tripartite system

proper noun

The division of state-funded secondary education into three types of school: grammar school, secondary technical school, and secondary modern school; used between 1945 and the 1970s in England and Wales, and from 1947 to 2009 in Northern Ireland. Performance in the 11-plus examination determined which type of school a student would attend.

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Meanings

proper nounthe tripartite system
  1. IrelandUKhistoricaleducationThe division of state-funded secondary education into three types of school: grammar school, secondary technical school, and secondary modern school; used between 1945 and the 1970s in England and Wales, and from 1947 to 2009 in Northern Ireland. Performance in the 11-plus examination determined which type of school a student would attend.
Cite this entry
APA

tripartite system. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tripartite%20system

MLA

“tripartite system.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tripartite%20system. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tripartite system,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tripartite%20system.

Source: tripartite system on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.