British members, please help!

[Jazzmoose]

I'm afraid I've been bitten by that "divided by a common language" thing again-help me out.  What's the difference between an elementary school and a grammar school?

[BillF]

Elementary school was the old name for a primary school - a school for children from the age of 4 or 5 till 11. At this stage children progress to secondary school till at least the age of 16. In my youth (1950's) secondary schools were either secondary modern schools or grammar schools, the second entered only by competitive academic examination. These have largely died out since my youth, but the present Conservative government is looking on them with renewed favour.

[Jazzmoose]

Thanks.  I was reading an article about that, of course, and was confused, as here "grammar school" and "elementary school" are the same thing.