Types of Schools in England Explained

By Alexis Pratsides, Founder · Updated 10 April 2026

England has one of the most varied school systems in the world. Parents researching schools for the first time often encounter a bewildering list of labels - academy, community, free school, grammar, faith, independent - and it is not always obvious what any of them actually mean in practice.

This guide explains every major school type, who runs it, how it is funded, and what it means for admissions. Once you understand the landscape, comparing schools on School Signal becomes a lot easier.

Maintained Schools

A maintained school is any state-funded school that is maintained - meaning directly funded and overseen - by the local authority (LA). The LA sets the admissions criteria, employs the staff, and owns the buildings. Maintained schools include community schools, voluntary aided schools, voluntary controlled schools, and foundation schools.

Community Schools

Community schools are the most straightforward type. The local authority runs them entirely: it employs staff, owns the land and buildings, and sets the admissions policy. They have no religious character and must follow the national curriculum.

Who runs it: The local authority.
Funded by: Central government via the local authority.
Admissions: Set and administered by the local authority - typically distance from the school, siblings, and sometimes looked-after children as priority groups.
Pros: Transparent admissions, no religious criteria, well understood by parents.
Cons: Less autonomy over curriculum and staffing than academies.

Foundation Schools

Foundation schools are state-funded but have more independence than community schools. The governing body employs staff and often owns the land. They set their own admissions criteria, though still within the national School Admissions Code.

Some foundation schools have a religious character; others do not. Grammar schools are often foundation schools.

Voluntary Aided (VA) Schools

Voluntary aided schools are almost always faith schools - Church of England, Roman Catholic, or occasionally other faiths. The governing body (usually linked to the religious organisation) employs staff and sets admissions criteria. The faith body contributes a share of capital costs (historically 10%), and the rest comes from central government.

Admissions: Can prioritise pupils by faith - for example, regular church attendance or a faith reference from a minister. This is perfectly legal within the Admissions Code for faith schools.

Voluntary Controlled (VC) Schools

Voluntary controlled schools have a religious ethos - usually Church of England - but the local authority employs staff and runs admissions. They have less independence than VA schools. Religious criteria are rarely used in admissions at VC schools, which makes them a common choice for parents who want a faith ethos without the admissions hurdles.

Academies

Academies are state-funded schools that operate outside local authority control. They are funded directly by central government (via the Education and Skills Funding Agency), and they have significant freedoms - they can set their own pay and conditions for staff, choose not to follow the national curriculum, and control their own admissions (within the Admissions Code).

The academy programme began in 2000 under Labour for failing schools in deprived areas, but expanded dramatically after 2010. Today the majority of secondary schools in England are academies.

Converter Academies

A converter academy is a school that chose to convert from maintained status. Many were high-performing schools that converted to gain more autonomy. They keep their character - a community school that converts becomes a community academy, a faith school becomes a faith academy - and their admissions criteria largely unchanged.

Who runs it: An academy trust (a charitable company).
Funded by: Directly by central government.
Admissions: The academy trust is its own admissions authority, but must comply with the Admissions Code.

Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs)

A multi-academy trust is a single charitable company that runs two or more academies. Large MATs - such as Ark, Oasis, or United Learning - run dozens of schools across the country. The trust holds the funding agreement with the government and appoints the board. Individual schools within a MAT may or may not have a local governing body.

For parents, what matters: A school's membership of a MAT can influence curriculum approach, leadership quality, and the support available to the school. When researching a school, it is worth looking up the trust and checking Ofsted's assessment of how the trust supports its schools.

Free Schools

Free schools are a type of academy. They are brand new schools set up by groups of parents, teachers, charities, businesses, or faith groups - rather than converting from an existing school. The government approves applications and funds the schools directly.

Free schools have the same freedoms as other academies. They can set their own admissions criteria (within the Code), pay teachers on their own terms, and design their own curriculum. Some free schools have strong specialist curricula - for example, STEM-focused schools or schools with a particular pedagogical philosophy.

Admissions: Free schools set their own admissions criteria, but cannot select by ability (unless they are also a grammar school, which requires a separate designation).

Grammar Schools

Grammar schools are selective state schools. Entry is based on the 11-plus examination (or occasionally a 12+ or 13+), which tests verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, mathematics, and English. Children who achieve the required score are eligible to apply; those who do not are not.

Grammar schools are concentrated in specific areas - Kent, Buckinghamshire, Lincolnshire, parts of Birmingham and Essex. There are approximately 163 grammar schools in England.

