Editing Comprehensive school

{{Short description|Type of school}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
[[File:School_buildings_.jpg|thumb|[[Chulmleigh College]], Devon is a coeducational comprehensive secondary school with [[Academy (English school)|academy]] status.]]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.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Green |first1=Francis |title=[[Engines of Privilege|Engines of privilege : Britain's private school problem]] |last2=Kynaston |first2=David |publisher=Bloomsbury |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-5266-0127-8 |location=London |oclc=1108696740 |authorlink2=David Kynaston}}</ref>

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

== England and Wales ==
{{Further|Comprehensive school (England and Wales)|}}
===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]].

===History===
The first comprehensives were set up after the Second World War. A central feature of the [[London County Council]] (LCC) Schools Plan of 1947 was a proposal to establish 'a system of Comprehensive High
Schools'.<ref>{{cite book|title=Replanning London Schools |date=1947 |publisher=London County Council (www.education-uk.org) |page=25 |url=https://www.education-uk.org/documents/lcc1947-lsp/1947-replanning-london-schools.pdf |access-date=21 March 2025}}</ref>
Earlier in 1946 [[Walworth School]] was an 'experimental' comprehensive school set up by the LCC,<ref>{{cite web |last1=West |first1=Anne |title=A (short) history of comprehensive education in England |url=https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/89495/1/West__history-of-comprehensive-education.pdf |website=eprints.lse.ac.uk |publisher=London School of Economics |access-date=22 November 2024}}</ref><ref>Peter Medway and Pat Kingwell, "A Curriculum in its place: English teaching in one school 1946–1963", ''History of Education'' 39, no. 6 (November 2010): 749–765.</ref> although London's first purpose built comprehensive was [[Kidbrooke School]] built in 1954. Also in 1946 the [[The Lakes School|Windermere Grammar School]] though retaining the name became a (boys') comprehensive.<ref>{{cite web |title=School History |url=https://thelakesschool.com/the-lakes-school-cumbria/school-history/ |website=thelakesschool.com |access-date=21 November 2024}}</ref> On the [[Isle of Man]], (a Crown dependency and not part of the [[United Kingdom]]) comprehensive education was also introduced in 1946.<ref>{{cite news |title=Exhibition to mark 70th anniversary of comprehensive education |url=https://www.isleofman.com/news/view/22001023/exhibition-to-mark-70th-anniversary-of-comprehensive-education#:~:text=The%20opening%20of%20Ramsey%20Grammar,t%20widely%20introduced%20until%201965. |access-date=21 November 2024 |work=Isle of Man.com |date=16 February 2016}}</ref> [[Mellow Lane School]] a co-educational comprehensive school was established in 1948 in [[Hayes, Hillingdon|Hayes]] then part of the former county of [[Middlesex]]. In Wales the first comprehensive school was [[Holyhead High School|Holyhead County School]] in [[Anglesey]] in 1949.<ref name="chts26">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4202774.stm Comps – here to stay?], Phil Tinline, September 2005, BBC, accessed 12 August 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20051025/ai_n15717384| title=TEN QUESTIONS &#124; Independent, the (London) &#124; Find Articles at BNET| access-date=9 August 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428133054/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20051025/ai_n15717384/| archive-date=28 April 2009| url-status=dead}}</ref> Coventry opened two comprehensive schools in 1954 by combining [[grammar school]]s and [[secondary modern]] schools. These were [[Caludon Castle School]] and [[Woodlands Academy, Coventry|Woodlands School]]. [[Mount Grace School]], Potters Bar which opened in 1954 was purpose-built as a comprehensive. Another early example was the 1956 [[Ormiston Sandwell Academy|Tividale Comprehensive School]] in [[Tipton]]. The first, purpose-built comprehensive in the North of England was [[Colne Valley High School]] near Huddersfield in 1956. These early comprehensives mostly modelled themselves, in terms of ethos, on the [[Grammar schools in the United Kingdom|grammar school]], with gown-wearing teachers conducting lessons in a very formal style.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} The opening of [[Risinghill School]] in [[Islington]] in 1960 offered an alternative to this model. Embracing the [[progressivism|progressive]] ideals of 1960s education, such schools typically abandoned [[school corporal punishment|corporal punishment]] and brought in a more liberal attitude to discipline and methods of study.
[[File:The_New_Silverdale_School_Building_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1412045.jpg|thumb|[[Silverdale School]] is a coeducational comprehensive school with [[sixth form]] in Sheffield with [[Academy (English school)|academy]] status. Established as a [[Secondary modern school|secondary modern]] in 1957 and converted to comprehensive in 1969.]]

