Describe the characteristics of the different types of schools in relation to educational stage(s) and school governance Essay

The two schools I shall be discussing are Parkstone Grammar School, and Canford Heath Infant School. I have chosen these schools, as they are very different, not only in their age ranges but also in the processes in which they admit their students. Parkstone Grammar School is a selective all girls academy school in Poole, Dorset. (Academy meaning â€Å"a school directly funded by the governments Department of Education, but independent of local government control.† â€Å"An academy may receive additional support from personal or corporate sponsors, but must meet the same National Curriculum core subject requirements as other state schools and be subject to inspection by Ofsted.† Source Wikipedia) The school provides for girls aged between 11 and 18, teaching key stages 3, 4 and 5. The selection process to determine which girls will be eligible to be considered for an admission place is formatted by means of three exams, one verbal reasoning and two non-verbal reasoning. The girls who meet the appropriate level of ability in these tests can then apply for a place at the school via the local borough. The places are then considered and decided by the schools Governors’ Admissions panel following the criteria shown below. a)Eligible girls who are classed as â€Å"looked after† or have previously been â€Å"looked after†. b)Eligible girls who live within the Borough of Poole. c)Eligible girls who live outside the Borough of Poole, in rank order of the entrance test scores, with those girls obtaining highest scores given higher priority. Parkstone Grammar School has a substantial governing body who describe their role as â€Å"A critical friend† to the school. The governing body, or school governors are responsible for the admissions to the school, as previously mentioned and the recruitment of staff. They also have control over the school funds in order to ensure the teachers and students have the resources they require. Parkstone Grammar School receives most of its funding from the local  authority, receiving  £15464 for 2011-2012. This money is then used to support learning in numerous ways, such as, curriculum support, work experience and SEN. The school also receives The school also receives funding from local companies who sponsor and support the school by providing equipment and help fund building projects such as a new sports hall, for example. In contrast to the Grammar school, Canford Heath Infant School is a state run primary school, providing education for ages 4-7, which covers the Early Years Foundation Stages (EYFS) and Key Stage 1 and 2. The admissions policy is very different to the Grammar, all admissions for the infant school are organised by Poole Borough. Poole admissions conduct and equal preference admissions system, where parents select 3 choices which are considered together, but the highest ranked preference is offered subject to availability. Similarly to the Grammar school though the admissions consider the following criteria when the school is over-subscribed. a)A child in care or who was previously a child in care. b) Pupils who live within the schools catchment area. c)Pupils who live outside the catchment area in the following order 1)Pupils who have sibling who’s already enrolled in the school 2)Pupils who have a significant medical or psychological condition 3)All other pupils As with the Grammar school, Canford Heath Infant School has a governing body which has certain legal duties and responsibilities to ensure that the school provides the correct services to parents and the children attending the school. Canford Heath Infant School governing body consists of five types of governor. 1)LEA – Appointed by the local authority 2)Parent – Elected by parents 3)Community Governor – Elected by the governing body 4)Staff governor – elected by the staff 5)Associate governor – elected by the governing body As with the Grammar school funding is a vital necessity. Canford Heath Infant School is mainly funded the local authority but also has a parent support group who work with the school to provide extra funds for school trips, discos, book bags and library books. Although these schools are very different in their admission procedures and the age of children attending, both schools follow similar structural criteria. For admissions, funding and academic, most importantly both have governing bodies that support the whole school and provide essential guidance, advice and ensuring schools provide equality of opportunity for everyone, by setting values, aims and objectives, agreeing school improvement strategy’s, which involves approving budgets and agreeing staffing. So therefore, in conclusion, despite the differences these schools are effectively run in the same manner, with the same goals and objectives.