or first-generation immigrant groups include: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks and Turks

Almost half the Swedish population is involved in some form of organised education and around 906 000 are pupils in the compulsory school.

Compulsory school in Sweden starts at age 7 and carries on for nine years.

From 16-19 years old students can attend Upper Secondary Schools. There are 17 three year national programmes and subject focussed programmes.

Higher education is provided in universities (universitet) and university colleges (högskola). There are four general undergraduate degrees and about 40 professional degrees. Additionally the Higher Vocational Education (Yrkeshögskoleutbildning) prepares learners for jobs which are related to a specific trade or vocation.

All education in the Swedish public school system and universities and higher education institutions is free of charge.


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Germany
Germany has a population of 82.3 million people

91.5% of the population are considered to be ethnic Germans, the main ethnic minority group is Turkish making up 2.4% of the population.  The other 6.1% is made up largely of Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Croatian and Spanish)

In Germany there are around 8.2 million young people currently in full-time compulsory education

Full time compulsory school in Germany starts at age 6 and carries on for nine or ten years (depending on whereabouts you live).

Up to the age of 18 it is compulsory to be in at least part time education.  This can take one of three forms: either continued academic schooling, full-time vocational education or the 'dual' system which involves both part-time vocational training and part-time on-the-job training

Higher education institutions in Germany include Universitäten (universities) and equivalent higher education institutions (Technische Hochschulen/ Universitäten, Pädagogische Hochschulen, Theologische Hochschulen), Kunsthochschulen (colleges of art), Musikhochschulen (colleges of music) and Fachhochschulen (universities of applied sciences).

A special role is played by the 30 Verwaltungsfachhochschulen (Fachhochschulen for public administration), which train civil servants for careers in the so-called higher level of the civil service. They are maintained by the Federation or by a Land. Their students have revocable civil servant status.

Berufsakademie also exist in some regions of Germany.  They combine academic training at a Studienakademie with practical in-company professional training in keeping with the principle of the 'dual' system.

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Netherlands
The Netherlands has a population of 16.8 million people.

80.7% of the population are Dutch and 5% come from other EU countries

The main non EU ethnic groups in the Netherlands are: Indonesian 2.4%, Turkish 2.2%, Surinamese 2%, Moroccan 2%, Netherlands Antilles & Aruba 0.8%, other 4.8%

In the Netherlands bout 2.6 million children and young people were enrolled in compulsory education

According to the Constitution people have the right to found schools and to provide teaching based on religious, ideological or educational beliefs. As a result there are both publicly run and privately run schools in the Netherlands. Some 70 % of pupils attend privately run schools.  These privately runs schools still get funded by the government, they just have more freedom in what they teach

Compulsory school in the Netherlands starts at age 5 and carries on for eleven years.

From 16-18 years old all young people are required to continue learning for at least 2 days per week until they have achieved a basic qualification (up to a level equivalent to GCSE's)

Secondary education up to the age of 18 is free of charge.

Upper secondary education can take three forms: Pre-university education, Senior general secondary education of Secondary vocational education.

The Netherlands has a binary system of higher education:
• university education (wetenschappelijk onderwijs = WO), offered by universities;
• higher professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs = HBO), offered by HBO institutions (hogescholen: universities of professional education).

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UK
The UK has a population of 61.3 million people.

The main ethnic group, 91.2% of the population, is 'White' (of these 83.6% are English, 8.6% Scottish, 4.9% Welsh and 2.9% Northern Irish)

The main ethnic minority groups are: Black 2%, Indian 1.8% and Pakistani 1.3%

Over half (55.4%) of everyone in Britain, under the age of 29 is in some form of organised education and around 8.3 million are pupils in compulsory schooling.

92 per cent of pupils attended public sector schools (not including special schools), while six per cent attended one of the 2 500 private schools and one per cent of pupils attended one of the 1 400 special schools.

Compulsory school in England starts at age 5 and carries on for eleven years.  Most pupils move from a primary school to a secondary school at age 11, although in some areas of England, middle schools cater for children from the age of 8 or 9 to 12 or 13 respectively

Post-compulsory education is free of charge up to the age of 19 and, in August 2007, this entitlement was extended to the age of 25 for those young adults who had not previously achieved a qualification up to post-compulsory level.

The Higher Education Act 2004 allowed university level institutions in England to set variable tuition fees for new students of up to £3,000 per year from 2006/07, with any increases linked to the level of inflation. The maximum tuition fee for 2008/09 is £3,145, and from 2012 universities will be able to charge a maximum of £9,000 per year.

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  1. Sweden
  2. Germany
  3. Netherlands
  4. UK
Sweden

Sweden has a population of 9.2 million people.

