The table illustrates the changing proportions of students enrolled in four distinct types of secondary schools over a nine-year period from 2000 to 2009. Overall, it is clear that community schools saw a massive surge in attendance, whereas voluntary-controlled schools, which were initially the most popular, saw their figures drop significantly.
In 2000, voluntary-controlled schools were the dominant choice, accounting for 52% of pupils. However, this figure fell steadily to 38% in 2005 and further to 20% by 2009. Conversely, community schools started as a minority choice with only 12% of pupils in 2000. This proportion grew rapidly to 32% in 2005 and reached a majority of 58% by the end of the period.
Regarding the other categories, grammar schools also experienced a downward trend, decreasing from 24% in 2000 to 19% in 2005, and finally to 12% in 2009. Specialist schools remained the most stable throughout the decade, although they also saw a slight decline. Starting at 12% in 2000, their share of pupils dipped marginally to 11% in 2005 and finished at 10% in 2009, making them the least attended school type by the end of the study.