Types of School and Alternative Provision
Why Does School Type Matter?
The UK has a diverse education system. Different types of school reflect different political priorities — about selection, competition, the role of the market, and who education is for. Sociologists from different perspectives disagree about whether this diversity is a strength or a source of inequality.
The main types of school in the UK are: state-maintained primary and secondary schools, comprehensive schools, grammar schools, academies, free schools and private (independent) schools.
Primary and Secondary Schools
State education in England is divided into primary schools (ages 5–11) and secondary schools (ages 11–16 or 18). The vast majority of children attend state schools funded by central government and managed by local authorities or academy trusts. Compulsory state education was introduced in the nineteenth century and gradually extended; today all children in England must be in some form of education or training until the age of 18.
Comprehensive, Grammar and Selective Schools
Following the Education Act 1944, England adopted the tripartite system of grammar, technical and secondary modern schools, with pupils allocated by the eleven-plus examination. From the 1960s onwards, most local authorities replaced this with comprehensive schools, which accept pupils of all abilities. Comprehensive education was associated with the Labour Party and the principle that selection by ability at age eleven was unfair because it disadvantaged working-class children.
Grammar schools survive in some parts of England (notably Kent, Lincolnshire and parts of the West Midlands). Supporters argue that grammar schools provide high-achieving pupils from all backgrounds with access to a rigorous academic education. Critics — including many sociologists — argue that grammar schools entrench class inequality because middle-class families can afford private tuition to prepare their children for the eleven-plus, while working-class families typically cannot.
Academies and Free Schools
Academies were introduced under the Labour government in 2000 and significantly expanded by the Coalition government’s Academies Act 2010. Academies are state-funded but operate outside local authority control, with more freedom over curriculum, pay and admissions. Free schools were introduced in 2010 as a related policy: they can be set up by any group — parents, teachers, charities or faith organisations — and must be non-selective and non-fee-paying.
The expansion of academies and free schools is linked to the marketisation of education. The market logic assumes that competition between schools for pupils will drive up standards. Sociologist Stephen Ball has argued that marketisation benefits middle-class families who have the cultural capital and social networks to navigate school choice, while working-class families are disadvantaged.
Private Schools
Private schools — also called fee-paying, independent or public schools — are funded by fees paid by parents and private endowments rather than the state. Approximately 7% of pupils in England attend private schools. Sociologists note that this small minority produces a disproportionate share of senior politicians, judges, top civil servants and university entrants to highly selective institutions — raising questions about whether private schooling reinforces class inequality and limits social mobility.
Functionalist: A diverse range of school types allows the education system to match individuals to the roles that best suit their abilities, performing the meritocratic function of role allocation. Grammar schools and academies are seen as providing pathways for talented pupils.
Marxist: The existence of fee-paying private schools alongside state schools reflects and reinforces class inequality. The bourgeoisie purchase educational advantage for their children, ensuring that privileged positions in society are passed on across generations rather than earned on merit.
Feminist: Historically, many elite schools were single-sex institutions designed for boys. Feminists have highlighted how the expansion of co-educational comprehensive schooling improved girls’ access to the full curriculum, but argue that gender inequalities persist even within mixed schools through subject choices and teacher expectations.
New Right: Supporters of marketisation argue that parental choice and school competition drive up standards for all. Free schools and academies are welcomed as breaking the monopoly of local authority control and giving parents more power.
Alternative Provision: Home Schooling and De-schooling
Not all children are educated in formal school settings. Home schooling (also called home tuition) is legal in England and Wales. Parents who choose to home school must provide a suitable full-time education but are not required to follow the National Curriculum or sit public examinations.
The Austrian philosopher Ivan Illich went further, arguing in his 1971 work Deschooling Society that formal schooling is inherently oppressive and should be abolished altogether. De-schooling describes Illich’s vision of replacing compulsory institutions with “learning webs” — flexible networks where people learn what they want, when they want, from peers and community resources. Illich argued that schools impose a hidden curriculum of passivity and conformity, turning learners into consumers of packaged knowledge rather than independent thinkers.
Home schooling requires significant parental time, often a non-working parent, and resources for materials. Marxist sociologists would note that this makes it far more accessible to middle-class and wealthy families than working-class families, who may rely on both parents working full time. Home schooling is therefore not a neutral alternative — access to it is shaped by class position. Feminist sociologists would add that the expectation of home schooling often falls on mothers, reproducing the double shift and the gendered domestic division of labour.
Both academies and free schools are state-funded but operate outside local authority control. The key difference is their origin: academies are usually converted from existing state schools, while free schools are newly created by parents, charities or other groups. Both reflect the marketisation of education — the application of market principles to schooling.