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Education in Wyre Forest and Worcestershire...
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Setting the scene...............
All schools in the County of Worcestershire are co educational, and all High Schools are comprehensive. However, there
are different types of school and there are also differences across the county in the involved age groups that the schools
provide for.
Types of School
Worcestershire County Council maintains 4 types of primary and high schools. Community, voluntary controlled (VC), voluntary
aided (VA), and foundation. The main difference between the types of school is the way in which they are governed and for
voluntary aided schools the ethos that they engender which is firmly routed in the teaching of the churches by which they
were established. Worcestershire County Council also provides special schools for pupils with special education needs
(SEN) whose needs cannot always be met by mainstream schools.
Age Groups for School's In Worcestershire...
There are two systems currently in operation, a 3 tier system which serves the District areas of Bromsgrove, Wychavon and
Wyre Forest, and a 2 tier system which serves the areas of Worcester City, Malvern Hills and parts of Bromsgrove namely Rubery,
Hagley and Wythall. In the 3 tier system we have First Schools where pupils attend from the age of 5 to 8, Middle Schools
where pupils attend from the age of 8 to 12, followed by High Schools where pupils attend from 12 or 13 to the age of 16.
In a 2 tier system the pupils stay at Primary Schools until they reach the age of 11 where they then transfer to a High School
from the age of 11 to 16.
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Where do we go from here?
The essential role of elected council members is not only to manage
day to day services, but also to take a strategic view about the long-term viability and configuration.
Forty years ago, Worcestershire County Council had the courage to look at its educational
strategy in the light of major change across the country and in so doing so put itself in the forefront of national thinking
in its development of the middle school within a three-tier system.
It has served the county well, as have those who served within it. The question is not
about the competence of staff but the system.
But national change of great magnitude is taking place in education and we believe it
is essential elected members once again have the opportunity to decide the future vision and strategy for this county.
Worcestershire County Council have decided to carry out an area review
in the Wyre Forest District. The review will look at school sizes, examination results and the schools
performance. The report and its findings will then be sent to the Cabinet at County Hall in the spring of 2003 for implementation.
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Information provided by Councillor Stephen Clee, Three Gables,
Hop Pole Lane, Bewdley, Worcestershire, DY12 2QH
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