The largest expansion of comprehensive schools resulted from a policy decision taken in 1965 by [[Anthony Crosland]], Secretary of State for Education in the 1964–1970 [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] government. The policy decision was implemented by [[Circular 10/65]], a request to local education authorities to plan for conversion from the prevailing [[Tripartite System of education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland|tripartite]] system. Following the post WW2 education reform introducing tripartite secondary education pupils, excepting those in areas with the early comprehensives, sat the [[11+]] examination in their last year of primary education and were sent to one of a [[secondary modern]], [[secondary technical]] or [[grammar school]] depending on their perceived ability. Secondary technical schools were never widely implemented and for 20 years there was a virtual bipartite system which saw fierce competition for the available grammar school places, which varied between 15% and 25% of total secondary places.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}

In 1970, [[Margaret Thatcher]], the Secretary of State for Education in the new [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] government, ended the compulsion on local authorities to convert. However, many local authorities were so far down the path that it would have been prohibitively expensive to attempt to reverse the process, and more comprehensive schools were established under Thatcher than any other education secretary. By 1975, the majority of local authorities in England and Wales had abandoned the [[Eleven-Plus exam|11-Plus]] examination and moved to a comprehensive system. Over that 10-year period, many [[secondary modern]] schools and [[grammar schools]] were amalgamated to form large neighbourhood comprehensives, whilst a number of new schools were built to accommodate a growing school population. In the mid-1970s, the process of comprehensivisation peaked, leaving selective secondary state education (grammar schools, secondary modern schools, 11+) only with a small number of local education authorities. 

In 1976, the Labour Prime Minister [[James Callaghan]] launched what became known as the 'great debate' on the education system.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Berliner |first1=Wendy |title=Remembering the great debate: our schooling system needs a rethink |url=https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/apr/23/schooling-system-rethink-great-debate-education-spring |access-date=26 March 2025 |work=The Guardian |date=23 April 2013}}</ref> He went on to list the areas he believed needed closest scrutiny: the case for a core curriculum, the validity and use of informal teaching methods, the role of school inspections, and the future of the [[examination system]]. Comprehensive schools remain the most common type of state [[secondary school]] in England, and the only type in Wales. They account for around 90% of pupils, or 64% if one does not count schools with low-level selection.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}} This figure varies by region.

Since the 1988 [[Education Reform Act 1988|Education Reform Act]], parents have a right to choose to which school their child should go, or whether to not send them to school at all and to [[Home education in the United Kingdom|home educate]] them instead. The concept of "school choice" introduces the idea of competition between state schools, a fundamental change to the original "neighbourhood comprehensive" model, and is partly intended as a means by which schools that are perceived to be inferior are forced either to improve or, if hardly anyone wants to go there, to close down. Government policy is currently promoting 'specialisation' whereby parents choose a secondary school appropriate for their child's interests and skills. Most initiatives focus on parental choice and information, implementing a quasi-market incentive to encourage better schools. Both Conservative and Labour governments experimented with alternatives to the original neighbourhood comprehensive.<ref name="chts26" />

Experiments have included:
* Partnerships where successful schools share knowledge and best practice with nearby schools
* Federations of schools, where a partnership is formalised through joint governance arrangements
* [[City Technology College]]s, 15 new schools where one fifth of the capital cost is privately funded
* [[Academy (English school)|Academy schools]], state schools not controlled by the local authority, which are allowed to select up to 10% of admissions by ability
* [[Free school (England)|Free schools]], state schools not controlled by the local authority, which are allowed to select up to 10% of admissions by ability
[[File:Manchester Academy in Moss Side, January 2014.jpg|thumb|[[Manchester Academy (secondary school)|Manchester Academy]] is a coeducational comprehensive school with [[Academy (English school)|academy]] status in [[Greater Manchester]]]]

Following the advice of [[Cyril Taylor (educationist)|Cyril Taylor]], former businessman, Conservative politician, and chairman of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT), in the mid-1990s, all parties have backed the creation of [[specialist school]]s, which focus on excellence in a particular subject and are theoretically allowed to select up to 10% of their intake. This policy consensus had brought to an end the notion that all children will go to their local school, and assumes parents will choose a school they feel most meets their child's needs.

