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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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state school
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The term in general use for what is officially called a maintained school – maintained from public funds and offering free *education. The schools fall into two categories: primary schools, which children enter at the age of five (four in Northern Ireland); and secondary schools to which most transfer at 11 (usually 12 in Scotland). Primary school education is sometimes divided betweeen an infant school (5–7) and a junior school (7–11).
The majority of children in secondary state education were in *comprehensive schools. Where a comprehensive has no sixth form, pupils studying for A-levels transfer at 16 to a sixth-form college or a tertiary college (similar but offering vocational courses in addition to academic subjects).
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A few local authorities have kept their *grammar schools, and throughout the country at both primary and secondary level there are many so-called voluntary schools. These are independent establishments, usually religious foundations, which are funded by the state in return for supplying free education. The majority are Anglican or Roman Catholic, but they include other Christian denominations as well as Jewish schools. A topical issue in the 1990s was the omission of Muslim schools from this category.
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