Welcome to the video. A lot of parents I speak to are understandably very anxious about the secondary school process and that's why I've created these resources to not only inform but hopefully alleviate some of that stress. So today we're going to be discussing the different types of schools there are in the United Kingdom.
If you are going to be applying to secondary school it's really important that you understand the differences between the schools and which one is best for you and your family. The first type of school is a state school and as the name suggests it's paid for by the state or the government. Now normally state schools have to follow the national curriculum and there are different types of state schools.
The next type of school is a comprehensive school. Now this is a school in which anybody can attend despite ability or how they do in assessments. Everybody is taught together but the school may choose to employ sets to teach children with different academic abilities. These schools are normally paid for by your local authority i.e your local council. The next type of schools are faith schools.
Now these are schools that focus on a particular religion. They normally follow the national curriculum but have autonomy in terms of what's taught about their particular religion and also who can attend their schools. The next type of schools are grammar schools. These are schools children can attend from the age of 11 which the government pays for but they are different from comprehensive schools because they select pupils using an exam known as the 11 plus.
which students can sit at the age of 10 or 11. The test often includes topics such as maths, verbal reasoning, comprehensions and creative writing. 11 plus can also be the general term that's used for entrance examinations for secondary school. So sometimes when parents are talking about grammar schools or independent schools they'll use the term 11 plus but 11 plus in terms of its actual definition mainly applies to grammar schools.
Now we have academies and free schools. These types of schools are paid for by the government but are allowed more freedom over their own curriculum, timetables and the students they let in. Unlike comprehensives, they receive their funding directly from the government and not a local authority. The Harris Federation of Schools are an example of an academy. Next on the list are independent schools, also known as private schools.
To attend these schools, parents pay school fees, which are used to pay to run the school. and they can design their own examinations to determine which students attend these schools. These tend to be some of the most prestigious schools in the country including schools such as Eton and Harrow. It's really important when selecting a secondary school for your child that you don't go on reputation alone but think more about finding the right fit for your child. So I'll be discussing in subsequent videos about the types of things that you need to consider when selecting a secondary school for your child.
Thank you for watching this video. If you found it helpful, please feel free to share and I look forward to seeing you in the next video.