Public school

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The term public school has two distinct (and virtually opposite) meanings depending on the location of usage:

• in the United States, Australia and Canada: A school funded from tax revenue and most commonly administered to some degree by government or local government agencies. This usage is synonymous with its British English equivalent, state school. (See also: Public education.)
• in the United Kingdom^[1] and a few other Commonwealth countries: A traditional privately operated secondary school which usually requires the payment of fees for its pupils, and is often a boarding school. This usage is common in the United Kingdom (although can be ambiguous in Scotland). These schools, wherever located, often follow a British educational tradition and are committed in principle to public accessibility. Originally, many were single-sex boarding schools, but most independent schools are now co-educational with both boarders and day-pupils. This usage is synonymous with preparatory school in American English, though preparatory school in British English has a different meaning. (See also: Independent school (UK).)

Contents 1 The Americas 1.1 United States 1.2 Canada 1.3 Elsewhere 2 Europe 2.1 Denmark 2.2 England, Wales and Northern Ireland 2.3 Ireland 2.4 France 2.5 Germany 2.6 Scotland 3 Australia 3.1 Australia 3.1.1 Primary and Secondary 4 Asia 4.1 Hong Kong 4.2 India and Sri Lanka 4.3 Pakistan 5 Africa 5.1 South Africa 6 References 7 See also 8 External links

[edit] The Americas

[edit] United States

Public-school education is the most common form of education in the United States and is provided mainly by local governments, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. Curricula, funding, teaching, and other policies are set through locally elected school boards by jurisdiction over school districts. The school districts are special-purpose districts authorized by provisions of state law. Generally, state governments can and do set minimum standards relating to almost all activities of primary and secondary schools, as well as funding and authorization to enact local school taxes to support the schools -- primarily through real property taxes. The federal government funds aid to states and school districts that meet minimum federal standards. School accreditation decisions are made by voluntary regional associations. The first tax-supported public school in America was in Dedham, Massachusetts. The vast majority of adults born in the U.S. have attended a U.S. public school.

Public school is normally split up into three stages: primary (elementary) school (kindergarten to 4th or 5th or 6th grade), junior high (also "intermediate", or "middle") school (5th or 6th or 7th to 8th or 9th) and high school (9th or 10th to 12th, somewhat archaically also called "secondary school"), with some less populated communities incorporating high school as 7th to 12th. Some Junior High Schools (Intermediate Schools) contain 7th to 9th grades or 7th and 8th, in which case the High School is 10th to 12th or 9th to 12th respectively.

The middle school format is increasing in popularity, in which the Elementary School contains kindergarten through 5th grade and the Middle School contains 6th through 8th grade. In addition, some elementary schools are splitting into two levels, sometimes in separate buildings: Primary (usually K-2) and Intermediate (3-4 or 3-5). Some middle schools consist of only 7th and 8th grades.

The K-8th format is also an emerging popular concept, in which students may attend only two schools for all of their K-12 education. Many charter schools feature the K-8 format in which all primary grades are housed in one section of the school while the traditional junior high school aged students are housed in another section of the school.

Some very small school districts, primarily in rural areas, still maintain a K-12 system in which all students are housed in a single school.

In the United States, institutions of higher education that are operated and subsidized by U.S. states are also referred to as "public." However, unlike public secondary schools, public universities charge tuition, though these fees are usually much lower than those charged by private universities, particularly for "in-state" students. Community colleges, state colleges, and state universities are examples of public institutions of higher education. In particular, many state universities are regarded as among the best institutions of higher education in the U.S., though usually they are surpassed in ranking by certain private universities and colleges, such as those of the Ivy League, which are often very expensive and extremely selective in the students they accept. In several states, the administrations of public universities are elected via the general electoral ballot.

[edit] Canada

Per the Canadian constitution, public-school education in Canada is a provincial responsibility and, as such, there are many variations between the provinces. Junior Kindergarten (or equivalent) exists as an official program in some, but not most, places. Kindergarten (or equivalent) is available in every province, but provincial funding and the level of hours provided varies widely. Starting at grade one, at about age five there is universal Crown-funded access up to grade twelve (or equivalent). Schools are generally divided into elementary or primary schools (Kindergarten to Grade 7), and secondary, or high school (Grades 8 to 12); in some schools, particularly in rural areas, the elementary and middle levels can be combined into one school. Commencing in 2003, Grade 13, or OAC, was eliminated in Ontario; it had previously been required only for students who intended to go on to university. Children are required to attend school until the age of sixteen.

