TYPES OF SCHOOL
The evolution of secondary education has resulted in huge amounts of confusion, as parents struggle to get to grips with the differences between the various types of schools. Our chart below should help explain the key differences!
| School Type | What are they? | Selective based on ability | National Curriculum | Who runs them? |
| Free Schools | New state schools set up by teachers/parents/ charities or community groups. | No | Exempt | Independent |
| Academies | Existing underperforming schools who are allocated a sponsor (Uni / College / Educational charity or business) to take them over | No | Exempt | Independent |
| Maintained Schools Community Foundation / Trust Voluntary Aided Voluntary controlled Grammar |
All maintained schools are overseen by the Local Authority but vary in slightly in terms of the way in which they are run. | No* No* No* No* Yes |
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes |
Local Authority Governors Governors/ Religious Body Local Authority |
| Independent (Private) | Yes | Exempt | Independent | |
| Public | Yes | Exempt | Independent |
* permitted to select up to 10% of pupils based upon aptitude