Difference between High School and Secondary School

[Safirexx]

Hello, new to the UK secondary school system as recently arrived from overseas. I've been wondering why some schools are High Schools and others are Secondary Schools. Grateful for enlightenment.

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

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

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

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"

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 )

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.

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

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.

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.

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....

que?

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.

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.