Types of school and year groups

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Wiltshire schools are made up of

• infant: for pupils aged 4 to 7 (some have nurseries for 3 and 4 year olds)
• junior: for pupils aged 7 to 11
• all-through primary: for pupils aged 4 to 11
• secondary: for pupils aged 11 - 16 (some secondary schools have sixth forms for 16 - 18 year olds)

Types of school

The admission authority is the official body which decides the rules on how children will get a place at the school and who is offered a place. Different types of school have different admission authorities and different admission criteria.

Within Wiltshire there five are different types of school:

Type of school	Details	Admission authority
Community	Run by the local authority.	Wiltshire Council
Voluntary Controlled	Church schools which are now run by the local authoirty like community schools.	Wiltshire Council
Voluntary aided	Mainly set up by churches or other faiths. Admission criteria may give priority to children of a particular faith.	School governors
Foundation	Run by their own governing body.	School governors
Academies	Funded by the government and private sponsors. They operate as independent schools but do not charge fees and admit pupils of secondary age on a similar basis to other state schools.	School governors

Information on grammar schools.

Independent schools are funded from fees paid by parents and income from investments. These schools set their own curriculum and admission policies. The Independent Schools Council's website has a list of independent schools and their contact details.

School year groups

Age	Year	Group	Stage
3 - 4	Nursery	Nursery year	Foundation stage
4 - 5	Infant years	Reception year	Foundation stage
5 - 7	Infant years	Years 1 and 2	Key stage 1
7 - 11	Junior years	Years 3, 4, 5 and 6	Key stage 2
11 - 14	Secondary years	Years 7, 8 and 9	Key stage 3
14 - 16	Secondary years	Years 10 and 11	Key stage 4

Related links

In church aided schools the governing body and the diocese are the lead authorities, supported by the local authority. There are three dioceses which have oversight of the voluntary aided schools in Wiltshire:

• Clifton Diocese (RC) Department for Schools and Colleges
• Diocese of Bristol (CE) Board of Education
• Salisbury (CE) Diocesan Board Of Education

Last updated: 25 August 2010