Secondary modern schools are a type of school in British educational systems, part of the Tripartite System. They are rare now, the great majority having been replaced by comprehensive and other schools.

The secondary modern school was introduced by the 1944 Education Act following the recommendations of the 1943 Norwood Report. It was, in the words of the Act, "intended to suit pupils who deal more easily with concrete things than with ideas". The Act also established two other forms of school -- the secondary technical school and the secondary grammar school.

In an era when the economy was dominated by mass manufacturing and labour-intensive work, the secondary modern schools sought to teach practical rather than academic skills - for instance, woodwork rather than algebra. There was no national curriculum so what was taught varied from place to place, although some subjects were fairly consistent across the secondary modern school system. Woodwork, metalwork and technical drawing were seen as particularly important subjects for the boys, while the girls did needlework or cookery and, in many cases, typing. Few formal exams were taken in secondary modern schools (although O-levels and O-grades were theoretically available) and millions of pupils left with no qualifications at all.

Secondary moderns took pupils who failed their 11-plus examination or otherwise did not wish to go to grammar schools. They were rather looked down on by many people, but often provided a good education. They did, however, have the effect of reinforcing the class system; grammar schools were dominated by the middle class, who were able to coach their children for the 11-plus, while the secondary moderns were dominated by the working class. (The upper class largely relied on public schools that were funded by fees.) The division between secondary moderns and grammar schools was reinforced by the different level of funding given to each; secondary moderns were distinctly second-class, with less funding, less-well qualified and less well-paid teachers. The entire course of a person's life could thus be — and often was — set by how well they did in the 11-plus.

The issue of fairness and the schools' poor academic record became an issue of concern to the Labour Party. It was of particular personal importance to Anthony Crosland and Shirley Williams, who served as Secretary of State for Education and Science in the Labour governments of the 1960s and 1970s respectively. In July 1965, Crosland instructed local authorities to abolish the 11-plus exam and start creating a system of comprehensive secondary schools, uniting most of the secondary modern, grammar and technical schools and abolishing the selection system. This process of consolidation took place throughout the late 1960s and under Williams in the 1970s.

Very few secondary modern schools remain today. By 1997, 86.8% of all pupils attended comprehensive schools, with just 2.6% attending secondary moderns [1] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/how_the_education_systems_work/england_and_wales/97112.stm). In recent years, some have criticised the comprehensive system and have called for a return to selection, while in other quarters there has been increasing interest in providing a degree of secondary modern-style vocational education within the existing comprehensive system.

External links

• "That'll Teach 'Em 2" (http://channel4.com/history/microsites/T/teachem2/thennow/index_t.html), Channel 4
• "Take the 11-plus test" (http://channel4.com/history/microsites/T/teachem/test.html), Channel 4
• "School learns the language of success" (http://education.independent.co.uk/schools/story.jsp?story=371862), The Independent Online — records the success of Walderslade Girls' School, in Medway, which was still a secondary modern school as of 2003
• Testimonial of Mike Ion (http://www.casenet.org.uk/champions/person100.html), DfES Regional Director of the Key Stage 3 Strategy