Grammar schools

are financed by the central government, which transfers the maintenance money to the local authorities (prefectures) local authorities;
members of the governing body are appointed according to the criteria given by local authorities and are made up of parents, school officials, members of the local community and the headmaster (the latter may or may not agree to take over this position);
has greater autonomy in deciding admission criteria for students;
highly selective, one of the criteria to apply for a vacancy is to provide an admission test known as 11-plus, where the student must have a 99.5% of the total;
are not required to follow the National Curriculum;
offer preparatory courses for university entrance and vocational training;