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Types of school in England
Maintained
Under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 there are three categories of school:
- Community
- Foundation
- Voluntary (divided into Controlled and Aided)
They replaced the previous categories of mainstream state school: county, voluntary controlled, special agreement, voluntary aided and grant-maintained (GM). Statutory proposals have to be published to open, close, and significantly change such schools. The proposals have to be approved under local decision-making arrangements by the local authority (LA), school organisation committee or schools adjudicator.
Schools in all three categories have a lot in common. They work in partnership with other schools and the LAs, and they receive funding from LAs and they have to deliver the National Curriculum. But each category has its own characteristics.
Community Schools
In Community Schools (formerly county schools), the LA employs the
schools staff, owns the school's land and buildings and has primary
responsibility for deciding the arrangements for admitting pupils.
Foundation Schools
At Foundation Schools, the governing body employs the schools staff
and has primary responsibility for admission arrangements. The school's
land and buildings are owned by the governing body or by a charitable
foundation. Many of these schools were formerly grant-maintained schools.
Voluntary-Aided
In Voluntary-Aided schools (many of which are church schools) the
governing body employs the staff, and decide admission arrangements. The
schools land and buildings are normally owned by a charitable foundation. The
governing body contributes towards the capital costs of running the school.
Most aided schools are linked to either the Church of England or the Roman
Catholic Church, but there are schools linked to other faith groups and a few
non-denominational schools.
Voluntary-Controlled
Voluntary-Controlled schools are almost always church schools and the
land and buildings are often owned by a charitable foundation. However, the LA
employs the school's staff and has primary responsibility for admission
arrangements.
Specialist Schools
Any maintained secondary school in England may apply to be designated
as a specialist school in one of ten specialisms. Schools can also combine
any two specialisms. These are as follows:
- arts (performing, visual or media)
- business and enterprise
- engineering
- humanities
- language
- mathematics and computing
- music
- science
- sports
- technology
The schools meet full National Curriculum requirements, but have a special focus on the chosen specialisms. They have a key role in revitalising education especially in disadvantaged areas (see Education Action Zones and Excellence in Cities areas).
Nursery Schools
Other Types of School
City Technology Colleges (CTCs)
CTCs are funded directly by the government and offer a wide range of vocational
qualifications alongside A-levels or equivalents. They teach the National
Curriculum with a specific focus on science, mathematics and technology. Most
CTCs teach a longer day and several operate a five-term year. CTCs have
developed close links with employers. They are technically independent
schools.
Academies
Academies are publicly-funded independent schools, with the freedom to
raise standards through innovative approaches to management, governance,
teaching and curriculum. They are established in disadvantaged areas, either as
new schools or to replace poorly performing schools, where other intervention
and improvement strategies have failed.
Academies have a core role to play in breaking the link between social circumstances and achievement. Many academies replace low achieving schools in the most disadvantaged areas that have been failing their pupils and communities for years — schools where other intervention and improvement strategies have failed.
Academies are established by sponsors from the business, faith and voluntary sectors who contribute up to £2 million towards the capital costs of the new building. The remaining capital costs and recurrent funding is paid by the DfES. Partnership between sponsors, parents and other educational institutions is at the heart of an academy's role in delivering excellent education and raising aspirations.
There are currently 17 academies open across the country. The DCSF's Five-Year Strategy commits to providing 200 academies open or in the pipeline by 2010, including 60 in London.
Pupil Referral Units (PRUs)
Pupil Referral Units are a type of school established and maintained by an LA
to provide education for children of compulsory school age who may otherwise
not receive suitable education. The focus of the units should be on getting
pupils back into a mainstream school, and pupils may include teenage mothers,
pupils excluded from school, school phobics and pupils in the assessment phase
of a statement. Pupil Referral Units should have a management committee, for
which LAs have overall responsibility. Management committees are made up of a
range of people, for example head teachers from mainstream schools, social
services, probation, school governors or the youth service. PRUs are not the
same as other schools in all respects, and statutory proposals are not needed
to open, close or change them.
Secure Training Unit (STCs)
There are currently three STCs in operation, they were set up under the Private
Finance Initiative and are operated by private providers under contracts
managed by the Home Office. STCs were established under the Crime and Disorder
Act 1994. They hold young people (boys and most recently girls) between the
ages of 10 to 17. The trainees are provided with formal education 25 hours a
week, 52 weeks of the year and are assessed upon entry to the centre and upon
leaving. Trainees have the opportunity to gain mainstream qualifications.
Local Authority Secure Units
Are different to STCs, they are run by local authorities and the Youth
Justice Board (YJB) purchases beds from them. The relationship between the
local authority and YCB is managed via service level agreements with a general
requirement to provide education and training 30 hours a week for 38 weeks of
the year. The educational provision varies across units.
Grammar Schools
Grammar schools select all or almost all of their pupils by reference
to high academic ability. The current policy on grammar schools was
agreed by the Labour Party Conference in 1995, and states that there will be no
new grammar schools and no further selection based on the 11-plus. Selection
will only end where there is a local demand for this to happen. Legislation
allows parents to make decisions about the future of selective admissions at
existing grammar schools by means of petitions and ballots. Additionally,
the governing body of a grammar school may publish proposals to end selection
at the school.
Non Maintained Special Schools
Not-for-profit, charitable schools, part funded by LAs through
placement of special needs pupils.
Independent Schools
An independent school is one that is usually funded by fee-paying
students and is not maintained by the LA or central government.
Last updated: 30 April 2008
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