So what is the difference between these types of school?

[SaltireOShanter]

I know what an Infant and Junior school are, but what is a Lower and Middle school?

Where I grew up we had

First School - 5-9yrs
Middle school - 9-13 yrs
High School - 13-16/18yrs

They still operate that system now, I think it's a good thing. The schools are distinct, seperate school sites as well, not like Infant/Juniors which are often on same site.

ermm pretty much the same thing - in fact I think indentical?

some authorities have two schools before secondary. so lower is 4-7 and middle is 7-11 - like having KS1 and KS2 in different schools.

5?8 First Schools, followed by 8?12 Middle Schools, as suggested by Plowden
5?9 First Schools, followed by 9?13 Middle Schools
5?10 First Schools followed by 10?13 Middle Schools, or Intermediate Schools

(from wiki)

Well there is a (slight) possibiltiy that we might be moving somewhere due to DH (possibly) getting a posting. It says there is a lower school and a middle school, yet the middle school is lsited as being a secondary. I thought secondarys were something completely different?
See in Scotland you get Primary and Secondary, and thats it, no faffing around with juniors and infatns, they are all grouped together in one building called a Primary

What Lizzy said i.e. they move between schools at different ages.
Infant/Junior fit the Key Stages, First/Middle go across them.

So middle school is effectively the same age group as a Junior school - years 3-6?

Middle school is Y5-Y8 (last 2 yrs of KS2, first 2 yrs of KS3).
This means that within your first year of Secondary school you have to take KS3 SATs (if the Govt re-instate them!) and also have to decide your GCSE options when you and your teachers haven't really got to know each other terribly well.

We need a confused emotion!

It's like a lot of stuff in education - it seems weird when you first try to comprehend, but you get sucked in and you are soon talking acronyms and jargon with the best of them.

In Norfolk they used to have

First SChool - Reception to Yr3 inclusive
Middle School - Years 4 to 7 inclusive
High SChool - Yr 8 onwards.

NOW they have

Infant SChool - Reception to Yr2
Junior SChool Yr 3 to Yr 6 inclusive
High School Yr 7 onwards

So it's all shifted down a year, to bring it in line with Key Stages of the National Curriculum.

To confuse things further saltire - Some secondary schools are split into lower middle and upper school - on the same site

There are a handful of areas that still have the middle school system

Infants Reception - Year 3

Middle/Junior High Year 5 - Year 3 - Year 9

High Year 10 and above

Many Secondaries refer to Years 7-9 as the Lower School (Key Stage 3)

In Worcestershire the first/middle/high school system is still in operation, and the nearest first and middle schools to me are on the same site.

Where I grew up it was infant, junior, secondary, or primary, secondary. My secondary had an upper and lower school, and they were physically separate as the lower was the old comprehensive and the upper the old grammar

in my bit of Suffolk:

primary: reception to yr4
middle: yr 5 - 8
high: yr9 - 11/6th form

it's changing though, more's the pity, I like this system

We're in Bedfordshire.

There is Lower school (nursery to year 4)
Middle school - Year 5 to Year 8
Upper school Year 9 to Year 11/13

I believe Dorset still runs this:
R-Y3;
Y4-7 or 8;
Y9+.

I think this is a great idea but sadly these school divisions don't fit in with National Curriculum key stages.

Infant R-Y2
Junior Y3-Y6
Secondary Y7-Y13

First (lower) R-Y4
Middle Y5-Y8
Upper Y9-Y13

Where are you thinking of moving?

Parts of Worcestershire, Berkshire, Southampton and a few other areas have a 3 tier system (rather than a 2 tier Primary/Secondary system)

First (possibly called lower?) = Yr R to Yr 4
Middle (called Middle, deemed secondary) = Yr 5 - Yr 8
Upper = Y9 - Y13