Some Canadian provinces offer segregated-by-religious-choice, but nonetheless Crown-funded and Crown-regulated, religiously-based education. In Ontario, for example, Roman Catholic schools are known as "Catholic school", not "public school", although these are, by definition, no less "public" than their secular counterparts.

The act of parliament that brought Alberta into Confederation stipulates that each school district in the province must have both a public school and a separate school system; despite their names, both school systems are considered "public" in the greater scope of the term, as both are funded by the Crown-in-Right-of-Alberta. In districts where the majority of taxpayers are Roman Catholics, the public school system is run by the Roman Catholic school board, while in all other districts, the separate school system is run by the Roman Catholic school board. A certain proportion of property taxes are allocated to schools; each taxpayer chooses which school system he or she wishes to support, and is allowed to vote for school trustees based on their choice. As of 2006 only one school district, St. Albert, has a majority of Roman Catholic taxpayers, but many districts (including St. Paul and Bonnyville) have been majority Roman Catholic at one time or another. In Calgary, Jewish, Sikh, and Hindu public schools are also supported by the separate school system.

[edit] Elsewhere

In some countries, such as Brazil and Mexico, the term "public schools" (escuelas públicas in Spanish, escolas públicas in Portuguese) is used for educational institutions owned by the federal, state, or city governments which do not charge tuition. Such schools exist in all levels of education, from the very beginning through post-secondary studies. Mexico has nine years of free and compulsory primary and secondary education. The later years of schooling are comparable to the state university systems in most US states.

[edit] Europe

[edit] Denmark

The Danish School system is supported today by tax-based governmental and municipal funding from day care through primary and secondary education to higher education and there are no tuition fees for regular students in public schools and universities.

The Danish public primary schools, covering the entire period of compulsory education, are called folkeskoler (literally 'people's schools' or 'public schools'). The Folkeskole consists of a voluntary pre-school class, the 9-year obligatory course and a voluntary 10th year. It thus caters for pupils aged 6 to 17.

It is also possible for parents to send their children to various kinds of private schools. These schools also receive government funding, although they are not public. In addition to this funding, these schools may charge a fee from the parents.

[edit] England, Wales and Northern Ireland

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the term "public school" refers to fee-charging independent secondary schools which generally offer boarding facilities. The earliest known reference to a "public school" dates from 1364, when the Bishop of Winchester wrote concerning "the public school" at Kingston in his diocese.^[2] The term public then distinguished a school open to public applicants, then generally provided by a church or monastery, from the schools in private households which were then more usual.

Typically public schools have offered by competitive academic examination a small number of wholly or partly funded scholarship places, sometimes covering only tuition and not boarding fees. They grew by accepting tuition fees for additional pupils (who might subsequently win competitive scholarships). Nowadays there are often means-tested fees or bursaries and other orms of scholarships.

In the nineteenth century the Clarendon Commission and the Public Schools Act 1868 used the common term to refer to the nine old-established schools whose outdated charitable trusts and governance they reformed. Many similar boarding schools were established for British Empire expatriates to educate their sons at home, and a number of ancient grammar schools later aimed to conform to the ethos of the Public Schools named in successive Acts.

The term Public School is generally used now in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and sometimes Scotland to refer to any school that is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference: see the article Independent school (UK) for that sense of the term. The schools and their representative associations prefer the more inclusive term "independent schools", but common usage and the news media in England often refer to them by the traditional name of "Public Schools". This grouping primarily includes the prestigious independent schools, in a similar manner to the Ivy League grouping of American universities - other private schools might be called 'independent', but would not be called "Public Schools". An indication of this distinction may be seen in E. W. Hornung's third "Raffles" collection, A Thief in the Night' (1905): Raffles complains that anyone who received a private education now claims that he 'went to a Public School'.

In these countries, the terms state school and county school are used for schools provided at public expense. The term private school if used means the same as in other English-speaking countries, or formerly and more specifically a privately-owned primary Preparatory ('Prep') School.

