![Gosforth East Middle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Gosforth_East_Middle.jpg)
Three-tier education refers to those structures of schooling, which exist in some parts of England, where pupils are taught in three distinct school types as they progress through the education system.
Terminology
In a three-tier
local education authority children begin their
compulsory education in a first school
or lower school,
which caters for children up to the age of 8 or 9.
Children then transfer to a middle school, which caters for children from age 9 to age 13 or 14.
[ Following this, children transfer for the remainder of their compulsory education to an upper school] or high school, sometimes on into the sixth form
In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...
.
History
References to middle schools in publications of the UK Government
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date back to 1856, and the educational reports of William Henry Hadow
Sir William Henry Hadow (27 December 1859 – 8 April 1937) was a leading educational reformer in Great Britain, a musicologist and a composer.
Life
Born at Ebrington in Gloucestershire and baptised there on 29 January 1860 by his father, ...
mention the concept. It was not until 1963 that a local authority, the West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...
, first proposed to introduce a middle-school system, with schools spanning ages 5–9, 9–13 and 13–18; one source suggests that the system was "introduced" in that year.[ ]Local education authorities
Local education authorities (LEAs) were local councils in England that are responsible for education within their jurisdiction. The term was used to identify which council (district or county) is locally responsible for education in a system wit ...
were permitted to introduce middle schools by the Education Act 1964, subsequently, the notion of three-tier education was mooted by the Plowden Report
The Plowden Report is the unofficial name for the 1967 report of the Central Advisory Council For Education (England) into Primary education in England. The report, entitled ''Children and their Primary Schools'', reviewed primary education in a wh ...
of 1967—this proposed the introduction of first schools and middle school
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...
s, which would replace the existing system of infant and junior school
A Junior school is a type of school which provides primary education to children, often in the age range from 8 and 13, following attendance at Infant school which covers the age range 5–7. (As both Infant and Junior schools are giving Primary ...
s, as well as the first part of secondary schooling. The Plowden Report recommended that middle schools span ages 8 to 12.[
The first middle school in England was introduced in 1968, in the ]Hemsworth
Hemsworth is a town and civil parish in the City of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire and had a population of 13,311 at the 2001 census, with it increasing to 13,533 at the 2011 Census.
Hist ...
division of the West Riding of Yorkshire.[ The first authority-wide systems of middle schools were introduced in 1970, in Stoke-on-Trent and ]Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
. Numbers rapidly grew, with over a thousand opening in the decade from the first introduction.[ Sources suggest reasons for the introduction of the three-tier system in local authority areas included capacity problems, as a result of both the raising of the school leaving age to 16 from 15 (which took place in 1972),][ and the introduction of ]comprehensive education
Comprehensive may refer to:
* Comprehensive layout, the page layout of a proposed design as initially presented by the designer to a client.
*Comprehensive school, a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement ...
, with the schools themselves bypassing the traditional Eleven-plus exam which determined which secondary school pupils would attend.[
The number of middle schools peaked in 1982, when over 1400 middle schools were open;][ by 2017, only 121 remained,][ and by 2019 the National Middle Schools' Forum recorded 107 in its directory, in 14 local authority areas. In 2006, it was reported that Central Bedfordshire, ]Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land ...
and the Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...
were the only LEAs still exclusively using the three-tier system.
Multiple reasons have been suggested by sources for this reversion to a two-tier system, including: a lack of clear identity, with the Department for Education and Science
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) was a United Kingdom government department between 2001 and 2007, responsible for the education system (including higher education and adult learning) as well as children's services in England.
Th ...
labelling them as either primary or secondary;[ a lack of teachers trained to teach in middle schools;] and increased autonomy being given to schools, with upper and lower schools choosing to expand their age ranges.[ The introduction of the ]National Curriculum A national curriculum is a common programme of study in schools that is designed to ensure nationwide uniformity of content and standards in education. It is usually legislated by the national government, possibly in consultation with state or other ...
has also been cited, as the middle school system led to children changing schools partway through one of its Key Stages; the National Curriculum was cited by David Ward, then the councillor in Bradford responsible for education, as a reason for abolishing the system there, and local authority officials in Wiltshire, when closing the remaining middle schools in 2002, argued specifically that the mid-Key-Stage school change caused children to be disadvantaged. In addition, in Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land ...
it was reported that closing its middle schools could allow the buildings to be sold to raise money for repairs to the remainder of the council's school estate.[
The Inter-LEA Middle Schools Forum was founded in 1991, later changing its name to the National Middle Schools' Forum;][ it describes itself as "the voice of the middle school community".
In 2016, ]Nigel Huddleston
Nigel Paul Huddleston (born 13 October 1970) is a British politician serving as Lord Commissioner of the Treasury since September 2022 and as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade since October 2022. He served as Parlia ...
raised the topic of three-tier education in Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
; the schools minister, Nick Gibb
Nicolas John Gibb (born 3 September 1960) is a British politician serving as Minister of State for Schools since October 2022, having previously held the office from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2021. He has served at the Department for ...
, noted that the Government had no plans to abolish the three-tier system in the areas that retained it.
Similar systems
In Scotland, middle schools were operated in Grangemouth from 1974 to 1988, the system having been proposed in 1968.
In the independent sector
Independent Sector is a coalition of nonprofits, foundations and corporate giving programs. Founded in 1980, it is the first organization to combine the grant seekers and grantees.
Located in Washington, D.C., Independent Sector largely works on f ...
, some prep schools take pupils up to age 13. In addition, some private secondary schools admit pupils at 13, including some of those using the Common Entrance
Common Entrance Examinations (commonly known as CE) are taken by independent school pupils in the UK as part of the selective admissions process at age 13, though ten independent schools do select at 11 using different test papers. They are set ...
exam and some public schools.
Gibraltar's education system has a system of first, middle and secondary schools.
See also
* Education in England
*List of middle schools in England
Middle schools in England are defined in English and Welsh law as being schools in which the age range of pupils starts younger than 10 years and six months and finishes older than 12 years of age.
The number of middle schools, including combin ...
References
{{Reflist
School terminology
Education in England