School structure as reported in International Review of Curriculum and Assessment Frameworks Internet Archive (INCA), by type of education and country: 2010

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Table E.1.07.

School structure as reported in International Review of Curriculum and Assessment Frameworks Internet Archive (INCA), by type of education and country: 2010

Country	Primary	Lower secondary	Upper secondary
England	comp	mixed	mixed
Ireland	comp	comp	comp
Northern Ireland¹	comp	mixed	mixed
Scotland	comp	comp	comp
Wales²	comp	comp	comp

France	comp	comp	select
Germany	comp	select	select
Hungary	comp	select	select
Italy	comp	comp	select
Netherlands	comp	mixed	mixed

Spain	comp	comp	mixed
Sweden	comp	comp	comp
Switzerland	comp	mixed	select
Australia	comp	comp	comp
Canada³	comp	comp	comp

Japan	comp	comp	select
Korea	comp	comp	select
New Zealand	comp	comp	comp
Singapore	comp	comp	select
South Africa	comp	comp	comp

USA	comp	comp	comp
¹ There has, until recently, been a selective system of secondary education, with children taking tests in the final year of primary education to determine selection for the post-primary phase. The last 'transfer tests' were taken in autumn 2008 for entry to post-primary education in September 2009. For 2010 entry, the Government provided a menu of recommended criteria that schools could choose to use; and schools had to have regard to these. Schools are recommended not to use academic criteria but are not precluded from doing so.
² The overwhelming majority of secondary schools in Wales are comprehensive schools. There are no grammar schools, that is schools which are wholly selective by academic ability or aptitude.
³ At one time, secondary schools were primarily academic and prepared students for university. Vocational and technical schools were often separate institutions. Although some of these still exist, most secondary schools are now composite and offer both academic and vocational courses.
NOTE: This table indicates whether: there is a unitary system of schools catering for all students (comp), or distinct school types for students of different educational aptitudes (select), or a mixed system offering both types of schools (mixed). Even where the structure may be common for all, differentiated courses are usually offered, at least at upper secondary level to suit students’ abilities and preferences. For those countries with devolved structures (Australia, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Switzerland, and the USA) it is not always possible to provide ‘national’ data. Readers should therefore recognize that the data may refer to specific states or provinces, as examples, and cannot necessarily be taken to reflect a national position.
SOURCE: O'Donnell, S., Sargent, C., Byrne, A., and White, E. (2010). International Review of Curriculum and Assessment Frameworks Internet Archive Comparative Tables. Table 6.1. International Review of Curriculum and Assessment Frameworks Internet Archive.