We have all hear of many different types of school before. These may include primary school, high school, grammar school, private school, free school and many others. Yet another type of school which exists in the UK is one known as community school. Have you heard of this before? It’s important for students to know all the different types of schooling and education which is open to them. Is this different from community college? Is it shorter than high school? Read on to find out more.
A community school is a type of state school, which means it is either funded by the local authority or directly funded by the UK government. Community schools are generally funded by the local authority and always follow the national curriculum. They are not obligated to be influenced by business or religious groups. These are the most common type of state school in the UK.
Read on to find out more information on what a community school is exactly, how they are funded and what type of students can attend such schools, in this article.
Table of Contents
What is a community school in the UK?
In the UK, a community school, is one funded by the local ‘community’. This means that the pupils of parents do not pay a fee and it is not a private or business owned institution. Since community school is funded by local authority, and the local authority receives funding from the government, community schools are paid for by the state itself.
This is different to other types of schooling in the UK. For example, private schools or independent schools require the parents of pupils to pay for their child to attend this school. Community school, or state schools, on the other hand, do not require parents of pupils to pay a fee for them to attend.
Another type of school in the UK are those known as faith schools. These are generally funded by a local religious group or institution. This is in order to influence the school to educate pupils about a particular religion or belief.
To find out more about the different types of schools in the UK click on this link to visit the government website.
How are community schools funded?
Community schools are funded by the local authority. This means they are given a certain budget from the education sector of the government.
Community schools, or state schools, are given two separate types of funding from the government. One of these is known as revenue funding – for all running costs, such as teachers’ salaries. The other type is called capital funding. This is allocated for the school buildings or building itself. This may include construction costs or building repair.
To find out more precise details on how exactly community schools are funded, and where the money goes, visit this Education Hub Blog by clicking here.
Are community schools free?
In brief, yes. Community schools are free for students to attend. This is because they are funded by the local authority. This means all school costs included teachers’ wages, academic resources and playing grounds will come out of the local authority’s education budget.
However, if pupils would level to attend any private extracurricular activities or events, these will need to be paid for individually by the student or parent themselves. For example, this may include a bike club hosted by the school, which hires a private instructor. It may also include a end of year prom which pupils wish to attend, that the school decided will not come out of the school’s own budget.
What age are students who go to community schools?
Community schools can include state funded primary schools or secondary schools. This means that most students in the UK will attend community school.
The UK government website states that all children in England between the ages of 5 and 16 are entitled to a free place at a state school. To find out more about the government involvement in community schools, visit the government website by clicking on this link.
Primary school, in Scotland, runs from P1 (Primary 1) until P7 (Primary 7). This is from the age of 5 or 6 years old to the age of 12 or 13 years old. They will then spend 6 years in a community high school, from S1 (Senior 1) to S6 (Senior 6).
This is the same in England as children attend Year 1 at community school from their school starting age, (5 years old), until Year 13, when they leave school.