Types of Mainstream Educational Settings | Educational Settings (nurseries, schools, colleges etc)

School Ages and Phases

Nursery school: this is a school for children aged 2 – 5 years old. Many First, Infant and Primary schools have a Nursery class from age 3/4, with some taking from age 2.

First Schools: these are schools for children aged 4 to 9 years old; school years from Reception to Year 5. Traditionally children would move from a first school to a middle school. Some first schools have nurseries too.

Infant schools: these are schools for children aged 4 to 7 years old: school years from Reception to Year 2. Traditionally children would move from an infant to a junior school

Middle Schools: these are for children aged 10 to 13: school years from Year 6 to Year 8. There are only two middle schools in Kirklees, Scissett Middle School and Kirkburton Middle School. Traditionally children would move from a middle school to a high school which started at year 9, within Kirklees there is only one school which starts at year 9, this is Shelly College.

Junior Schools: these are schools for children aged 7 to 11 years old: school years 3, 4, 5 and 6

Some schools are a combination of the above

Primary Schools: these are for pupils aged 4 – 11: school years from Reception through to Year 6

Secondary Schools: these are schools for children aged 11 – 16: school years 7 to 11. Some secondary schools also have post 16 provision – a sixth form

All-Through Schools: these are for children aged 4 to 16 years old: school year groups from Reception to Year 11

Types of School or Educational Settings

Most of the schools in England are either Maintained Schools or Academies. There are smaller numbers of Grammar Schools and Independent Schools.

Information about Special Schools & Additionally Resourced Provisions (ARP's) can be found on this Local Offer Page

These schools are funded by Local Authorities. They must follow the National Curriculum and have national teacher pay and conditions.

There are four main types of maintained schools:

Community Schools

These are run by the Local Authority who employ the staff, own the land and the buildings and set the admission criteria – which children and young people can go to the school.

Foundation Schools and Trust Schools

These are run by a governing body which employs the staff and sets the admission criteria – which children and young people can go to the school.

The land and buildings are either owned by the governing body or a charitable trust

Voluntary Aided (VA) Schools

These are schools where a foundation or trust, usually a religious body, contributes to the capital costs of the school. The governing body, which is mostly made up of people from the trust or foundation, employs the staff and sets the admission criteria – which children and young people can go to the school.

Voluntary Controlled (VC) Schools

These are run by the Local Authority which employs the staff and sets the admission criteria – which children and young people can go to the school.

A foundation or trust, usually a religious body, owns the land and the buildings and makes up some of the governing body.

Academies are funded directly by the government, with whom they have a funding agreement. They are not run by the Local Authority and have more control over who they employ, what they pay, school hours, term dates and the curriculum and what is taught. A headteacher oversees the day to day running of the school but academies are overseen by charitable bodies called Academy Trusts. Some academies are part of a group of academies called a Multi-Academy Trust.

There are three main types of academies:

Free Schools

These are new schools that are set up by a group of individuals or an organisation forming a limited company. The company must show the government that there is the demand for the school in that area.

Standard Academies

These are usually maintained schools which haven’t been doing well. The DfE arranges for a sponsor for the school to become an academy: sponsors may be businesses, education charities, universities or FE colleges.

Academy converters

These are usually maintained schools who are doing well but want to get out of Local Authority control. The governing body sets up the funding agreement with the government.

Grammar schools can select their pupils based on academic ability, usually by an entrance exam. Some grammar schools are also maintained schools.

There are some schools which used to be grammar schools and have just kept the name.

These are not funded by the government: they charge fees for children and young people to attend and run independently.

Alternative Provision (AP).

Local Authorities must provide education for children and young people who have been permanently excluded or who are too ill to attend school for some time. Schools have a duty to provide education for children and young people from the sixth day of a fixed term exclusion. Sometimes schools also need off-site education to help children and young people improve their behaviour or deal with their anxiety. Alternative provision may be used for the education of these children and young people.

More information can be found about the Alternative Provision within Kirklees on this Local Offer page (opens new page).

Post 16 Education

Full time education once a young person leaves school will not be the same as when they were at school up to year 11. Young people are likely to be in college or school for less time during the week than when they were before.

Information about the various types of post 16 education can be found below:

There are six Kirklees maintained schools and academies with sixth forms which offer a range of courses: Batley Girls’ High School, Shelley College, Heckmondwike Grammar School, The Mirfield Free Grammar School, St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy and Netherhall Learning Campus High School. Young people do not have to have attended the schools pre-16 to access the sixth form, as these will have their own admission procedures.

Additionally, four of our special school have sixth forms: Ravenshall, Castle Hill, Fairfield and Woodley School and College

These offer a range of courses to young people aged 16 – 19. In Kirklees, both Greenhead College and Huddersfield New College are sixth form colleges. Greenhead College offers A’ Level courses and some applied/vocational courses. Huddersfield New College offers both A’ Levels and vocational courses. Both colleges also offer a range of other activities that students can take part in

FE colleges provide a range of education and training to young people from age 16 through to adults of any age. Kirklees College is a FE College: it is a big FE college and as such can offer a wider range of courses than a sixth form college. Kirklees College also offers a range of other activities for students to take part in.

There are a range of organisations in Kirklees that provide training and apprenticeships for young people in specific vocational areas. C&K Careers can provide up-to-date information about what is available.

These are organisations that offer specialist further education and training for students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. There are no specialist colleges in Kirklees.

Inclusion Support Offer (ISO)

The Local Offer has a service called the Inclusion Support Offer (ISO) which provides support for all educational settings (including nurseries) to help to make sure they are doing everything they can to support children with SEND, without necessarily looking at additional funding or making referrals to assessed services.

You can find more information about this service on our ISO information page. This service is for schools use only, they do not take calls from parents or carers, but you can mention it to your child's educational setting and ask them to get in touch.