Education in the Falkland Islands


Education in the Falkland Islands is free and compulsory up to the end of the academic year when a child reaches 16 years of age. The Falklands follows the English education system.

Primary and secondary education

There are two schools in Stanley, the capital and only substantial settlement. The Infant and Junior School teaches ages 4 to 11 and the Falkland Islands Community School caters for ages 11 to 16. Other rural pupils are taught by travelling teachers. Older children can board in a hostel in Stanley so they can attend school there.
All teachers are trained in the UK or other English-speaking countries. There is also a primary school at RAF Mount Pleasant that mainly serves the children of members of the British armed forces. Some primary aged children who live in "camp" are educated remotely.

Post-16 education

There are no post-secondary institutions on the Falklands, post-secondary studies would require travel to the UK or beyond. The Falkland Islands Government pays for qualified 16- to 18-year-olds to go to England to take A-level courses at Peter Symonds College, Winchester, England or to attend Chichester College to acquire National Diplomas or NVQs. The FIG pays for each student to board at Peter Symonds if he/she/they achieve at least five "C" grades in GCSEs. Therefore in 2005 principal Neil Hopkins described the college as "the official sixth-form college for the Falkland Islands".
The government also funds higher and further education courses for over-18s, also usually in the UK, for suitably qualified students.
Almost all return to the Falkland Islands after they have completed their education and gained experience in their chosen field