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Comprehensive school

A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis of selection criteria, usually academic performance. The term is commonly used in relation to England and Wales, where comprehensive schools were introduced as state schools on an experimental basis in the 1940s and became more widespread from 1965.

About 90% of English secondary school pupils attend such schools (academy schools, community schools, faith schools, foundation schools, free schools, studio schools, university technical colleges, state boarding schools, City Technology Colleges, etc). Specialist schools may however select up to 10% of their intake for aptitude in their specialism. A school may have a few specialisms, like arts (media, performing arts, visual arts), business and enterprise, engineering, humanities, languages, mathematics, computing, music, science, sports, and technology. They are not permitted to select on academic ability generally.[1]


They may be part of a local education authority or be a self governing academy or part of a multi-academy trust. Comprehensive schools correspond broadly to the public school in the United States, Canada and Australia.

Partnerships where successful schools share knowledge and best practice with nearby schools

Federations of schools, where a partnership is formalised through joint governance arrangements

15 new schools where one fifth of the capital cost is privately funded

City Technology Colleges

state schools not controlled by the local authority, which are allowed to select up to 10% of admissions by ability

Academy schools

state schools not controlled by the local authority, which are allowed to select up to 10% of admissions by ability

Free schools

Comprehensive Future – the campaign for fair admissions

Centre for the Support of Comprehensive Schools

Report of 1999 seminar organised by CASE (the Campaign for State Education in the UK).

Comprehensive Education – Examining the Evidence

Campaign for State Education

Secretary of State for Education Ruth Kelly on comprehensive education

a BBC Radio 4 documentary about the creation of comprehensive schools

Comp

Discussions in 2002 about the future of comprehensives

Melissa Benn: To abolish the class divide- abolish private schools

Educational Inequality and Sociological Models Dave Harris