Types of schools
All children in England between the ages of 5 and 16 are entitled to a free place at a state (maintained) school. Most children go to state schools; approximately seven percent attend independent schools. The Guide focuses on state schools for this reason, and also because state schools operate in disadvantaged areas (where fee-paying independent schools do not), and thus stand to benefit the most from employer engagement. If you do wish to learn more about independent schools though, go to Other types of schools.
There are four main types of state school under the Education and Inspections Act 2006, all of which work with and receive funding from local authorities. However, they are run by their governing bodies rather than the local authorities. They are regularly inspected by Ofsted. They all work in partnership with other schools, yet retain their own characteristics.
The four main types of state school are:
- academy
- community
- foundation (includes trust schools)
- voluntary (divided into 'aided' and 'controlled').
Community, foundation and voluntary schools all follow the National Curriculum.
Academies are another form of state school. They have the freedom to implement innovative approaches to management, governance, teaching and curriculum, and are thus different from other forms of state school. Go to More on academies to find out more.
Nearly 90% of maintained secondary schools in England are now specialist schools. These schools receive extra funding to develop one or two subjects in which the school specialises. Go to Focus on specialist schools for more information.