Editing Comprehensive school (section)

===Description===
Comprehensive schools provide an [[National Curriculum for England|entitlement curriculum]] to all children, without selection whether due to financial considerations or attainment. A consequence of that is a wider ranging curriculum, including practical subjects such as design and technology and vocational learning, which were less common or non-existent in [[grammar school]]s. Providing post-16 education cost-effectively becomes more challenging for smaller comprehensive schools, because of the number of courses needed to cover a broader curriculum with comparatively fewer students. This is why schools have tended to get larger and also why many local authorities have organised secondary education into 11–16 schools, with the post-16 provision provided by [[sixth form|sixth form colleges]] and [[further education|further education colleges.]] Comprehensive schools do not select their intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. In addition, government initiatives such as the [[City Technology College]]s and [[specialist schools programme]]s have expanded the comprehensive model. [[City Technology College]]s are independent schools in urban areas that are free to go to. They're funded by central government with company contributions and emphasise teaching science and technology.
[[File:Haverstock School, Haverstock Hill, London NW3 - geograph.org.uk - 524744.jpg|thumb|[[Haverstock School]] is a coeducational comprehensive school with [[sixth-form]] in North London.]]
English secondary schools are mostly comprehensive (i.e. no entry exam), although the intake of comprehensive schools can vary widely, especially in urban areas with several local schools. Nearly 90% of state-funded secondary schools are [[specialist school]]s, receiving extra funding to develop one or more subjects (performing arts, business, humanities, art and design, languages, science, mathematics, technology, engineering, sports, etc.) in which the school specialises, which can select up to 10% of their intake for aptitude in the specialism. In these schools children could be selected on the basis of curriculum aptitude related to the school's specialism even though the schools do take quotas from each quartile of the attainment range to ensure they were not selective by attainment. In the [[selective school]] system, which survives in several parts of the United Kingdom, admission is dependent on selection criteria, most commonly a cognitive test or tests.

Most comprehensives are [[secondary school]]s for children between the ages of 11 and 16, but in a few areas there are comprehensive middle schools, and in some places the secondary level is divided into two, for students aged 11 to 14 and those aged 14 to 18, roughly corresponding to the US [[Middle school#Canada and the United States|middle school]] (or junior high school) and high school, respectively. With the advent of Key Stages in the National Curriculum some local authorities reverted from the Middle School system to 11–16 and 11–18 schools so that the transition between schools corresponds to the end of one key stage and the start of another. In principle, comprehensive schools were conceived as "neighbourhood" schools for all students in a specified catchment area.

[[Maths school|Maths free school]]s like [[Exeter Mathematics School]] are for 16 to 19 year old pupils who have a great aptitude for maths. As set out in the government's Industrial Strategy, maths schools help to encourage highly skilled graduates in sectors that depend on science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills. The aim of maths schools is to prepare the most mathematically able pupils to succeed in mathematics-related disciplines at university and pursue mathematically intensive careers. Maths schools can also be centres of excellence in raising attainment, supporting and influencing the teaching of mathematics in their surrounding area, and are central to their associated universities' widening participation commitments.

Technical and vocational education in comprehensive schools may be introduced during the secondary school years and this may later progress into [[further education|further]] and [[higher education]]. Further education incorporates a combination of vocational oriented education and general secondary education. Students may also opt to enroll at a [[sixth form college]] or [[Further Education College|further education college]] to prepare themselves for a wide curriculum or apprenticeships, study, and national vocational awards. Major provider of vocational qualifications in England include the [[Business and Technology Education Council]] (BTEC), [[City and Guilds of London Institute]], [[National Vocational Qualification]]s (NVQs), and [[Edexcel]].