Schools in Worthing are provided by West Sussex County Council and by a number of independent providers. Both non-denominational and Church of England maintained schools were previously organised along three tier lines, with students transferring from a first school at age 8 to a middle school, and then starting High School at age 12. This system was introduced in 1973 as part of a move to reorganise schools to provide comprehensive education across West Sussex. In 2015, schools returned to the more common pattern of transfer at the end of a Key Stage.