School for children
"Elementary school" and "Grade school" redirect here. For grad school, see
Graduate school
.
A
primary school
(in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom,
[1]
Australia,
[2]
New Zealand,
[3]
Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa),
elementary school
, or
grade school
(in North America and the Philippines) is a
school
for
primary education
of children who are 4 to 10 years of age (and in many cases, 11 years of age). Primary schooling follows
preschool
and precedes
secondary schooling
.
The
International Standard Classification of Education
considers primary education as a single phase where programmes are typically designed to provide fundamental skills in reading, writing, and mathematics and to establish a solid foundation for learning. This is
ISCED Level 1
: Primary education or first stage of basic education.
[4]
Levels of education
[
edit
]
ISCED 2011 levels of education
Level
|
Label
|
Description
|
0
|
Early childhood education
(01 Early childhood educational development)
|
Education designed to support early development in preparation for participation in school and society. Programmes designed for children below the age of 3.
|
Early childhood education (02
Pre-primary education
)
|
Education designed to support early development in preparation for participation in school and society. Programmes designed for children from age 3 to the start of primary education.
|
1
|
Primary education
|
Programmes typically designed to provide students with fundamental skills in reading, writing and mathematics and to establish a solid foundation for learning.
|
2
|
Lower secondary education
|
First stage of secondary education building on primary education, typically with a more subject-oriented curriculum.
|
3
|
Upper secondary education
|
Second/final stage of secondary education preparing for tertiary education or providing skills relevant to employment. Usually with an increased range of subject options and streams.
|
4
|
Post-
secondary
non-tertiary education
|
Programmes providing learning experiences that build on secondary education and prepare for labour market entry or tertiary education. The content is broader than secondary but not as complex as tertiary education.
|
5
|
Short-cycle
tertiary education
|
Short first tertiary programmes that are typically practically-based, occupationally-specific and prepare for labour market entry. These programmes may also provide a pathway to other tertiary programmes.
|
6
|
Bachelor's
or equivalent
|
Programmes designed to provide intermediate academic or professional knowledge, skills and competencies leading to a first tertiary degree or equivalent qualification.
|
7
|
Master's
or equivalent
|
Programmes designed to provide advanced academic or professional knowledge, skills and competencies leading to a second tertiary degree or equivalent qualification.
|
8
|
Doctorate
or equivalent
|
Programmes designed primarily to lead to an advanced research qualification, usually concluding with the submission and defense of a substantive dissertation of publishable quality based on original research.
|
Comparison of cohorts
[
edit
]
Within the English speaking world, there are three widely used systems to describe the age of the child. The first is the "equivalent ages"; then countries that base their education systems on the "English model" use one of two methods to identify the year group; while countries that base their systems on the "American
K?12
model" refer to their year groups as "grades". Canada also follows the American model, although its names for year groups are put as a number after the grade: For instance, "Grade 1" in Canada, rather than "First Grade" in the United States. This terminology extends into the research literature.
[5]
[
unreliable source
]
In Canada, education is a Provincial, not a Federal responsibility. For example, the province of Ontario also had a "
Grade 13
", designed to help students enter the workforce or post-secondary education, but this was phased out in the year 2003.
Equivalent ages
|
4?5
|
5?6
|
6?7
|
7?8
|
8?9
|
9?10
|
10?11
|
U.S. (grades)
|
Pre-K
|
K
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
Ireland
|
Junior Infants
|
Senior Infants
|
1st Class
|
2nd Class
|
3rd Class
|
4th Class
|
5th Class
|
England (forms)
|
Reception
|
Infants
|
Top infants
|
Junior 1
|
Junior 2
|
Junior 3
|
Junior 4
|
England (year)
|
R
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
England (keystage)
|
EYFS/FS
|
KS1
|
KS1
|
KS2
|
KS2
|
KS2
|
KS2
|
Scotland
|
P1
|
P2
|
P3
|
P4
|
P5
|
P6
|
P7
|
Jamaica
|
Pre-K
|
K-1
|
Grade 1
|
Grade 2
|
Grade 3
|
Grade 4
|
Grade 5
|
ISCED level
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
[5]
[
unreliable source
]
|
Indonesia
[
citation needed
]
|
TK A
|
TK B
|
SD Kelas 1
|
SD Kelas 2
|
SD Kelas 3
|
SD Kelas 4
|
SD Kelas 5
|
Equivalent ages
|
11?12
|
12?13
|
13?14
|
14?15
|
15?16
|
16?17
|
17?18
|
U.S. (grades)
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
Ireland
|
6th Class
|
1st Year
|
2nd Year
|
3rd Year
|
4th Year
|
5th Year
|
6th Year
|
England (forms)
|
First
|
Second
|
Third
|
Fourth
|
Fifth
|
Lower Sixth
|
Upper Sixth
|
England (year)
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
England (keystage)
|
KS3
|
KS3
|
KS3
|
KS4
|
KS4
|
KS5
|
KS5
|
Scotland
|
S1
|
S2
|
S3
|
S4
|
S5
|
S6
|
|
Jamaica (forms)
|
First
|
Second
|
Third
|
Fourth
|
Fifth
|
Lower Sixth
|
Upper Sixth
|
Jamaica (grades)
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
ISCED level
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
[5]
[
unreliable source
]
|
Indonesia
[
citation needed
]
|
SD Kelas 6
|
SMP Kelas 7
|
SMP Kelas 8
|
SMP Kelas 9
|
SMA Kelas 10
|
SMA Kelas 11
|
SMA Kelas 12
|
Primary schools
[
edit
]
In most parts of the world, primary education is the first stage of
compulsory education
, and is normally available without charge, but may also be offered by fee-paying
independent schools
. The term
grade school
is sometimes used in the US, although both this term and
elementary school
may refer to the first eight grades, in other words both
primary education
and lower
secondary education
.
