What is a state school?

'Secondary modern', has become synonymous with 'dustbin'

What all state schools have in common is that they are entirely free to parents, being funded through taxation. In the UK, state schools exist in a bewildering variety of forms. Over the last hundred years, successive governments have struggled to improve education by reforming its structure, over and over again.

However, worry less about the type of school, there are good and bad within all: look instead at the individual school and how well that will suit your child.

State schools - The main contenders

• City Academies - a newish breed of all ability schools sponsored in part by businesses, faith groups etc. Have a degree of autonomy, work in close partnership with central government. Day-to-day running costs are met by the DCSF.  Found in an increasing number of inner city areas; often replace failing schools. Despite the shiny paint and state of the art facilities, a number are still failing to meet the government's academic targets.
• City Technology Colleges - the fore-runners of City Academies, independent of the local authority but they do not charge fees; many disappearing and reappearing as academies. Aim to provide, with the help of private sector sponsors, a work related curriculum. Most take all-comers but some exercise a degree of selection in their area of specialism.
• Community schools - generic term for local authority controlled schools.
• Comprehensive schools - take all pupils regardless of ability or aptitude. Some are fully comprehensive others have limited selection. Most rapidly disappearing - and re-emerging as specialist schools - see below.
• Grammar schools - found in a number of LAs (see  Local authorities with grammar schools ). They selects pupils on academic merit via an 11+ exam usually in maths, English, verbal reasoning (VR), and non-verbal reasoning (NVR). Provide a rigorous academic education (and sometimes not much else).
• Specialist schools - comprehensive schools awarded specialist status in one or more curriculum areas. Specialist status does not mean a school is the best within the locality for that curriculum specialism so do check.  QlikView Schools Data Analysis is the ideal way to compare schools' performance.
• Secondary modern schools - found in areas where grammar schools still exist, to cater for pupils who fail, or do not take, the grammar school exams.  'Secondary modern', has become synonymous with 'dustbin' so most are now referred to by another name.
• Denominational schools - faith schools found in Scotland.
• Faith schools - state schools -  admission to which primarily, but not necessarily exclusively, depends on religious affiliation.
• Foundation schools A state school owned by a foundation (generally religious) which appoints some of the governing body.
• Special schools - local authority schools for children with learning difficulties ...