A grammar school is a type of school in the educational histories of the United Kingdom and derived English-speaking countries; some grammar schools currently offer secondary education. Teaching Latin, the language of the Church, is the original purpose of the medieval grammar schools, that later broadened the curriculum with Ancient Greek, (sometimes) Hebrew, then English and the European languages, and the natural sciences, mathematics, history, and geography. In the late Victorian era, grammar schools were re-organised to impart secondary education in the U.K., excepting Scotland, which had its own grammar school system. Moreover, these British grammar school types were established in the British territories, where each type evolved in different ways.

Grammar schools became the selective-tier of the Tripartite System of state-funded, secondary education operating in England and Wales, from the mid-1940s until the late 1960s, and continues in Northern Ireland. With the move to comprehensive schools, in the 1960s and 1970s, some grammar schools became fully independent and charged fees, while most others were abolished or became comprehensive schools; some of both types continue denominating themselves as a “grammar school” in their formal (official) names; parts of England retain Tripartite System forms, with some grammar schools in areas otherwise served by comprehensive schools. Of the remaining grammar schools, some trace their histories to before the sixteenth century.

From medieval times, a grammar school was a school for the teaching of Latin, and, later, other Classical languages. Although the term scolae grammaticales was not common usage until the 14th Century, the earliest schools were established in the 6th Century, e.g. the King’s School, Canterbury (founded AD 597) and the King’s School, Rochester (founded AD 604). ^[1][2] The schools were attached to cathedrals and monasteries, to tech Latin — the language of the Church— to future priests and monks; occasionaly, other subjects required for religious work were included to the curriculum, e.g. music, verse (for liturgy), astronomy, mathematics (for the Church’s calendar) and law (for administration). ^[3]

With the foundation of the ancient universities in the 12th Century, grammar schools were the start of a liberal arts education, with Latin being the Trivium’s foundation. Usually, pupils were educated until the age of fourteen, afterwards attending either university or the Church for further schooling and education. The first schools independent of the Church — Winchester College (1382) and Eton College (1440) — were tied to the universities, and, as feeder boarding schools, their student bodies reflected the national character — British, not only English. ^[3][4]

In the 16th Century, during the English Reformation, most cathedral grammar schools were closed, and then replaced with schools funded with the dissolution of the monasteries. ^[3] The oldest, extant schools in Wales — Christ College, Brecon (founded 1541) and the Friars School, Bangor (1557) — were established on the sites of former Dominican monasteries. King Edward VI made an important contribution to grammar schools, in founding a series of schools in his reign (see King Edward’s School); and King James I founded a series of “Royal Schools” in Ulster, with the Royal School, Armagh, being the first.

Theoretically, the grammar school was open to everyone —free to students who could not pay fees — however, most poor children did not go to school, because their labour was economically necessary to their families. In the Scottish Reformation, the Choir School of Glasgow Cathedral (founded 1124) and the Grammar School of the Church of Edinburgh (founded 1128) passed from Church control to burgh council control, despite the burghs then founding new schools. The increased piety of the post–Reformation emphasised studying the Christian scriptures, and schools added Greek and (some) Hebrew, yet a language-teacher shortage hampered the effort. Socially, in the 16th and 17th centuries, establishing a grammar school became a common prestige act-of-charity for nobles, merchants, and guilds — usually, the financial endowment for the wages of a school (subject) master to instruct the local boys in Latin and Greek. ^[5]

The dawn-to-dusk teaching was mostly the rote learning of Latin; fluency was encouraged by punishing pupils speaking English, thus they learned to read, write, and translate. At schooling’s end, the pupil knew the great Latin authors, drama, and rhetoric; ^[6] however, other skills, such as numeracy and penmanship, were neglected, being taught by itinerant teachers, such as a scrivener. In 1755, Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary defined a grammar school as: a school in which the learned languages are grammatically taught; ^[7] however, in that time, demand for Classical languages was slight. The newly-empowered Commercial Class required modern languages and commercial subjects. ^[5] Most grammar schools founded in the 18th Century also taught arithmetic and English.^[8] In Scotland, the burgh councils updated the curricula, resultantly, Scotland has no grammar schools denoted in any sense discussed here, though Aberdeen Grammar School, retains the name.^[9]