=== Curriculum ===
All maintained schools in England are required to follow the [[National Curriculum for England|National Curriculum]], which is made up of twelve subjects.<ref name="teachernet">{{Cite web |year=2007 |title=National curriculum |url=http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/atoz/n/nationalcurriculum/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080223204813/http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/atoz/n/nationalcurriculum/ |archive-date=23 February 2008 |access-date=19 February 2008 |work=Teachernet |publisher=Department for Children, Schools and Families}}</ref> Every state school must offer a curriculum which is balanced and broadly based and which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society, and prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.<ref name="key stages">{{cite web |title=National curriculum in England: framework for key stages 1 to 4 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-framework-for-key-stages-1-to-4/the-national-curriculum-in-england-framework-for-key-stages-1-to-4 |access-date=11 September 2021 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}} [[File:UKOpenGovernmentLicence.svg|30x30px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under an [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ Open Government Licence v3.0]. © Crown copyright.</ref> For each of the statutory curriculum subjects, the [[Secretary of State for Education]] is required to set out a Programme of Study which outlines the content and matters which must be taught in those subjects at the relevant Key Stages.<ref name="EAct2002">{{cite web |last=National Archives |date=1 April 2018 |title=Education Act 2002 Part 6 |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/32/part/6 |access-date=14 October 2020 |publisher=H M Government}}   [[File:UKOpenGovernmentLicence.svg|30x30px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under an [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ Open Government Licence v3.0]. © Crown copyright.</ref> Teachers should set high expectations for every pupil. They should plan stretching work for pupils whose attainment is significantly above the expected standard. Teachers should use appropriate assessment to set targets which are deliberately ambitious.<ref name="key stages" />

Under the [[National Curriculum for England|National Curriculum]], all pupils undergo [[National Curriculum assessments]] at the end of [[Key Stage 2]] in [[Year Six|Year 6]] in the core subjects of [[English studies|English]], [[mathematics]] and [[science]]. Individual teacher assessments are used for foundation subjects, such as art and design, geography, history, design and technology, and computing. Pupils take [[General Certificate of Secondary Education|GCSE]] exams at [[Key Stage 4]] in [[Year Eleven|Year 11]], but may also choose to work towards the attainment of alternative qualifications, such as the National Vocational Qualifications and [[Business and Technology Education Council]]. Pupils take GCSEs examinations in the core English literature, English language, mathematics, science, and entitlement subjects from the arts, humanities, design and technology, and languages. The core subjects [[English studies|English]], [[Mathematics]] and [[Science]] are compulsory for all pupils aged 5 to 16. A range of other subjects, known as foundation subjects, are compulsory in each [[Key Stage]]:
* [[Art education|Art and design]]
* [[Citizenship education (subject)|Citizenship]]
* [[Design technology|Design and technology]]
* [[Geography]]
* [[History]]
* [[Educational technology|Computing]]
* [[Language education|Foreign languages]]
* [[Music education|Music]]
* [[Physical education]]

In addition to the compulsory subjects, pupils at [[Key Stage 4]] have a statutory entitlement to study at least one subject from the arts (comprising art and design, music, photography, dance, drama and media arts), design and technology (comprising design and technology, electronics, engineering, food preparation and nutrition), the humanities (comprising geography and history), and modern foreign languages.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=Government Digital Service |title=The national curriculum: key stage 3 and 4 |url=https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum/key-stage-3-and-4 |access-date=14 October 2020}}</ref> Optional subjects include computer science, business studies, economics, astronomy, classical civilisation, film studies, geology, psychology, sociology, ancient languages, and ancient history.<ref name=":0" />

The [[Department for Education]] has drawn up a list of preferred subjects known as the [[English Baccalaureate]] on the results in eight GCSEs including English, mathematics, the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, computer science), history, geography, and an ancient or modern foreign language.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=GCSE subject content |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/gcse-subject-content |access-date=2021-09-21 |website=GOV.UK |date=November 2013 |language=en}}</ref>

All schools are required to make provision for a daily act of collective worship and must teach [[religious education]] to pupils at every key stage and [[Relationship and Sex Education|sex and relationships education]] to pupils in secondary education. Parents can withdraw their children for all or part of the lessons. Local councils are responsible for deciding the RE syllabus, but faith schools and academies can set their own.<ref name="teachernet" /> All schools should make provision for personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE). Schools are also free to include other subjects or topics of their choice in planning and designing their own programme of education.

