First School

Encyclopedia : F : FI : FIR : First School

First School is a term used in some areas of the United Kingdom. Some English Local Education Authorities introduced First Schools in the 1960s and 1970s. The notion of First Schools was mooted by the Plowden Report of 1967 which proposed a change to a three-tier model including First Schools for children aged between 5 and 8, Middle Schools for 8-12 year-olds, and then Upper or High Schools for 12-16 year-olds.

In the main, three models were used:

5-8 First Schools, followed by 8-12 Middle Schools, as suggested by Plowden
5-9 First Schools, followed by 9-13 Middle Schools
5-10 First Schools followed by 10-13 Middle Schools, or Intermediate Schools

Following the introduction of the National Curriculum after the Education Reform Act 1988, the new curriculum's splits in Key Stages at age 11 encouraged the majority of Local Education Authorities to return to a two-tier system of Primary and Secondary schools. However, some First Schools still exist in various areas, including Staffordshire.

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