What Is the Role of a Montessori School?
A school is an educational establishment designed to offer learning venues and learning environments specifically for the education of children under the supervision of qualified teachers. Almost all countries now have systems of public formal education, which in some cases may be mandatory. In such systems, children progress through a prescribed sequence of schools known as grade schools. The length of such a school program varies widely depending on the jurisdiction, the facilities available at the school and the curriculum approved by the government. In many countries, the process of admission to such schools is by examination based, while in others, entrance is a combination of both examination and admission processes.
Secondary education in most countries takes place at primary or secondary schools, which are generally not recognized by states as “schools”. Children who are enrolled in these schools are known as being “at-risk”; that is, they require more attention than other students in order to meet academic requirements. This is also the main reason for teachers being stricter with students in these schools in terms of behavior. The primary education curriculum is usually an outline of the knowledge and skills needed by students to participate in secondary education. States usually develop their own curricula for schools within their jurisdiction, and in most cases are certified by relevant associations. Private schools also provide a selection of curriculum and often local authorities are consulted in matters of choice.
The process of secondary schooling normally begins at kindergarten, though it is possible to extend the period of instruction to Grade four in some areas. The majority of children take a primary education before entering into secondary school. In countries where this is not the case, the primary education is given by government bodies known as ophthalmologists or school doctors. In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service (NHS) offers a British equivalent to the National Curriculum. The curriculum is approved by the government and schools are inspected periodically to ensure that standards have been maintained.
In most instances primary schools are smaller than secondary education facilities, and the term school refers to the facility itself rather than to the discipline taught. Of primary schools, those in the United Kingdom that are funded by the state have an English compulsory curriculum, while others are privately operated. Some have extended curriculums and some teach all subjects from first year nursery up tomatriculation. Some only teach reading, writing, and teaching of basic academic subjects; others teach foreign languages and some focus on religious education.
At present, there are three main types of school, those that are formally taught in a classroom, those that are formally taught over an Internet connection and those that are taught on an online basis. Many people are now being sent to school by their parents or by a teacher who chooses to use an online format. In the United Kingdom, most schools that teach one of the four streams of education, namely school, nursery, secondary, and college, use a curriculum which has been approved by the government and is available from a website. Online classes may include worksheets, lessons, discussion boards, worksheets for testing and quizzes and tests, and even assessments for younger children. Those websites that offer middle school and high school online classes are often supported by local and national curriculum authorities, and may include worksheets for parents and teachers which provide additional help with teaching materials.
Private special education schools are colleges which are not funded by the government or the local school system. They use their own curriculum which may be different from the national curriculum. Some private special education schools may also offer private music or art classes. The school administration and teachers at private special education schools may include many of the same professionals who teach in traditional public schools, although they are usually drawn from a different occupational background. Private special education schools can have strong ties with the Catholic Church and other conservative institutions.