=== School years ===
Children are normally placed in year groups determined by the age they will attain at their birthday during the school year.<ref name="EducationAct20022">[http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/32 Education Act 2002], s.82.</ref> In most cases progression from one year group to another is based purely on chronological age, although it is possible in some circumstances for a student to repeat or skip a year. Repetition may be due to a lack of attendance, for example due to a long illness, and especially in Years requiring standard tests. A child significantly more advanced than their classmates may be forwarded one or more years.

State-funded nursery education is available from the age of 3, and may be full-time or part-time, though this is not compulsory. If registered with a state school, attendance is compulsory beginning with the term following the child's fifth birthday. Children can be enrolled in the reception year in September of that school year, thus beginning school at age 4 or 4.5. Unless the student chooses to stay within the education system, compulsory school attendance ends on the last Friday in June during the academic year in which a student attains the age of 16.<ref name="School attendance">{{cite web |title=School attendance and absence: the law |url=http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Schoolslearninganddevelopment/YourChildsWelfareAtSchool/DG_066966 |publisher=[[Directgov]]}}</ref>

In the vast majority of cases, pupils progress from primary to secondary levels at age 11; in some areas either or both of the primary and secondary levels are further subdivided. A few areas have [[three-tier education]] systems with an intermediate middle level from age 9 to 13. Years 12 and 13 are often referred to as "lower sixth form" and "upper sixth form" respectively, reflecting their distinct, voluntary nature as the [[GCE Advanced Level|A-level]] years. While most secondary schools enter their pupils for A-levels, some schools offer the [[International Baccalaureate]] or [[Cambridge Pre-U]] qualifications instead.
{| class="wikitable"
!Age at birthday<br>during<br>school year<ref name="EducationAct20022"/>
! Year
! width=200|Curriculum stage
! colspan="3"|Types of State Schools
|-
|4
|Nursery
| rowspan="2" |[[Foundation Stage]]
| colspan="3" align="center"|Nursery School
|-
|5
|[[Reception (school)|Reception]]
| rowspan="3" |[[Infant School]]
| rowspan="7" |Primary School
| rowspan="5" |[[First School]]
|-
|6
|[[Year One (education)|Year 1]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Key Stage 1]]
|-
|7
|[[Year Two|Year 2]]
|-
|8
|[[Year Three|Year 3]]
| rowspan="4" |[[Key Stage 2]]
| rowspan="4" |[[Junior School]]
|-
|9
|[[Year Four|Year 4]]
|-
|10
|[[Year Five|Year 5]]
| rowspan="4" |[[List of middle schools in England|Middle School]]
|-
|11
|[[Year Six|Year 6]]
|-
|12
|[[Year Seven|Year 7]]
| rowspan="3" |[[Key Stage 3]]
| rowspan="5" |Secondary School<br>or High School
| rowspan="7" |Secondary School<br>with Sixth Form
|-
|13
|[[Year Eight|Year 8]]
|-
|14
|[[Year Nine|Year 9]]
| rowspan="5" |[[Upper School]]
|-
|15
|[[Year Ten|Year 10]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Key Stage 4]]
[[General Certificate of Secondary Education|GCSE]]
|-
|16
|[[Year Eleven|Year 11]]
|-
|17
|[[Year Twelve|Year 12]]<br>(Lower Sixth)
| rowspan="2" |[[Key Stage 5]] / [[Sixth Form]]
[[GCE Advanced Level|A-level]], [[Business and Technology Education Council]], [[T Level|T-level]], [[International Baccalaureate]], [[Cambridge Assessment International Education|Cambridge International]], etc.
| rowspan="2" |[[Sixth Form]]/[[FE College]]
|-
|18
|[[Year Thirteen|Year 13]]<br>(Upper Sixth)
|}

== Scotland ==
{{Further|Education in Scotland}}

[[Scotland]] has a very different educational system from England and Wales, though also based on comprehensive education. It has different ages of transfer, different examinations and a different philosophy of choice and provision. All publicly funded primary and secondary schools are comprehensive. The [[Scottish Government]] has rejected plans for [[specialist school]]s as of 2005.

