Education in Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire is a county in the UK with a special way to choose schools. Unlike many other places, it still uses the eleven-plus test to decide which students can go to a grammar school. This means that in many towns, there are both grammar schools and secondary modern schools. Only a few counties, like Buckinghamshire and Kent, still use this system.

In the city of Lincoln and the areas close to it, schools are mostly non-selective. Most children go to comprehensive schools, where everyone learns together. However, families can still choose to take the eleven-plus test. If a child passes the test, they can go to a grammar school that is outside the Lincoln area. If they don’t pass, they still go to a comprehensive school. This mix makes the school system in Lincolnshire quite interesting and different from many other places. For a full list of schools, see the List of schools in Lincolnshire.

Grammar schools in Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire has several well-known grammar schools. These schools choose students based on a test called the eleven-plus. Some of these schools are Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Alford, Caistor Grammar School, and Skegness Grammar School. These schools have long histories and are known for their strong academic programs.

Other notable grammar schools are King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth, Boston Grammar School, and The King's School, Grantham. Each of these schools has its own unique history and achievements. They continue to offer high-quality education to students in the area.

Comprehensive and secondary modern schools

Lincolnshire has many types of schools. Some schools do not choose students based on tests, and they still do very well. For example, The Priory is one of these schools and is highly regarded. Another top school is William Farr School in Welton.

There are also secondary modern schools that get good results. Lincolnshire has 63 state secondary schools and 8 private schools, plus several sixth form colleges. North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire have their own schools. One of these schools, Franklin College in Grimsby, often gets better results than others.

Bilateral school

King Edward VI Academy is a special bi-lateral secondary school in Spilsby. It is one of the few schools in England and Wales with this status. Students who passed the eleven-plus exam and those who did not learn together in the same building with the same teachers, but follow different lessons. The school was formed in 1991 by combining two older schools: the King Edward VI Grammar School, which opened in 1550, and the Sir John Franklin Secondary Modern School, which opened in 1954. Today, all students study together in one building.

Sixth-form provision

Lincolnshire

All five comprehensive schools in Lincoln have sixth forms. Outside Lincoln, many good secondary schools do not have sixth forms. For example, Grantham opened its first sixth form in 2008, and Stamford opened one at New College Stamford in 2007. Other towns like Spilsby and Spalding also started sixth forms around this time. However, some towns such as Gainsborough, Long Sutton, Horncastle, Alford, Mablethorpe, and Caistor do not have sixth forms. Students from these towns travel to Wolds College in Louth for A levels. Skegness Academy was established in 2006, run jointly by Grimsby Institute and Boston College.

North Lincolnshire

Few comprehensive schools in North Lincolnshire have sixth forms. The only ones are in Brigg and Barton-upon-Humber. Scunthorpe does not have any school-based sixth forms but has John Leggatt College. There is also North Lindsey College, a further education college.

North East Lincolnshire

In North East Lincolnshire, few comprehensive schools have sixth forms. However, three schools do—one each in Grimsby, Cleethorpes, and New Waltham. The school in New Waltham has the best results. Franklin College serves as the sixth form for Grimsby, along with the Grimsby Institute.

2007 GCSE results

In 2007, students in Lincolnshire did well in their GCSE exams. About half of the students got grades A-C, which was a bit better than the average in England. Some schools did even better than others. For example, St George's Academy in Sleaford had some of the best results.

Here are the average scores for different areas in Lincolnshire:

• West Lindsey 57.4
• South Kesteven 57.3
• North Kesteven 53.0
• South Holland 49.0
• East Lindsey 47.3
• Lincoln 47.0
• Boston 46.4
• (North Lincolnshire Unitary Authority 40.9)
• (North East Lincolnshire Unitary Authority 39.0)

2007 A-level results

In 2007, Caistor Grammar School had the best A-level results for state schools in the East Midlands. Next were Bourne Grammar School and Queen Elizabeth's High School in Gainsborough. Lincolnshire did very well in A-levels, especially at grammar schools. This is because of great sixth form colleges like the John Leggatt College in Scunthorpe and the Franklin College in Grimsby.

School reorganisation

Lincolnshire has had many changes in its schools over the years. In Lincoln, two new schools called academies have replaced older schools. These are named the Priory Witham Academy and Priory City of Lincoln Academy.

Some towns have special arrangements for their schools. In Stamford, students used to go to private schools with help from the government, but this changed recently. Now, the town has one main school for all students. Other areas like Louth have also built new colleges to help students.

Community education

Lincolnshire has many community education programs. These programs work with the Lincolnshire County Council. They are often run by local colleges, charitable trusts like the Pelican Trust, or special groups called community interest companies. One such group is Community Learning in Partnership (CLIP). CLIP helps young people aged 16 to 18 who are not in school, work, or training. It helps them gain new skills and find jobs.