In England, urban, middle-class pressure for a commercial curriculum often was supported by the school’s trustees (who charged fees from new students), but were resisted by the schoolmaster, supported by the terms of the original endowment. Some schools obtained special Acts of Parliament (the Macclesfield Grammar School Act of 1774, and the Bolton Grammar School Act of 1788) to authorise statutory change, but most school’s could not do so. ^[5] A dispute, between the trustees and the master of Leeds Grammar School, is a celebrated case in the Court of Chancery. In 1805, after ten years, Lord Eldon (then Lord Chancellor), ruled: “There is no authority for thus changing the nature of the Charity, and filling a School intended for the purpose of teaching Greek and Latin with Scholars learning the German and French languages, mathematics, and anything, except Greek and Latin”. ^[10] He proposed a compromise, wherein, some subjects might be added to a Classical core curriculum; the ruling established a restrictive precedent for English grammar schools, that, then, seemed terminally declining.^[3][8]

Grammar schools were reformed in the 19th Century, culminating in the Endowed Schools Act; the schools were re-invented as academically-oriented secondary schools imparting literary and scientific curricula, while retaining the Classical subjects. The Grammar Schools Act of 1840 made it lawful to apply the income of grammar schools to purposes other than the teaching of Classical languages, yet only the schoolmaster could consent to curricular change. Meanwhile, the national schools re-organised according to Thomas Arnold’s reforms at Rugby School; the extension of the railways lead to new types of boarding grammar schools teaching a broad curriculum, e.g. Marlborough College (1843). The first girls’ schools that prepared women for university were North London Collegiate School (1850) and Cheltenham Ladies’ College (from the appointment of Dorothea Beale (1858).^[5][8]

Modelled on the Clarendon Commission, which led to the Public Schools Act 1868, restructuring the trusts of nine leading schools, the Taunton Commission was appointed to examine the remaining 782 endowed grammar schools. The Commission reported that the distribution of schools did not match the current population, and that provision of schooling greatly varied in quality, while provision for girls was particularly limited. ^[5][8] The Commission proposed the creation of a national system of secondary education, by restructuring the endowments of these schools for modern educational purposes, this resulted in the Endowed Schools Act 1869, which created the Endowed Schools Commission with power over the endowment of a school; reportedly, the Taunton Commission “could turn a boys’ school in Northumberland into a girls’ school in Cornwall”, thus English and Welsh grammar schools, endowed to offer free Classical instruction to boys, were remodelled as fee-paying schools (with competitive scholarships offered) teaching broad curricula to boys or girls. ^[5][8][11]

The new schools founded with modern curricula, often retained the Classical core curriculum. At the time, there was much educational emphasis on the importance of self-improvement, and parents, keen for good schooling and education for their children, organised the establishment of new schools, usually emulating the great public schools (curricula, ethos, ambitions) and often assume the “grammar school” name for historical reasons. Grammar schools thus emerged as one part of the varied education system of England and Wales before 1944. Under the Education (Administrative Provisions) Act 1907, all grant-aided secondary schools must provide at least 25 per cent of their places as free scholarships for public elementary school students. ^[3][8]

The 1944 Butler Education Act created the first nationwide system of state-funded secondary education in England and Wales, echoed by the Education (Northern Ireland) Act 1947. One of the three types of school forming the Tripartite System was called the grammar school, seeking to spread the academic ethos of the existing grammar schools. Grammar schools were intended to teach an academic curriculum to the most intellectually able 25% of the school population, selected by the eleven plus examination.

Two types of grammar school existed under the system:^[12][13]

• There were over 1200 "maintained" grammar schools, which were fully state-funded. Though some were quite old, most were either newly created or built since the Victorian period, seeking to replicate the studious, aspirational atmosphere found in the older grammar schools.
• There were also 178 direct grant grammar schools, which took between one quarter and one half of their pupils from the state system, and the rest from fee-paying parents. They also exercised far greater freedom from local authorities, and were members of the Headmasters' Conference. These schools included some very old schools, encouraged to participate in the Tripartite System. The most famous example of a direct grant grammar was Manchester Grammar School, whose headmaster, Lord James of Rusholme, was one of the most outspoken advocates of the Tripartite System.

