A choice of schools

Mainstream schools

In England and Wales, 90 per cent of children are educated in state-maintained schools, of which the majority are what you might refer to as mainstream or 'ordinary' schools. Their prominence means that there are more teaching positions available in such schools than in any other kind.

Mainstream schools share a lot in common – for instance, they all receive public funding and are required to teach the National Curriculum but you will find that each school has its own individual characteristics and emphasis.

Most visible are the variations in size, location, age group and gender of pupils, presenting both subtly and completely different teaching challenges. Just as significant though is the school's ethos. Different kinds of schools are run in different ways, implementing different policies and serving different educational needs.

For instance, grammar schools select all or most of their pupils according to academic ability – with the intention of catering for relatively high achievers – whereas comprehensive schools are open to children of all abilities.

Although rare now, secondary modern schools tend to emphasise practical, vocational skills over academic skills, while church and faith schools incorporate more religious and spiritual elements into the schooling of their children.

However, perhaps the biggest single influence on how a particular school is run is its headteacher. Individual personalities and visions vary from head to head, but they always set the tone for what happens both in the staffroom and in the classroom.

Other state schools

In addition to ordinary mainstream schools, you may be interested in the varied challenges available at other kinds of state schools. These include:

• special schools, which cater mainly or wholly for children with statutory statements of special educational needs,
• specialist schools, which teach the whole curriculum but with a focus on a particular subject area,
• city technology colleges (CTCs), which focus on science, mathematics and technology and offer a wide range of vocational qualifications alongside A-levels and equivalent qualifications,
• city academies, which are set up as part of a wider school reorganisation or where there is an unmet demand for school places, and 
• pupil referral units (PRUs), which cater for children of compulsory school age who may otherwise not receive suitable education, focusing on getting them back into a mainstream school.

Independent schools

The remaining 10 per cent of children attend independent schools, usually paying fees set by the individual school.

Independent schools are not required to teach the National Curriculum and only some are approved by the DfES to cater for pupils with special educational needs.

You do not require qualified teacher status (QTS) to be employed by an independent school, but QTS is well regarded and gives you the flexibility of working in either state-maintained or independent schools.