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Types of School in the UK

State schools, comprehensives, grammar schools and the fee-paying schools confusingly called public schools, with the ages at which British children move between them. A clear guide for learners and for teachers explaining the system.

The British school system has a naming problem that confuses even native speakers. State schools are funded by the government and free; independent schools charge fees; and the fee-paying schools with the longest histories are called public schools, which is the opposite of what the word suggests. The name is historical: they were open to any paying family rather than tied to one church or guild.

Inside the state system, most secondary schools are comprehensives and take all local children, while some areas still keep grammar schools that select by an exam at eleven. Children move from primary to secondary at that age and finish compulsory schooling at sixteen.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of school are there in the UK?

State schools, funded by the government and free to attend, and independent schools, paid for by fees. Within the state system there are comprehensives, which take all local children, and grammar schools in some areas, which select by an exam at eleven.

Why is a British "public school" actually private?

The name is historical: those schools were once open to the paying public rather than restricted to a particular church or guild, unlike private tutoring at home. The label stuck, so Eton and Harrow are public schools but charge high fees.

At what ages do British children change schools?

Primary school runs from about five to eleven, secondary school from eleven to sixteen, and sixth form or college from sixteen to eighteen. Education is compulsory to sixteen, with training or study required in some form until eighteen.