Who runs it: Most are foundation schools or academies; a few remain maintained by the LA.
Funded by: State funding (the same per-pupil funding as other state schools).
Admissions: Selection by academic ability via the 11+ test. Some also prioritise by distance once the selective threshold is met.
Pros: Academic environment, often strong results, state-funded.
Cons: Limited places; heavily concentrated geographically; 11+ preparation can be intense and stressful for children and families.

It is worth noting that grammar schools remain politically contentious. No new grammar schools have been permitted to open since 1998, though some existing grammars have opened satellite sites.

Faith Schools

Faith schools are state-funded schools with a religious character. They can be community, foundation, voluntary aided, or voluntary controlled - and they can also be academies or free schools. The key defining feature is their religious designation, which affects their ethos, curriculum (particularly RE and collective worship), and potentially their admissions criteria.

Around a third of all state-funded schools in England have a religious character. Church of England schools are the most common, followed by Roman Catholic schools, with a smaller number of Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh schools.

Voluntary Aided faith schools can use faith-based criteria to fill up to 100% of their places - for example, requiring baptism certificates, evidence of regular worship attendance, or a minister's reference. In oversubscribed faith schools, these criteria can make admission very difficult for families without the relevant faith background.

Voluntary Controlled faith schools typically use the same admissions criteria as community schools and rarely apply faith-based selection.

For parents who are not from the relevant faith: It is always worth reading the admissions policy carefully. Many faith schools have remaining places (after faith criteria are applied) that are allocated by distance, and some are undersubscribed enough that all applicants are admitted.

Independent Schools

Independent schools - also called private schools or fee-paying schools - are not funded by the state. They charge tuition fees and operate entirely outside the state system. They are regulated by the Department for Education through the Independent School Standards and must be registered with the DfE, but they have no obligation to follow the national curriculum and are not subject to the School Admissions Code.

Independent schools range enormously - from small preparatory schools for ages 3–11 to large boarding schools charging over £50,000 per year. Many offer bursaries and scholarships to pupils who could not otherwise afford fees.

Admissions: Each school sets its own process - entrance examinations, interviews, assessments, or Common Entrance (see our article on the Common Entrance exam). There are no statutory admissions criteria.
Regulation: Inspected by Ofsted or the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), depending on whether they are members of the Independent Schools Council.
Pros: Smaller class sizes, specialist facilities, flexible curriculum, strong pastoral care in many schools.
Cons: Cost; can be socially selective; results partly reflect intake rather than school effectiveness.

You can search independent schools on School Signal filtered by location.

Special Schools

Special schools cater exclusively for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who require a level of support that cannot be provided in mainstream education. Entry is via an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) - the local authority names the specific school in the EHCP.

Special schools may be state-maintained or independent. Some focus on a particular type of need (autism, physical disability, speech and language); others are more broadly for complex needs. Our guide to SEN support explains how the EHCP process works.

Pupil Referral Units (PRUs)

Pupil referral units provide education for children who cannot attend mainstream school - typically because of exclusion, illness, school phobia, or other complex circumstances. PRUs are maintained by the local authority and are staffed by specialist teachers. Many have now converted to academy status and are called alternative provision academies.

University Technical Colleges (UTCs) and Studio Schools

UTCs are free schools for pupils aged 14–19 that focus on technical and STEM subjects, delivered in partnership with universities and employers. They offer GCSEs and technical qualifications alongside real-world project work. There are currently around 40 UTCs in England.

Studio schools are small (typically 300 pupils), project-based schools for 14–19 year olds, focused on enterprise and employability. Numbers have fallen in recent years as some have closed or converted to other provision.

Summary Table

Community school - run by local authority, no religious character
Foundation school - more independent governing body, may have religious character
Voluntary Aided (VA) - faith school, governing body sets admissions, can select by faith
Voluntary Controlled (VC) - faith ethos, but LA runs admissions
Converter academy - converted from maintained, direct government funding
Sponsored academy - underperforming school taken over by a sponsor
Free school - new academy set up by non-LA groups
Grammar school - state-funded, selective by 11+ exam
Independent school - fee-paying, outside state system
Special school - for pupils with EHCPs
PRU / AP academy - for pupils who cannot attend mainstream
UTC / Studio school - specialist 14–19 provision

Does School Type Actually Matter?

For most parents, what matters is whether a school is a good fit for their child - not what legal category it sits in. A high-performing community school will serve most children better than a struggling academy, and vice versa. School type tells you about governance and funding; it does not tell you about teaching quality, culture, or results.

Use School Signal to compare schools by Ofsted rating, results, and distance - filtered by school type where relevant. The type label is useful context, but treat it as one data point among many.