School organisation and regulation

Education has evolved over centuries from being the preserve of the wealthy to being made freely available to all children as a result of the Education Act 1944 (now repealed). While the financing of what has become known as state education has come from government funding; the legacy of schools established by religious organisations, charitable bodies and through government policy initiatives such as academisation remains in the different ways that schools are organised, managed, opened, closed or altered.

The first level of categorisation divides schools into three groups:

1. •

   independent schools

2. •

   academies and free schools

3. •

   maintained schools

Schools are further categorised based on:

1. •

   their ownership

2. •

   their pupil age ranges

3. •

   other selectivities of pupil intake such as academic achievement

Many schools make no reference at all to these categories when erecting signs at the school gate. However, the categories are always present irrespective of whether they have been publicised.

All state schools, regardless of whether they have an academy status, are free schools or maintained and supervised by the local authority, are regulated by the Department for Education (DfE)