[6]
[7]
[8]
The term
primary school
is derived from the French
ecole primaire
, which was first used in an English text in 1802.
[9]
In the United Kingdom, "elementary education" was taught in "elementary schools" until 1944, when free elementary education was proposed for students over 11: there were to be primary elementary schools and secondary elementary schools;
[a]
these became known as primary schools and secondary schools.
- Primary school
is the preferred term in the United Kingdom, Ireland and many
Commonwealth nations
, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (
UNESCO
).
[11]
- Elementary school
is still preferred in some countries, especially in the United States and Canada.
[
citation needed
]
In some parts of the United States, "primary school" refers to a school covering
kindergarten
through to second grade or third grade (K through 2 or 3); the "elementary school" includes grade three through five or grades four to six.
[
citation needed
]
In Canada, "elementary school" almost everywhere refers to Grades 1 through 6; with Kindergarten being referred to as "preschool."
[
citation needed
]
- In South Africa, primary school starts from Grade R (age 5-6) till Grade 7 (age 12-13). It typically comes after
preschool
and before
secondary school
.
Elementary schools
[
edit
]
Though often used as a synonym, "elementary school" has specific meanings in different locations.
- Elementary schools
, also known as
board schools
, were first established in England and Wales by
Elementary Education Act 1870
(
33 & 34 Vict.
c. 75).
[12]
Most of these schools became primary schools in the late 1940s, following the historic compromise in the
Education Act 1944
.
- Elementary schools in the United States
were first promoted in 1647 in the
Massachusetts Bay Colony
.
[13]
Today, there are currently approximately 92,858 elementary schools (68,173 public, 24,685 private).
[14]
In the United States, elementary schools usually have six grades with pupils aged between 5 and 11 years old.
[15]
The
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
was designed to fund
primary
and
secondary education
.
[16]
It also emphasized equal access to education and established high standards and accountability.
[17]
- Elementary schools in Japan
were first established by 1875.
[18]
In Japan, the age of pupils in elementary school ranges from 6 to 12, after which the pupils enter
junior high school
.
Theoretical framework of primary school design
[
edit
]
School building design does not happen in isolation. The building (or school campus) needs to accommodate:
- Curriculum content
- Teaching methods
- Costs
- Education within the political framework
- Use of school building (also in the community setting)
- Constraints imposed by the site
- Design philosophy
Each country will have a different education system and priorities.
[19]
Schools need to accommodate students, staff, storage, mechanical and electrical systems, support staff, ancillary staff and administration. The number of rooms required can be determined from the predicted roll of the school and the area needed.
According to standards used in the United Kingdom, a general classroom for 30 reception class or infant (Keystage 1) students needs to be 62 m
2
, or 55 m
2
for juniors (Keystage 2).
[20]
Examples are given on how this can be configured for a 210 place primary with attached 26 place nursery
[21]
and two-storey 420 place (two form entry) primary school with attached 26 place nursery.
[22]
Building design specifications
[
edit
]
The building providing the education has to fulfill the needs of: The students, the teachers, the non-teaching support staff, the administrators and the community. It has to meet general government building guidelines, health requirements, minimal functional requirements for classrooms, toilets and showers, electricity and services, preparation and storage of textbooks and basic teaching aids.
[23]
An optimum school will meet the minimum conditions and will have:
- adequately sized classrooms?where 60 m
2
in considered optimum but 80 m
2
for the reception class
- specialised teaching spaces
- a staff preparation room
- staff welfare facilities
- an administration block
- multipurpose classrooms
- student toilet facilities
- a general purpose school hall
- adequate equipment
- storage
- a library or library stocks that are regularly renewed
- computer rooms or media centres
- counselling, sick and medical examination rooms
[23]
Government accountants having read the advice then publish minimum guidelines on schools. These enable environmental modelling and establishing building costs. Future design plans are audited to ensure that these standards are met but not exceeded. Government ministries continue to press for the 'minimum' space and cost standards to be reduced.
The UK government published this downwardly revised space formula for primary schools in 2014. It said the floor area should be 350 m
2
+ 4.1 m
2
/pupil place. The external finishes were to be downgraded to meet a build cost of £1113/m
2
.