Grammar school pupils were given the best opportunities of any schoolchildren in the state system. Initially they studied for the School Certificate and Higher School Certificate, replaced in 1951 by General Certificate of Education examinations at O-level (Ordinary level) and A-level (Advanced level). In contrast, very few students at secondary modern schools took public examinations until the introduction of the less academic Certificate of Secondary Education (known as the CSE) in the 1960s.^[14] Until the implementation of the Robbins Report in the 1960s, children from public and grammar schools effectively monopolised access to university. These schools were also the only ones that offered an extra term of school to prepare pupils for the competitive entrance exams for Oxbridge.

The Tripartite System was largely abolished in England and Wales between 1965, with the issue of Circular 10/65, and the 1976 Education Act. Most grammar schools were amalgamated with a number of other local schools, to form neighbourhood comprehensive schools, though a few were closed. This process proceeded quickly in Wales, with the closure of such schools as Cowbridge Grammar School. In England, implementation was more uneven, with some counties and individual schools resisting the change.^[15][16]

Direct grant grammar schools almost invariably severed their ties with the state sector, and became fully independent. There are thus many schools with the name "grammar", but which are not free. These schools normally select their pupils by an entrance examination, and sometimes an interview.

By the end of the 1980s, all of the grammar schools in Wales and most of those in England had closed or become comprehensive. (Selection also disappeared from state-funded schools in Scotland in the same period.) While many former grammar schools ceased to be selective, some of them retained the word "grammar" in their name. Most of these schools remain comprehensive, while a few became partially selective or fully selective in the 1990s.

Today, "grammar school" commonly refers to one of the remaining fully selective state-funded schools in England and Northern Ireland.

At the 1995 Labour Party conference, David Blunkett, then education spokesman, promised that there would be no selection under a Labour government. However the party's manifesto for the 1997 election promised that "Any changes in the admissions policies of grammar schools will be decided by local parents."^[17] Under the Labour government's School Standards and Framework Act 1998, grammar schools were for the first time to be designated by statutory instrument.^[18][19] The Act also defined a procedure by which local communities could petition for a ballot for an end to selection at schools.^[20][21] Petitions were launched in several areas, but only one received the signatures of 20% of eligible parents, the level needed to trigger a ballot.^[22] Thus the only ballot held to date was for Ripon Grammar School in 2000, when parents rejected change by a ratio of 2 to 1.^[23] These arrangements were condemned by the Select Committee for Education and Skills as being ineffective and a waste of time and resources.^[24]

There are still 164 state-run grammar schools in existence.^[25] Only a few areas keep a formal grammar school system along the lines of the Tripartite System. In these areas, the eleven plus exam is used solely to identify a subset of children (around 25%) considered suitable for grammar education. When a grammar school has too many qualified applicants, other criteria are used to allocate places, such as siblings, distance or faith. Such systems still exist in Buckinghamshire, Rugby and Stratford districts of Warwickshire, the Salisbury district of Wiltshire, Stroud in Gloucestershire and most of Lincolnshire, Kent and Medway. Of metropolitan areas, Trafford and most of Wirral are selective.^[26][27]

In other areas, grammar schools survive mainly as very highly selective schools in an otherwise comprehensive county, for example in several of the outer boroughs of London. In some LEAs, as few as 2% of 11 year olds may attend grammar schools. These schools are often heavily over-subscribed, and award places in rank order of performance in their entry tests. They also tend to dominate the top positions in performance tables.^[28]

No further radical change is proposed by either of the main political parties. Although many on the left argue that the existence of selective schools undermines the comprehensive structure, the Labour government has delegated decisions on grammar schools to local processes, which have not yet resulted in any changes. Moreover government education policy appears to accept the existence of some kind of hierarchy in secondary education, with specialist schools, advanced schools, beacon schools and similar initiatives proposed as ways of raising standards. Many grammar schools have featured in these programmes, and a lower level of selection is permitted at specialist schools.^[29][30] Though many in the Conservative Party favour the expansion of grammar schools, since 2006 the Party's policy has been that no new grammar schools will be built, except to cope with population expansion in wholly selective areas such as Buckinghamshire. David Willetts, shadow education secretary, argued that because middle-class parents now invest so much in preparing their children for the tests, grammar schools no longer offer opportunities to gifted children from poorer backgrounds.^[31]