These schools are now only public in the sense of being open to any students, and in practice there are many qualifications:

• pupils usually need to pass the Common Entrance Examination before being admitted at all, and many such schools are highly academically selective; references from previous schools may be expected
• all but the best scholars must be able to afford the considerable fees for tuition and (for boarders) room and board. Most public schools are constituted as charities, and explicit Public Interest requirements for all charities are being introduced under the Charities Act 2006 which may enforce some greater degree of public accessibility independently of ability to pay;
• schools generally operate at a full fixed capacity, with a limited number of vacancies each year. There may be a waiting list system, registration fees and prequalifications such as interviews
• there are many single-sex schools, although the proportion in falling, especially in the sixth forms
• a few schools maintain religious conditions, often based upon their original foundation by clergy of the established Church; there may be compulsory services of a particular denomination;
• a school is perfectly entitled to exercise full discretion over admissions, subject only to general law against discrimination. Thus preference might be given to musicians, deserving children, or relations of old members, staff or benefactors, or on any other published or unpublished criteria.

In the United Kingdom the term "school" is not generally used to describe institutions of further or higher education (exceptions include the London School of Economics, the School of Oriental and African Studies and the Guildhall School of Music), but it is used to denote academic and administrative divisions within a university, such as a medical school or a school of engineering or political science. It is otherwise restricted to primary and secondary schools. See School.

[edit] Ireland

In Ireland, a public school (Irish: scoil phoiblí) is a non fee-paying school which is funded by the State, while a private school (Irish: scoil phríobháideach) is a fee-paying school which is not funded by the State.

[edit] France

The French educational system is highly centralized, organized, and ramified. It is divided into three stages:

• primary education (enseignement primaire);
• secondary education (enseignement secondaire);
• tertiary or college education (enseignement supérieur)

Primary Schooling in France is mandatory as of age 6, the first year of primary school. Many parents start sending their children earlier though, around age 3 as kindergarten classes (maternelle) are usually affiliated to a borough's (commune) primary school. Some even start earlier at age 2 in pré-maternelle or garderie class, which is essentially a daycare facility.

French secondary education is divided into two schools:

• the collège for the first four years directly following primary school;
• the lycée for the next three years.

The completion of secondary studies leads to the baccalauréat.

Baccalauréat

The baccalauréat (also known as bac) is the end-of-lycée diploma students sit for in order to enter university, a classe préparatoire, or professional life. The term baccalauréat refers to the diploma and the examinations themselves. It is comparable to British A-Levels, American SATs, the Irish Leaving Certificate and German Abitur.

Most students sit for the baccalauréat général which is divided into 3 streams of study, called séries. The série scientifique (S) is concerned with mathematics and natural sciences, the série économique et sociale (ES) with economics and social sciences, and the série littéraire (L) focuses on French and foreign languages and philosophy.

Tertiary education

• Peculiarities

A striking trait of higher education in France, compared to other countries such as the United States, is the small size and multiplicity of establishments, each specialized in a more or less broad spectrum of disciplines. A middle-sized French city, such as Grenoble or Nancy, may have 2 or 3 universities (for instance: science / humanities), and also a number of engineering and other specialized higher education establishments. For instance, in Paris and suburbs, there are 13 universities, most of which are specialized on one area or the other, and a large number of smaller institutions.

• Grandes écoles & classes préparatoires (CPGE : Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Ecoles)

The Grandes écoles of France are higher education establishments outside the mainstream framework of the public universities. They are generally focused on a single subject area, such as engineering, have a moderate size, and are often quite selective in their admission of students. They are widely regarded as prestigious, and traditionally have produced most of France's scientists and executives.

[edit] Germany

Education in Germany is provided to a large extent by the government, with control coming from state level, (Länder) and funding coming from two levels: federal and state. Curricula, funding, teaching, and other policies are set through the respective states ministry of education. Decisions about the acknowledgment of private schools (the German equivalent to accreditation in the US) are also made by these ministries. However, public schools are automatically recognised, since these schools are supervised directly by the ministry of education bureaucracy.

Kindergartens are not part of the German public school system. (Although the first kindergarten in the world was opened in 1840 by Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel in the German town of Bad Blankenburg, and the term Kindergarten is even a loanword from the German language). Article 7 Paragraph 6 of the German constitution (the Grundgesetz) abolished pre-school as part of the German school system. However, kindergartens exist all over Germany, where many of these institutions actually are public, but these kindergartens are controlled by local authorities, charging tuition fees and are likewise not considered to be part of the public school system.

