The types of school

Early Years (before compulsory education)

The Early Years Development Plan guarantees every four-year-old a free nursery place.

Many children under five attend state nursery schools nursery classes attached to primary schools playgroups in the voluntary sector privately run nurseries

In England and Wales, many primary schools also operate an early admission policy where they admit children under five into what are called reception classes.

Nursery provision for three-year-olds in the state sector is funded at the discretion of Local Education Authorities. Places for children under three in voluntary or private pre-school settings are paid for largely by parents.

Arrangements in Scotland are broadly similar, although there are differences of detail (for example, there are no reception classes and planning systems differ).

Compulsory Education

State Schools

The majority of pupils - over 90 per cent - go to publicly funded schools, usually known as state schools. These make no charge to parents.

In most areas children aged five to 10 attend primary schools, and move on to secondary schools at 11 for education up to the age of 16 or beyond.

Primary schools usually have both girls and boys as pupils. Secondary schools may be either single-sex or co-educational.

In England and Wales

England and Wales: The new framework for schools

Before 1 September 1999 there were five categories of mainstream state school: county, controlled, special agreement, aided and grant-maintained (GM). On 1 September 1999 these were replaced by four new categories:

Community,

Foundation,

Voluntary Controlled

And Voluntary Aided.

Schools in all the four categories have a lot in common. They are self-managing.

They do not charge fees.

They work in partnership with other schools and with local education authorities (LEAs),

and they receive funding from LEAs.

But each category also has its own characteristics.

Community schools

Community schools are very similar to former county schools. The LEA employs the school's staff, owns the school's land and buildings and is the admissions authority i.e. it has primary responsibility for deciding the arrangements for admitting pupils.

Foundation schools

At Foundation schools, the governing body is the employer and the admissions authority. The school's land and buildings are either owned by the governing body or by a charitable foundation.

Voluntary Aided schools

Voluntary Aided schools are similar to former aided schools. The governing body is the employer and the admissions authority. The school's land and buildings will normally be owned by a charitable foundation. The governing body will contribute towards the capital costs of running the school.

Voluntary Controlled schools

Voluntary Controlled are very similar to former controlled schools. The LEA is the employer and the admissions authority. The school's land and buildings will normally be owned by a charitable foundation. Within these categories schools there are also two types of school which are particularly different from most others:

Specialist schools

These include city technology colleges, technology colleges and language colleges, sports colleges and arts colleges. They only operate in England. The Specialist Schools Programme enables secondary schools to develop a strength in a particular subject area, often in partnership with an employer with an interest in the same specialist area, while still delivering a broad and balanced education through the National Curriculum.

Special schools

Provided by LEAs for certain children with special educational needs, though the great majority are educated in ordinary schools. For more information about SEN, click here.

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland public education (up to higher education level) is administered both centrally, by the Department of Education, and locally in controlled schools by five Education and Library Boards.

There are several categories of school:

Controlled schools

These come under the control of Education and Library Boards.

Voluntary maintained schools

Mainly under Roman Catholic management.

Voluntary grammar schools

Grant-maintained integrated schools, which take Protestant and Roman Catholic

pupils.

Although all schools in Northern Ireland are open to pupils of all religions, most Roman Catholic pupils attend schools under Catholic management and most Protestant children attend controlled schools and non-denominational voluntary grammar schools.

Scotland

In Scotland, 32 Scottish Local Authorities are responsible for the provision of education locally.

School Boards, with elected parent and teacher members, play an important part in the running of Scottish state schools. There are three school categories:

State schools

Maintained and controlled by the LEA.

Grant-aided schools

Including those for special educational needs.

Self-governing schools

Equivalent to grant-maintained schools in England.

Independent Schools

There are currently about 2231 independent schools in England, the majority of which have charitable status. They are not funded by the state and obtain most of their finances from fees paid by parents and income from investments.

Independent schools look after their own day-to-day affairs. However, they are subject to inspection to ensure they maintain acceptable standards of premises, accommodation, instruction and staffing. Independent schools which are boarding schools are also subject to inspections by local Social Services Departments to ensure that welfare standards are maintained.