Grammar school

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A grammar school has two distinct meanings: an elementary school or a secondary school, especially in England, in which college preparatory subjects, such as Latin and Greek, are or once were emphasized. Today the vast majority of Grammar Schools do not teach either of these ancient languages.

1 Origins
2 Australia
3 Canada
4 Hong Kong
5 Republic of Ireland
6 United Kingdom
7 United States
8 References
9 See also

Origins

The original intent of the medieval grammar schools was to educate the young in the grammar of Latin. Later the curriculum was considerably broadened to include other languages, such as Greek, Hebrew, English and European languages, as well as the natural sciences, mathematics, history, geography and other subjects.

Australia

In Australia, "grammar schools" are generally high-cost Church of England schools, public schools in the sense of the Associated Public Schools of Victoria. Those using the term "grammar" in their title are often the oldest Church of England school in their area.

Canada

In Ontario, until 1870, a grammar school referred to a secondary school.

Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, secondary schools primarily offering a traditional curriculum (instead of vocational subjects) are grammar schools.

Republic of Ireland

Education in the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland, has been mainly organised on denominational lines. Grammar schools along the lines of those in Great Britain were set up for members of the Church of Ireland prior to its disestablishment in 1871. Some schools remain, as private schools catering largely for Protestant students. These are often fee-paying and accommodate boarders, given the scattered nature of the Protestant population in much of Ireland. Such schools include those in Bandon^[1], Drogheda (run by Quakers since 1956^[2]), Dundalk^[3] and Sligo^[4]. Others are among the many former fee-paying schools which have been absorbed into larger state-funded Community Schools, Community Colleges, and Comprehensive Schools, founded since the introduction of universal secondary education in the Republic by minister Donagh O'Malley in the 1960s. Examples include Cork Grammar School, replaced by Ashton Comprehensive School.^[5]

United Kingdom

Main article: Grammar schools in the United Kingdom

By the late mediæval period in Britain there were many schools teaching Latin grammar. In England the Tudor King Edward VI reorganised these schools or instituted new ones so that there was a national system of "free grammar schools" that were in theory open to all and offered free tuition to those who could not afford to pay fees. The vast majority of poor children did not attend these schools since their labour was economically valuable to their families.

In the late Victorian period grammar schools were reorganised and their curriculum was modernised, although Latin was still taught.

Following the Education Act 1944 the Tripartite System was established, similar to the European tiered school system. This placed the grammar school as the place of education for the academically gifted (as determined by the eleven plus exam). Other children attended technical schools or secondary modern schools. The system became controversial in the post-war years. Critics condemned it as being elitist and defenders claimed that grammar schools allow pupils to obtain a good education through merit rather than through family income. In the mid-1960s the then Labour Government tried to restrict or abolish grammar schools by requiring local authorities to introduce comprehensive schools. Following this, some grammar schools became fully independent and charged fees, while still usually retaining "grammar school" in their title. However, many grammar schools continue to be state run.

The 11 plus exam has since been abolished in most parts of the UK but it remains in Northern Ireland and some English counties such as Kent, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Trafford, Wiltshire, Skipton, North Yorkshire The Wirral and Lincolnshire and London boroughs such as Bromley and Redbridge, despite so far unsuccessful attempts by campaigners to have it abolished there too. Grammar schools are selective, typically taking the top 10% of those from the local catchment area. Some grammar schools in the United Kingdom can trace their history back to earlier than the 16th century.

United States

In the United States, the term has often been used as a synonym for elementary school, although this usage is somewhat in decline.

References

^ Bandon Grammar School: mission and ethos. Retrieved on 2007-02-13. “Bandon Grammar School is a co-educational, boarding and day school founded in 1641, with an historic and valued association with the Church of Ireland.”
^ Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Ireland: Drogheda Grammar School (2006). Retrieved on 2007-02-13. “This year sees the 50th anniversary of Quaker involvement with Drogheda Grammar School. At the time a Quaker committee took over the running of the school...”
^ Dundalk Grammar School homepage. Retrieved on 2007-02-13. “Since 1739 the school has been closely associated with the Incorporated Society for Promoting Protestant Schools in Ireland.”
^ Sligo Grammar School: the school. Retrieved on 2007-02-13. “The school is one of a small number of schools in the Republic of Ireland under Church of Ireland management”
^ Ashton School: history. Retrieved on 2007-02-13. “Ashton School, as a comprehensive school, was founded in September 1972 when Rochelle School and Cork Grammar School merged on the Grammar School site.”