A German public school does not charge tuition fees. The first stage of the German public school system is the Grundschule. (Primary School - 1st to 4th grade or, in Berlin and Brandenburg, 1st to 6th grade) After Grundschule (at 10 or 12 years of age), there are four secondary schooling options:

• Hauptschule (the least academic, much like a modernized Volksschule) until 9th or, in Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia until 10th Grade.
• Realschule (formerly Mittelschule) until 10th grade.
• Gymnasium (high school) until 12th grade or 13th grade (with Abitur as exit exam, qualifying for admission to university).
• Gesamtschule (comprehensive school) with all the options of the three "tracks" above.

A Gesamtschule largely corresponds to an American high school. However, it offers the same school leaving certificates as the other three types of German secondary schools - the Hauptschulabschluss (school leaving certificate of a Hauptschule after 9th Grade or in Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia after 10th Grade), the Realschulabschluss, also called Mittlere Reife, (school leaving certificate of a Realschule after 10th Grade) and Abitur, also called Hochschulreife, after 13th or seldom after 12th Grade. Students who graduate from Hauptschule or Realschule continue their schooling at a vocational school until they have full job qualifications. This type of German school, the Berufsschule, is generally an upper-secondary public vocational school, controlled by the German federal government. It is part of Germany's dual education system. Students who graduate from a vocational school and students who graduate with good GPA from a Realschule can continue their schooling at another type of German public secondary school, the Fachoberschule, a vocational high school. The school leaving exam of this type of school, the Fachhochschulreife, enables the graduate to start studying at a Fachhochschule (polytechnic), and in Hesse also at a university within the state. The Abitur from a Gesamtschule or Gymnasium enables the graduate to start studying at a polytechnic or at a university in all states of Germany.

In Germany, most institutions of higher education are subsidized by German states and are therefore also referred to as staatliche Hochschulen. (public universities) Most German public universities and polytechnics do not charge for tuition, though fees for guest or graduate students are charged by many universities. However, many German states plan to introduce general tuition fees for all students at public institutions of higher education in the near future.

[edit] Scotland

In Scotland, the term public school, in official use since 1872, traditionally means "a state-controlled school run by the local burgh or county education authority, genenerlly non-fee-paying and supported by contributions from local and national taxation"^[3]. Largely due to the earlier introduction of state-administered universal education in Scotland and opposed to the rest of the United Kingdom, the term became associated with state schools. The designation was incorporated into the name of many of these older publicly run institutions. Influence from the rest of the UK has lead to some ambiguity in meaning. In order to avoid confusion, the term 'state school' is also commonly used in Scotland.

However at the same time, a number of well-known independent schools are also commonly referred to as public schools, in line with the prevalent practice in the rest of the UK.^[4][5] A number of these schools also offer qualifications more prevalent in the other parts of the UK such as the A-level alongside the more common system offered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority described below.^[6]

Children in Scottish state schools typically start primary school, or attend a junior school, aged between four and a half and five and a half depending on when the child's birthday falls. Children born between March and August would start school at five years old and those born between September and February start school at age four-and-a-half. Pupils remain at primary school for seven years completing Primary One to Seven.

Then aged eleven or twelve, they start secondary school for a compulsory four years with the final two years being optional. Pupils sit Standard Grade exams at the age of fifteen/sixteen, sometimes earlier, most often for up to eight subjects including compulsory exams in English, mathematics, a foreign language, a science subject and a social subject; it is now required by the Scottish Parliament to have two hours of physical education a week. Each school may vary these compulsory combinations. The school leaving age is generally sixteen (after completion of standard grade), after which students may choose to remain at school and study for Access, Intermediate or Higher Grade and Advanced Higher exams.

[edit] Australia

[edit] Australia

Education in Australia follows a three tier model: primary, secondary and tertiary education. Education is primarily regulated by the individual state governments, not the federal government. Education is compulsory up to an age specified by legislation; this age varies but is generally 15 or 16, that is prior to completing secondary education.

Under the Australian Government’s Schools Assistance (Learning Together – Achievement Through Choice and Opportunity) Act 2004, all education authorities, including non-government schools, have now committed to implement a common school starting age by 1 January 2010 and a common description (nomenclature) for the year before Year 1 and the two years before Year 1.

Post-compulsory education is regulated within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), a unified system of national qualifications in schools, vocational education and training (TAFEs and private providers) and the higher education sector (mainly universities).

