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What is a Grammar school in the UK?

Post Date: 2021-10-08

GRAMMAR SCHOOLS. WHAT ARE THEY?

In the past, pupils attending grammar schools were allowed to learn classical languages such as ancient Greek and Latin.

Nowadays, grammar schools have become secondary schools, which are rather selective state schools with a strong focus on academic achievement and offer admission to pupils based on their 11 plus exam. There are plenty of 11-plus free resources that allow pupils to prepare for this exam such as 11-plus mock exams and past papers but more on this later!

In a nutshell, grammar schools are driven by a mixture of academic excellence, traditional teaching methods and the adoption of strict disciplines. Although the rigid selection process, grammar schools are funded by the government. The difference between a grammar school and a state school lies within the weight given to certain subjects. Whilst state schools focus more on vocational subjects, grammar schools focus more on academic subjects with the assumption that most of the pupils will pursue higher education.

Additionally, a relatively large number of grammar schools boast an academy status, which means an enriched and more flexible curriculum allowing pupils to undertake some GCSEs in Year 9 and 10, instead of taking them all on Year 11.

Currently, there are 164 grammar schools in England and 69 in Northern Ireland. Although some schools in Scotland and Wales have retained the name of “grammar school”, they are not the same school type. Check out our previous blog post in regards to where to find grammar schools in the UK.

Creating a free personal account with British School Portal will allow you to browse through the schools easily on a Map-view. The school's profile and data such as school performance can be listed out for you to compare.  

#BritishSchoolPortal
#GrammarSchool

BritishSchoolPortal.co.uk
A Free UK School Information Searching Platform


Further reading

What is a Grammar school in the UK?
How to find the number of spaces left at the school near you?
Where to find grammar schools in the UK

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