First/infant school – ages 4+ to 7 (excluding any pre-school provision)
Junior mixed infant/primary school – ages 4+ to 11 (excluding any pre-school provision)
Junior school – ages 7 to 11
Middle school – ages 8/9 to 11/12/13 (N.B. If a middle school is 'deemed primary', it offers a primary school curriculum throughout its age range; if it is 'deemed secondary', it provides a transition, throughout its age range, from a primary to a secondary curriculum)
Secondary/ high schools– ages 11/12/13 to 16/18
Sixth form colleges – 16 to 18
In England the secondary phase of education offers a bewildering array of different types of school, not all of which are available everywhere. These types of school include
Comprehensive schools - such schools admit and provide for children of all abilities except those who have Statements of Special Educational Need indicating that the children concerned require provision only available in Special Schools offering provision exclusively for children with Statements. The majority of State-maintained secondary schools are comprehensive in nature.
Specialist Schools - these are comprehensive schools which are allowed to admit up to 10% of their intake each year on the basis of the applicants' aptitude in the specialist subject(s) offered by the school. Such specialism may include sport, the visual and performing arts and modern foreign languages. There are also a small number of junior / primary schools which have been awarded specialist status.
Selective (Grammar) Schools - these schools are able to admit only those pupils who demonstrate, through tests taken prior to places being offered (e.g. the 11+), that they have the required ability to cope with the school's academic demands. Selective Schools are not available in all local authorities and, nationally, they are comparitively few in number, consequently, such schools are almost always heavily over-subscribed.
City Technology Colleges (CTC) - the 1988 Education Act enabled some secondary schools to establish themselves as CTCs. 14 were established between 1988 and 1993. CTCs operate outside of local authority management arrangements and are funded direct by the Department of Education and partnership with sponsorship which they had to secure before their CTC status was granted. CTCs are comprehensive schools with a specific focus on science and technology. The Department for Education is encouraging all CTCs to become Academies.
Academies - these schools are 'independent' comprehensive state schools. They are set up by independent sponsors but with the backing of their local authorities. They all have specialist school status in one or more subjects.
Special Schools - only two groups of children may be placed in special schools: those with completed Statements of Special Educational Needs for who such placements are deemed appropriate and those without Statements whose needs have become so severe and complex that they are placed in such schools for the purposes of assessment. Additionally, an increasing number of special schools are applying for and being awarded 'specialist status'. This status confirms a specialism /specialims in a range of subjects and special needs areas. Age ranges of special schools vary considerably; some offer 3-19 provision on the same site albeit with clear structural separation within the organisation of the school. Others are solely primary or secondary special schools. Each local authority offers a different pattern of provision.
As you can see, even this is not straightforward! If you are not sure about the arrangements in the area relevant to you, always contact your local authority available through the Department for Education website.
Infant class size limits
Parents of children in the Key Stage 1 age range (4-7) can have an additional problem to contend with in finding a suitable school place. Paragraph 2:62 of the School Admissions Code states:
'Infant classes must not contain more than 30 pupils with a single school teacher.'
This is not guidance but a legal requirement. Although the law still allows parents to appeal for places in Key Stage 1 provision, a panel hearing such an appeal may only find in parents’ favour in a small number of very limited circumstances.
If you want to appeal for a Key Stage 1 place, you are strongly advised to contact the CEAS Helpline to seek advice before embarking on the appeal process. It is very difficult to win such appeals.