State or Territory	Minimum age	Age in the year before Year 1	Compulsory age	Nomenclature year before school	Nomenclature year before Year 1
NSW	4.5	Turn 5 by 31 July	Year in which children turn 6	Pre-school	Kindergarten
QLD	4.6	By 2007, turn 5 by 30 June	Year in which children turn 6.64	Kindergarten / Preschool	Preparatory
VIC	4.8	Turn 5 by 30 April	Year in which children turn 6	Kindergarten	Preparatory
WA	4.6	Turn 5 by 30 June	Year in which children turn 6.6	Kindergarten	Pre-Primary
SA	4.5	Continuous entry in the term after 5th birthday	Year in which children turn 6	Kindergarten	Reception
TAS	4.5	Turn 5 by 1 January	Year after turning 5	Kindergarten	Preparatory
ACT	5.0	Turn 5 by 30 April	Year in which children turn 6	Pre-school	Kindergarten
NT	5.0	By 2006, turn 5 by 30 June	Year in which children turn 6	Pre-school	Transition

[edit] Primary and Secondary

Primary and secondary education may be provided by:

• Government schools (also known as State schools, or public schools)
• Independent schools (the older of these institutions are sometimes called Public School)

There has been a strong drift of students to independent schools during the past decade.^{[citation needed]}

Government schools educate the majority of students and do not charge large tuition fees (most do charge a fee as a contribution to costs). The major part of their costs is met by the relevant State or Territory government. Independent schools, both religious or secular (the latter often with specialisations), may charge much higher fees.

Whilst independent schools are sometimes considered 'public' schools like their English counterparts (as in the Associated Public Schools of Victoria), in some states of Australia, the term 'public school' is usually synonymous with a government school.

Government schools can be divided into two types: open and selective. The open schools accept all students from their government defined catchment areas, while selective schools have high entrance requirements and cater to a much larger area. Entrance to selective schools is often highly competitive. In Victoria, for example, more than 3000 applicants sit the entrance exam each year competing for the 600 available places at Mac.Robertson Girls' High School and Melbourne High School.

[edit] Asia

[edit] Hong Kong

In Hong Kong the term government schools is used for free schools funded by the government.

There are also subsidized schools (which are the majority in Hong Kong and many of which are run by Religious organizations), "Direct Subsidy Scheme" schools, private schools and international schools in Hong Kong.

[edit] India and Sri Lanka

In India and Sri Lanka, due to the British influence, the term "public schools" implied non-governmental, historically elite educational institutions, often modeled on British public schools. The terms 'private' and 'government' school are commonly used to denote the type of funding. In consideration of government control /ownership, the central government administered Kendriya Vidyalayas (or Central Schools), Navodaya Vidyalaya system of schools qualify as per the American definition of "public" school. They are usually not completely privately run, being 'aided' by the government. The standard and the quality of education is quite high. However there are privately owned and managed schools as well, many of whom have the appellation Public appended to them, e.g., the Delhi Public Schools or Frank Anthony Public Schools. Most of the middle class families send their children to such schools, which might be in their own city or far off (like boarding schools). The medium of education is English, but as a compulsory subject, Hindi and/or the state's official language is also taught. Preschool education is mostly limited to organized neighbourhood nursery schools with some organized chains.

The most well known public school in Sri Lanka is Royal College. Although it is a governmental school it has much autonomy.

[edit] Pakistan

In Pakistan, the term "public school" has historically been used for British-styled boarding schools such as Abbottabad Public School and Sadiq Public School Bahawalpur. This has established a strong branding for the term "public school", and most of these schools are private, non-governmental boarding schools.

[edit] Africa

[edit] South Africa

In South Africa, the South African Schools Act of 1996 recognised two categories of schools: public and independent. Independent schools include all private schools and schools that are privately governed. Independent schools with low tuition fees are state-aided and receive a subsidy on a sliding-scale. Traditional private schools that charge high fees receive no state subsidy.

Public schools are all state-owned schools, including section 21 schools (formerly referred to as Model C or semi-private schools) that have a governing body and a degree of budget autonomy, as these are still fully-owned and accountable to the state.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Independent school
• Private school

v • d • e Schools By educational stage Primary education • Secondary education • Tertiary education By funding Free education • Free school • Private school • Public school • Independent school • Independent school (UK) • Charter school • Academy By style of education Day school • Alternative school • Parochial school • Boarding school • Magnet school • Virtual school • K-12 By scope Compulsory education • Comprehensive school • Vocational school • University-preparatory school By name Grammar school • High school • Secondary school • Upper school • Middle school • Primary school • Elementary school • University-preparatory school • Vocational school • Gymnasium • College • Community college • University

[edit] External links

• English Public Schools - Coats of Arms