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.

England and Wales

Within the state schools system in England and Wales there is a wide range of provision. However, here will be changes during the next few years. At present there are a number of different categories of schools:

• county schools are wholly owned and maintained by Local Education Authorities (LEAs).

• voluntary schools (voluntary-aided schools, voluntary controlled schools and special agreement schools) are provided by voluntary bodies, the majority of which are churches or bodies associated with churches. They too are financed and maintained by LEAs but the assets of the schools are held and administered by trustees.

• grant-maintained schools are funded by central government through the Funding Agency for Schools. Following a ballot seeking the views of parents, individual schools maintained by LEAs may apply to central government for grant-maintained status.

• specialist schools (city technology colleges, technology colleges and language colleges, sports colleges and arts colleges) 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 specialism, while still delivering a broad and balanced education through the National Curriculum.

• special schools are provided by LEAs for certain children with special educational needs though the great majority are educated in ordinary schools.

The Government’s concern is to ensure the best possible quality of teaching and learning in every school. The Government intends to introduce a new framework of foundation, community and aided schools, which will better promote these wider objectives of raising standards.

This framework will replace grant-maintained (GM) status, and will incorporate existing GM schools. Plans were set out in the White Paper Excellence in Schools and legislative proposals introduced in autumn 1997 include provisions to implement these proposals.

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland public education (up to higher education level) is administered 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 which come under the Education and Library Boards;

• voluntary maintained schools which are 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, which are 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).