Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place. It follows elementary or primary education, and may be followed by university (tertiary) education.
There are many different types of secondary school, and the terminology used varies around the world. Children usually transfer to secondary school between the ages of 10 and 16 years, and finish between the ages of 16 and 18 years, though there is considerable variation from country to country.
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In Australia secondary school is called high school, from Year 7 to Year 12.
In Canada secondary school is called secondary school (grades 8–12), with the exception of Quebec which goes from Secondary 1 to Secondary 5 (grades 7–11).
In England and Wales secondary school is for children from the ages of 11 to 16 or 18.[1] Secondary school incorporates Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 of the National Curriculum (Year Seven to Year Eleven) and can also include sixth form. After 16 compulsory education ends, and young people can decide whether to continue their studies further at school or sixth form college, or leave the education system.
Curriculum
The "Core Curriculum" is the compulsory secondary curriculum for Key Stage 3 and 4 years/Forms 7-11/1-5.
English
Maths
Science (This can be taught at 3 separate sciences: Biology, Chemistry and Physics)
ICT
and in many places it is considered compulsory to take a Modern Foreign Language (MFL) which is usually French or German.
GCSEs MUST be taken in all of these subjects.
Also compulsory until year 11/ Form 5 are:
Citizenship
Personal Social Health and (Citizenship) Education (P.S.H.(C).E)
Religious Studies (R.S.)
Physical Education (P.E.)
Sex Education (S.E.) (Compulsory for Year 7 but optional for years 8-11. No GCSE available. This is usually taught compulsory to year 9 in areas of high teenage pregnancy)
A GCSE does not have to be sat in these subjects but a full or short course GCSE may be sat if the student wishes. In some schools (Mainly Independent schools or High achieving selective state secondaries) these subjects are compulsory to do the GCSE exam in.
'Key Stage 3' Year 7-9/ Form 1-3 Curriculum
The "Core Curriculum" plus the other Key Foundation subjects
Art and Design
Design and Technology
Drama
Geography
History
Other MFLs (Spanish, Polish, Welsh (the school will decide, if at all))
Music
In Hong Kong the government provides a nine-year compulsory education to students in the territory. Students are promoted to secondary schools after finishing their primary school education. Until the 2008-2009 school year secondary schools had seven grades (Form/Secondary 1-7), but starting from school year 2009–2010 the 3–3–4 scheme is in operation; Form 4–6 has become Senior Secondary 1–3, Form 7 has been eliminated, and universities provide four years of education instead of three.
In India high school is a grade of education from Standards IX to XII. Standards XI and XII are also called Secondary School or Junior College. Usually students from ages 14 to 18 study in this section. These schools may be affiliated to national boards (like CBSE, ICSE, and NIOS) or various state boards. Education is compulsory until age 14. Although most are stand-alone day schools, some popular schools are residential. Traditional second stage in formal education, typically beginning at ages 14 - 16 and ending at 16 – 18 [2].
The distinction between elementary and secondary education has gradually become less marked because of the proliferation of middle schools, junior high schools, and other divisions.
Secondary students are typically aged between 12 and 19. Secondary school takes six years to complete, but some schools allow their students to skip the fourth year. Schools offer English, Irish (Gaeilge), Mathematics, French, German, Spanish, Geography, History, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Business Studies, Economics, Home Economics, Music, Art, Woodwork, Metalwork, Classical Studies and other subjects. Not all schools offer all of these subjects. There are 734 schools in Ireland.
Following the European model, "secondary school" is considered the first grade beyond elementary. This is the 7th grade in the U.S.
In the United States the term can refer to two types of school. The first type is the same as a high school (grades 9–12), while the second type refers to an alternative school which is sometimes called a secondary school. For example, the school "Richmond Secondary" refers to the traditional high school, while "Richmond Secondary School" refers to an alternative school.
The names used to describe the institutions used for secondary education vary from country to country. Sometimes, the same terminology is used in different countries but with very different meanings.
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