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The term ‘state’ is used here in preference to ‘public’ and refers to non fee-paying schools controlled by Local Education Authorities (LEAs) and funded from state taxes and local council tax revenue (officially called maintained schools).

This is to prevent confusion with the term ‘public school’, used in the US (and Scotland) to refer to a state school, but which in England and Wales usually means a private fee-paying school. Private schools are officially referred to as independent schools in England and Wales.

If you live in a rural area, your LEA is one of the 39 English or eight Welsh county councils. In large cities, your LEA is the local borough council.

All state schools have a governing body usually made up of a number of parent representatives and governors (appointed by the LEA), the headteacher and other serving teachers. In Scotland, education authorities must establish school boards (consisting of elected parents and staff members) to participate in the management and administration of schools. Most state schools have a Parents and Teachers Association (PTA).

Some state schools, particularly primaries, rely on parents and charity fund raising to provide essential equipment (e. g. computers), books and stationery, carry out building repairs and in some cases even pay teachers’ salaries.
One of the most heated debates in the last few years has been over large class sizes, although this problem is being addressed by the government: class sizes are falling (and classes tend to become smaller as pupils get older). The UK’s state schools have nearly twice as many pupils per teacher than many other European countries.

Private schools are quick to point out that their small classes lead to more individual instruction and better results, which is supported by studies in other countries. There’s often a huge variation between educational achievement in the same class and the UK doesn’t have a system of holding back slow learners (e. g. for a year), as is widely employed in other European countries.

However, many schools have reintroduced streaming, where pupils are taught in groups, according to their ability. There’s no stigma attached to streaming, which simply recog­nises that children learn at different rates and some are brighter than others.

The standard of reading and writing is often weak at primary level, especially in deprived urban areas where social problems are rife. In recent years, the gulf between the good and bad schools has widened in both the state and private sectors.

In the worst schools, pupils have low expectations, lack ambition and aren’t pushed to do their best. There is also often a culture amongst children to sneer at high achievers, and teachers sometimes focus on less gifted pupils at the expense of the intelligent ones. However, these cases exist in other countries too and cannot be generalised for education levels in the UK as a whole.

There can be a considerable difference in examination results between schools, even those in the same area. Good schools are said to be getting better, while bad schools are getting worse.

What does the term ‘state schools’ refer to?
What does LEA stand for?
Who is LEA made up of?
What does PTA stand for?
Who do some state schools rely on?
What is the biggest problem of state schools?
What have many schools reintroduced?
What is the purpose of streaming?