[24]
Governance and funding
[
edit
]
There are three main ways of funding a school: by the state through general taxation, by a pressure group such as a mosque or church, by a charity, by contributions from parents, or by a combination of these methods. Day-to-day oversight of the school can through a board of governors, the pressure group, or the owner.
[
citation needed
]
The United Kingdom allows elementary education to be delivered in
church schools
, whereas in France this is illegal as there is strict
separation of church and state
.
Accountability
[
edit
]
This can be through informal assessment by the staff and governors such as in Finland, or by a state run testing regime such as
Ofsted
in the United Kingdom.
[25]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Secondary elementary school
: A term already used by
London County Council
from 1921 to describe some 11?14 schools,
[10]
and term still in use in Florida, Ohio and Brazil.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
to-8-years "elementary education (4 to 8 years)"
.
Cambridgeshire County Council
. Retrieved
21 February
2021
.
CS1 maint: url-status (
link
)
- ^
Technology, Elcom.
"Education system overview"
.
www.studyinaustralia.gov.au
. Retrieved
21 February
2021
.
- ^
"Changes to schools and the network: Options for managing changes in growth"
.
www.education.govt.nz
. 16 April 2019
. Retrieved
25 May
2023
.
- ^
Annex III in the ISCED 2011 English.pdf
Archived
25 December 2018 at the
Wayback Machine
Navigate to International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED)
- ^
a
b
c
Ward, Ken.
"British and American Systems (Grades)"
.
Trans4mind
.
Archived
from the original on 31 March 2017
. Retrieved
30 March
2017
.
- ^
"Definition of GRADE SCHOOL"
.
Merriam-Webster
. 9 April 2024.
- ^
"Definition of ELEMENTARY SCHOOL"
.
Merriam-Webster
. 5 April 2024.
- ^
"American Heritage Dictionary Entry"
. Ahdictionary.com
. Retrieved
12 February
2022
.
- ^
"Online Etymology Dictionary"
.
Archived
from the original on 2 July 2017
. Retrieved
9 November
2007
.
- ^
"Hadow Report (1926)"
. educationengland.org.uk. Archived from
the original
on 25 June 2019
. Retrieved
17 April
2019
.
- ^
"Britannica Academic"
.
academic.eb.com
.
Archived
from the original on 14 March 2020
. Retrieved
1 November
2019
.
- ^
Gerald L. Gutek (14 December 1994).
A History of the Western Educational Experience: Second Edition
. Waveland Press. p. 203.
ISBN
978-1-4786-3010-4
.
Archived
from the original on 2 September 2019
. Retrieved
16 April
2019
.
- ^
"Historical Timeline of Public Education in the US"
.
Race Forward
. 13 April 2006.
Archived
from the original on 3 July 2018
. Retrieved
8 February
2018
.
- ^
"Digest of Education Statistics, 2001"
(PDF)
. National Center for Education Statistics.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 9 August 2017
. Retrieved
12 August
2017
.
- ^
Snyder, Thomas D.; Hoffman, Charlene M. (2001).
Digest of Education Statistics 2001
(PDF)
. Institute of Education Sciences, Washington: National Center for Education Statistics. p. 7, fig. 1.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 9 August 2017
. Retrieved
19 August
2017
.
- ^
Evers, Williamson M. (17 January 2000).
"Secretary Riley Reignites the Math Wars"
. Hoover Institution.
Archived
from the original on 29 March 2018
. Retrieved
28 March
2018
.
- ^
"Elementary and Secondary Education Act"
.
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
. Archived from
the original
on 26 March 2018
. Retrieved
28 March
2018
.
- ^
"The Establishment of Elementary Schools and Attendance"
. Japan's Modern Educational System. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.
Archived
from the original on 20 December 2017
. Retrieved
12 August
2017
.
- ^
Liew Kok-Pun, Michael; Kia Seng, Pang; Singh, Harbans (1981).
"The design of secondary schools:Singapore a case study"
(PDF)
.
Educational Building reports
. 17. UNESCO. p. 37.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 4 April 2017
. Retrieved
3 April
2017
.
- ^
"Mainstream schools: area guidelines"
.
GOV.UK
.
Archived
from the original on 18 April 2019
. Retrieved
18 April
2019
.
- ^
"Baseline design: 210 place primary school with a 26 place nursery"
.
GOV.UK
.
Archived
from the original on 18 April 2019
. Retrieved
18 April
2019
.
- ^
"Baseline design: 420 place primary school with 26 place nursery"
.
GOV.UK
.
Archived
from the original on 18 April 2019
. Retrieved
18 April
2019
.
- ^
a
b
"Guidelines relating to planning for public school infrastructure"
. Department of Basic Education, Republic of South Africa. 2012.
Archived
from the original on 7 September 2015
. Retrieved
3 April
2017
.
- ^
"Baseline designs for schools: guidance - GOV.UK"
.
www.gov.uk
. Education Funding Agency. 11 March 2014.
Archived
from the original on 4 April 2017
. Retrieved
3 April
2017
.
- ^
"Standards and Testing Agency"
.
GOV.UK
.
Archived
from the original on 18 March 2020
. Retrieved
28 January
2020
.
External links
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]
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educational stage
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