Difference between High School and Secondary School

Must be an area thing. In my area the girls’ and boys’ Grammars are called Grammars, most other secondary are called high schools and the really rubbish ones have been rebranded Academies despite all schools in the area technically being academies including the Grammar schools. There’s also a private school about 40mins away that is also called a Grammar school.

Just to be awkward, in Leicestershire post-grammars you would get XName High School that was Years (what is now) 7 to 9 - KS4 and 6th form being called a Community College (I think originally there were highfalutin plans for teaching adults alongside them but that never took off).

I don't live there any more but I believe some of the KS3 schools have extended upwards and some may possibly have merged with neighbouring ex-CCs.

que?

In some parts of the country, a high school is a non-grammar (ie has the lower 75% of ability based on a test).

In some parts of the country, a high school IS a grammar, but usually for girls.

In some parts of the country, a high school is a private school.

In some parts of the country, a high school is the top tier of the three tier system....

Yes, in towns which had/still have single sex grammar schools, the boys was called X Grammar and the girls' X High school. Many of those girls schools are still called High schools - some are now independents and some still state Grammars.

We have the 3 tier system
First school 4-9 yrs old
Middle school 9-13 yrs old
Upper secondary 13-18 yrs old
We don't have any High schools.

Franciscrawford - yes, it's Jordanhill, i believe because of its historical role as a teacher training college somewhere for the trainee teachers to practice .

Afaik, there are no other schools funded direct by the Scottish Government. At least no "normal" secondaries. And excluding the Pupil Equity Funding which is going direct to the schools

In my area secondary schools used to be called High Schools before they became Academies. It was infants (4-7) Junior or Middle (7-11) and High (11-16).

Some schools still retain the word High in their name, some don't. None have secondary in their name.

The description "Academy" usually refers to how the school is funded rather than anything about the stage of the school

This is the case in England only. (Can't comment on Wales). Not in Scotland, where are there are no Academy schools in the English sense, but many, many schools called "Academy" - some private, most state and funded by their local authority (as all state schools in Scotland are with one single special case which is funded direct by the Scottish Government because of a historical aberration )

I think that there is a difference between "high" in the name of a school, and "high school" as a category. In Kent, for example, grammar schools are high schools even if the word "high" does not appear in the school name. Basically it's a new word for secondary modern!

But there are lots of different sorts of schools in both sectors in other parts of the country with "High" in their name-there it just means "not primary"

In my experience a lot of "Town Name High School" schools are grammar schools and are usually independent fee paying schools.

In my hometown, the grammar schools are the high schools. Plymouth High and Devonport High.

In grammar school areas, the non grammars are often called high schools.

Don't take any information from the name of the school, as you can see from this thread there is a range of names and descriptions for various historical reasons.

The important thing is to look at the age range the school covers. So 11-16 or 11-18 are secondary stage. 11-16 is from Year 7 to Year 11 (GCSE exam year). Children then would go to a different school or college for 16-18 education (A level exams). Schools that are 11-18 mean the children can continue in the same school up until the end of Year 13.

Then, whether the school is selective or comprehensive. Most secondary schools are comprehensive, however some Local Authorities (LAs) still have selective schools referred to as Grammar schools (whether or not they have that description in their name!). These schools are state schools but you have to pass an exam (11 plus) in order to be eligible. Everyone else goes to a comprehensive school.

Then, as @bigmouthstrikesagain explains, some areas still have lower/middle/upper schools instead of primary/secondary.

The description "Academy" usually refers to how the school is funded rather than anything about the stage of the school.

"Same thing, just different terms for the same schools."

This ^^. Although our local authority likes to give them the poncy name of Advanced Learning Centres. We have a two tier system in place.

In our local authority the schools have different names:

XX Grammar Advanced Learning Centre
XX College
XX Community College
XX Catholic and CE/VA
XX Academy
The XX Advanced Learning Centre

They are all comprehensive schools. The "grammar" school was founded over 600 years ago but has kept the same name, but has been a comprehensive for many years. We don't live in a grammar school area, so very few 10/11 year olds take the 11+

Only XX Grammar ALC has a 6th form, so most students go to 6th form college after the age of 16.

Just to add another name to the mix op (sorry!). We have a 3 tier system in our county (outside London). There are lower (R-y4), middle (y5-8) and Upper schools (y9-13). I had a child in each type last school year.

I'm in Scotland too. I went to an Academy, but all the schools in my current area have 'High' at the end of their name. They're all comprehensives.

My daughter is at a Grammar which is called a High School and the boys is called a Grammar and the others are academies, just to add that into the mix !

In my part of the UK - Scotland - it's just a name. Most schools here are known as High Schools as part of their title.

To confuse matters, there are also many Scottish state secondary/high schools known as Academy. This does not mean "academy" in the sense in England in that they're devolved from the Local Authority control - it's just a name. There's also a school near where I grew up called Musselburgh Grammar - Scotland doesn't have a grammar school system any more and hasn't for decades, but the school never changed its name.

Strangely there are a few independent girls schools in SE London that are primary + secondary called high schools - Blackheath High School as an example.

Just to make things more confusing, some schools kept the grammar in their name after becoming comprehensive, so schools like Ilkley or Harrogate Grammar are not selective.

If you are in SE London I am guessing you are in or on the edge of a Grammar system.

High School means something different in a Grammar area.

All schools are secondary schools. It’s the phase of education.

Within secondary education you have Comprehensive Schools (which take the full spectrum of ability, and most sub- divide within the school by teaching those who learn at different speeds in different sets), of you have Grammar Schools and High Schools. Grammar schools are selective and admit on passing the 11+ exam or take those with the highest scores. The High Schools in tne same area take those who did not pass the exam for Grammar and those who chose not to take it.

Sometimes schools in grammar areas are called comprehensives, but they are not actually fully comprehensive as the top performing students are in tne Grammar.

High schools and secondary schools are the same. In my area lots of people use ‘comp’ for Comprehensive too, meaning the same.