== Australia ==
{{see also|Education in Australia}}
When the first comprehensive schools appeared in the 1950s, the [[Government of Australia|Australian Government]] started to transition to comprehensive schooling which has been expanding and improving ever since. Prior to the transition into comprehensive schooling systems, primary and secondary state schools regularly measured students' academic merit based on their performance in public examinations.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Barcan|first=Alan|date=2007|title=Comprehensive Secondary Schools in Australia: a View from Newcastle, New South Wales|url=http://www.erpjournal.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ERPV34-1_Barcan-A.-2007.-Comprehensive-secondary-schools.pdf|journal=Education Research and Perspectives, University of Newcastle, NSW|volume=34|pages=136–178|access-date=24 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190101014025/http://www.erpjournal.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ERPV34-1_Barcan-A.-2007.-Comprehensive-secondary-schools.pdf|archive-date=1 January 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> The state of [[Western Australia]] was the first to replace selective school systems, then [[Queensland]], and finally [[South Australia]] and [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]].<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority Bill 2008|last=Harrington|first=Marylin|journal=Bills Digest|publisher=Social Policy Section|year=2008|issn=1328-8091|location=National Curriculum|pages=1–19}}</ref>

The Australian education system is organised through three compulsory school types. Students commence their education in Primary school, which runs for seven or eight years, starting at kindergarten through to Year 6 or 7. The next is Secondary school which runs for three or four years, from Year 7 or 8 to Year 10. Finally, Senior Secondary school which runs for two years, completing Years 11 and 12.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/english/australian-education/education-system|title=Education system overview|last=Technology|first=Elcom|website=studyinaustralia.gov.au|language=en|access-date=2017-10-24|archive-date=30 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930200146/https://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/english/australian-education/education-system|url-status=dead}}</ref> Each school tier follows a comprehensive curriculum that is categorised into sequences for each Year-level. The Year-level follows specific sequence content and achievement for each subject, which can be interrelated through cross-curricula.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/|title=F-10 curriculum|website=australiancurriculum.edu.au|language=en|access-date=2017-10-30}}</ref> In order for students to complete and graduate each tier-level of schooling, they need to complete the subject sequences of content and achievement. Once students have completed Year 12, they may choose to enter into [[Tertiary education in Australia|Tertiary education]]. The two-tier Tertiary education system in Australia includes both [[higher education]] (i.e.: university, college, other institutions) and [[vocational education]] and training (VET). Higher education works off of the [[Australian Qualifications Framework]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.australia.gov.au/information-and-services/education-and-training/higher-education|title=Higher education {{!}} australia.gov.au|last=Agency|first=Digital Transformation|website=australia.gov.au|language=en|access-date=2017-10-24}}</ref> and prepares Australians for an academic route that may take them into the theoretical and philosophical lenses of their career options.

== See also ==

* {{annotated link|Magnet school#Enrollment and curriculum}}
* {{annotated link|Postcode lottery}}
* {{annotated link|Tracking (education)}}

== References ==

{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Comprehensive schools}}
* [http://www.comprehensivefuture.org.uk Comprehensive Future – the campaign for fair admissions]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051025155035/http://www.cscs.org.uk/ Centre for the Support of Comprehensive Schools ]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051123032636/http://www.casenet.org.uk/seminar.html Comprehensive Education – Examining the Evidence] Report of 1999 seminar organised by CASE (the [[Campaign for State Education]] in the UK).
* [http://www.campaignforstateeducation.org.uk/ Campaign for State Education]
* [http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,5500,1448039,00.html Secretary of State for Education Ruth Kelly on comprehensive education]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/comp.shtml ''Comp''], a [[BBC Radio 4]] documentary about the creation of comprehensive schools
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/2061738.stm Discussions in 2002 about the future of comprehensives]
* [https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/aug/24/the-only-way-to-end-the-class-divide-the-case-for-abolishing-private-schools Melissa Benn: To abolish the class divide- abolish private schools]
* [http://www.arasite.org/edinandsocmods.html Educational Inequality and Sociological Models Dave Harris]

{{schools}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Comprehensive School}}
[[Category:Comprehensive education]]
[[Category:Philosophy of education]]
[[Category:Public education in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:State schools in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:School types]]