Most of the population are considered to be ethnic Swedes with Finnish and Sami (Laplander) minorities

The main foreign-born or first-generation immigrant groups include: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks and Turks

Almost half the Swedish population is involved in some form of organised education and around 906 000 are pupils in the compulsory school.

Compulsory school in Sweden starts at age 7 and carries on for nine years.

From 16-19 years old students can attend Upper Secondary Schools. There are 17 three year national programmes and subject focussed programmes.

Higher education is provided in universities (universitet) and university colleges (högskola). There are four general undergraduate degrees and about 40 professional degrees. Additionally the Higher Vocational Education (Yrkeshögskoleutbildning) prepares learners for jobs which are related to a specific trade or vocation.

All education in the Swedish public school system and universities and higher education institutions is free of charge.

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Germany

Germany has a population of 82.3 million people

91.5% of the population are considered to be ethnic Germans, the main ethnic minority group is Turkish making up 2.4% of the population.  The other 6.1% is made up largely of Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Croatian and Spanish)

In Germany there are around 8.2 million young people currently in full-time compulsory education

Full time compulsory school in Germany starts at age 6 and carries on for nine or ten years (depending on whereabouts you live).

Up to the age of 18 it is compulsory to be in at least part time education.  This can take one of three forms: either continued academic schooling, full-time vocational education or the 'dual' system which involves both part-time vocational training and part-time on-the-job training

Higher education institutions in Germany include Universitäten (universities) and equivalent higher education institutions (Technische Hochschulen/ Universitäten, Pädagogische Hochschulen, Theologische Hochschulen), Kunsthochschulen (colleges of art), Musikhochschulen (colleges of music) and Fachhochschulen (universities of applied sciences).

A special role is played by the 30 Verwaltungsfachhochschulen (Fachhochschulen for public administration), which train civil servants for careers in the so-called higher level of the civil service. They are maintained by the Federation or by a Land. Their students have revocable civil servant status.

Berufsakademie also exist in some regions of Germany.  They combine academic training at a Studienakademie with practical in-company professional training in keeping with the principle of the 'dual' system.

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Netherlands

The Netherlands has a population of 16.8 million people.

80.7% of the population are Dutch and 5% come from other EU countries

The main non EU ethnic groups in the Netherlands are: Indonesian 2.4%, Turkish 2.2%, Surinamese 2%, Moroccan 2%, Netherlands Antilles & Aruba 0.8%, other 4.8%

In the Netherlands bout 2.6 million children and young people were enrolled in compulsory education

According to the Constitution people have the right to found schools and to provide teaching based on religious, ideological or educational beliefs. As a result there are both publicly run and privately run schools in the Netherlands. Some 70 % of pupils attend privately run schools.  These privately runs schools still get funded by the government, they just have more freedom in what they teach

Compulsory school in the Netherlands starts at age 5 and carries on for eleven years.

From 16-18 years old all young people are required to continue learning for at least 2 days per week until they have achieved a basic qualification (up to a level equivalent to GCSE's)

Secondary education up to the age of 18 is free of charge.

Upper secondary education can take three forms: Pre-university education, Senior general secondary education of Secondary vocational education.

The Netherlands has a binary system of higher education:

  • university education (wetenschappelijk onderwijs = WO), offered by universities;
  • higher professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs = HBO), offered by HBO institutions (hogescholen: universities of professional education).
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UK

The UK has a population of 61.3 million people.

The main ethnic group, 91.2% of the population, is 'White' (of these 83.6% are English, 8.6% Scottish, 4.9% Welsh and 2.9% Northern Irish)

The main ethnic minority groups are: Black 2%, Indian 1.8% and Pakistani 1.3%

Over half (55.4%) of everyone in Britain, under the age of 29 is in some form of organised education and around 8.3 million are pupils in compulsory schooling.

92 per cent of pupils attended public sector schools (not including special schools), while six per cent attended one of the 2 500 private schools and one per cent of pupils attended one of the 1 400 special schools.

Compulsory school in England starts at age 5 and carries on for eleven years.  Most pupils move from a primary school to a secondary school at age 11, although in some areas of England, middle schools cater for children from the age of 8 or 9 to 12 or 13 respectively

Post-compulsory education is free of charge up to the age of 19 and, in August 2007, this entitlement was extended to the age of 25 for those young adults who had not previously achieved a qualification up to post-compulsory level.

The Higher Education Act 2004 allowed university level institutions in England to set variable tuition fees for new students of up to £3,000 per year from 2006/07, with any increases linked to the level of inflation. The maximum tuition fee for 2008/09 is £3,145, and from 2012 universities will be able to charge a maximum of £9,000 per year.

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