Attempts to move to a comprehensive system (as in the rest of the United Kingdom) have been delayed by shifts in the administration of Northern Ireland. As a result, Northern Ireland still maintains the grammar school system with most pupils being entered for the Eleven Plus. Since the "open enrolment" reform of 1989, these schools (unlike those in England) have been required to accept pupils up to their capacity, which has also increased.^[32] By 2006, the 69 grammar schools took 42% of transferring children, and only 7 of them took all of their intake from the top 30% of the cohort.^[33]

The 11-plus has long been controversial, and the province's political parties have taken opposing positions. Unionists tend to lean towards preserving the grammar schools as they are, with academic selection at the age of 11, whereas republicans lean towards scrapping the Eleven Plus. The Democratic Unionist Party claimed to have ensured the continuation of the grammar school system in the Province as part of the St Andrews Agreement in October 2006. By contrast Sinn Féin claims to have secured the abolition of the 11+ and a veto over any system which might follow it.

The last 11-plus exam will be held in 2008 (for 2009 entry). A proposed new transfer point at age 14, with specialisation of schools beyond that point, may offer a future role for grammar schools.^[34] However, a consortium of 25 grammar schools intends to run a common entry test for 2009 admissions, and Lumen Christi College, the top-ranking Catholic school, also plans to run its own tests.^[35][36]

Grammar schools were established in various British territories, and have developed in different ways since those territories became independent.

In the mid-19th century, private schools were established in the Australian colonies to spare the wealthy classes from sending their sons to schools in Britain. These schools took their inspiration from English public schools, and often called themselves "grammar schools".^[37] Early examples include Launceston Church Grammar School (1846), Pulteney Grammar School (1847) and Geelong Grammar School (1855). With the exception of the non-denominational Sydney Grammar School (1857) and Queensland grammar schools, all the grammar schools established in the 19th century were attached to the Church of England (now the Anglican Church of Australia). In Queensland, the Grammar Schools Act 1860 provided for the state-assisted foundation of non-denominational grammar schools. Ten were founded, of which 8 still exist.^[38] The first Australian grammar school for girls was Brisbane Girls' Grammar School (1875); others soon followed.^[39]

In the 1920s grammar schools of other denominations were established, including members of the Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria, and the trend has continued to the present day. Today, the term is defined only in Queensland legislation. Throughout the country, "grammar schools" are generally high-cost private schools. The equivalent of contemporary English grammar schools are selective schools.

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

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

Education in the Republic of Ireland, has traditionally been 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^[40], Drogheda (run by Quakers since 1956^[41]), Dundalk^[42] and Sligo^[43]. 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 September 1967. Examples include Cork Grammar School, replaced by Ashton Comprehensive School.^[44]

When Singapore was a British colony, English missionaries set up prestigious grammar schools such as the Canossa Convent, Raffles Girls' School, Anglo-Chinese Schools and the Methodist Girls' School. After independence in 1965, all such schools were integrated into a unified national school system, but many later became independent or autonomous. These traditional grammar schools continue to garner prestige and are known to Oxbridge and Ivy League universities.

British-model U.S. grammar schools were founded in the colonial period, the first being the Boston Latin School, founded as the Latin Grammar School, in 1635. ^[45][46] In 1647, the Massachusetts Bay Colony enacted the Old Deluder Satan Law, requiring any township, of at least 100 households, to establish a grammar school, like-wise, the other New England colonies. Initially, the schools taught Classical languages to young men, in preparation for university, but, by the mid-18th Century, many had broader curricula including practical subjects, nevertheless, they declined in competition with more practical schools and academies. The name grammar school was adopted by schools educating children from ten-to-fourteen years of age, and, later, by elementary schools, current usage is slight. ^[47][48]

• Gymnasium (school)
• Latin school
• History of education in England

• A general timeline of British education
• Links on Elizabethan education
• The situation of grammar schools today
• National Grammar Schools Association
• Support Kent Schools
• An article on advanced schools and other advanced sections of the English secondary system.
• Commentary by The Guardian about grammar schools today
• say NO to selection!
• Campaign for Fair Admissions