uk school types

Private schools
Private schools (also known as ‘independent schools’) charge fees to attend instead of being funded by the government. Pupils don’t have to follow the national curriculum.

All private schools must be registered with the government and are inspected regularly.

State boarding schools
State boarding schools provide free education but charge fees for boarding. Some state boarding schools are run by local councils, and some are run as academies or free schools.

State boarding schools give priority to children who have a particular need to board and will assess children’s suitability for boarding.

City technology colleges
City technology colleges are independent schools in urban areas that are free to go to. They’re owned and funded by companies as well as central government (not the local council).
They have a particular emphasis on technological and practical skills.

Academies
Academies are publicly funded independent schools.
Academies don’t have to follow the national curriculum and can set their own term times. They still have to follow the same rules on admissions, special educational needs and exclusions as other state schools.

Academies get money direct from the government, not the local council. They’re run by an academy trust which employs the staff.

Some academies have sponsors such as businesses, universities, other schools, faith groups or voluntary groups. Sponsors are responsible for improving the performance of their schools.

Free schools
Free schools are funded by the government but aren’t run by the local council. They have more control over how they do things.

They’re ‘all-ability’ schools, so can’t use academic selection processes like a grammar school.
Free schools can: set their own pay and conditions for staff change the length of school terms and the school day
They don’t have to follow the national curriculum.

Faith schools
Faith schools can be different kinds of schools, e.g voluntary aided schools, free schools, academies etc, but are associated with a particular religion.
Faith schools are mostly run like other state schools. They have to follow the national curriculum except for religious studies, where they are free to only teach about their own religion. The admissions criteria and staffing policies may be different too, although anyone can apply for a place.