The UK has a tradition of well run private-schools that goes back for hundreds of years. Some of Britain’s oldest and most famous schools - Eton, Rugby and Harrow - all continue to operate independently of the British Government as private fee-paying schools.

Private schools are generally the territory of the wealthier people of Britain, although many also select some of the cleverest pupils from state schools and offer them free education (see below). If you attend private-school in the UK you or your child will have access to the best standards of teaching, and a huge range of sporting and after-school facilities.

Schools that charge pupils are all privately owned, rather than being run by the government, so they have to fund themselves. For this reason, they are often called ‘independent’ schools.

Fees

The fees are commonly £4000-5000 per child each term, which adds up to over £12,000 a year. Plus you will also have to pay exam fees on top.

High Standard

Such exclusivity and an enviable reputation for high standards, makes private-school a very appealing choice for parents who want to give their children a great start in life.

Private schools continue to produce successful students who often go on to high-earning careers – In 2007 57% of GCSEs taken at Independent schools received an A grade and 65% of those accepted into Britain’s elite universities were from private schools. This is a much higher percentage than pupils receiving state school education.

A report by the Sutton Trust in 2005 said:

"Over two thirds of the barristers at the top chambers had attended independent schools, as had three quarters of the judges and over half the partners at the leading law firms".

So it is understandable that you might want to send your children to a private school. In fact, many British parents work non-stop to make enough money to send their children to these ‘elite’ schools.

The fees they charge mean they can afford to pay higher wages than state schools, which then means that they can attract the best-qualified teachers, can afford the best available equipment and technology, can offer the best in sporting facilities, and can provide a long list of social activities.

Customs of Private Schools

There is usually an entrance exam to make sure they only attract good students, although this does not necessarily mean that all those who attend private-school are clever.

However, only the best can teach there – one third of the teachers in private schools are educated at the top 20 British universities.

Because of their independence, these schools set their own curriculum, rather than sticking to national government policies for education, which means that they have far more options open to them with regards to which subjects they teach and how they teach them.

Many of them are ‘boys only’ or ‘girls only’ schools which is traditional in the UK. Although the source of much debate, many people feel that this is a preferable method of educating children, perhaps because the students concentrate more on their studies than getting the attention of the opposite sex.

Boarding

Many independent schools offer ‘boarding’ facilities, allowing pupils to live on-site. The students live and work together in small groups known as ‘houses’ with each ‘house’ cared for by a ‘house-master’. This will be the hub of your child’s life for the entire time that they board, it is where they will form their closest bonds and spend the majority of their time.

It is possible to send children to some boarding schools from as young as seven in the UK, although this is becoming an increasingly rare thing to do for obvious reasons. A more common age to start boarding in the UK is thirteen. 

Bursaries

It is sometimes possible to get into independent schools on a ‘bursary’, which is a type of funding given to pupils to attend the school. This is supposed to help poorer students access the best schools, but they will normally have to excel in their studies to have a chance of this, and some private schools have been criticised for giving these places to middle-income families.

Indeed the ‘great education divide’ has and will remain one of the biggest debates in the UK about the future education of our children.

If you are interested in sending your children to a private school in the UK, there are various places you can begin looking for information. You can start with our “Find a…” section first.

USEFUL WORDS

private / independent / public school = the education of students is paid for by their parents rather than the government
preparatory (prep) school = a private school for primary age children (5-11 years)
single sex school = boys or girls only are taught there
coeducational (coed) school = boys and girls are taught there together in mixed classes
boarding school = a school where children live during the term time
boarder = a student who attends boarding school
day school = a school which children attend every day but continue to live at home with their parents
Common Entrance Exam = a test which students have to pass in order to enter a private school
scholarship = an amount of money given to someone by an organisation to help pay for their education
school fees = the money parents must pay for their child’s private education

GRAMMAR SPOT

Unless

Unless with a positive verb is equivalent to if with a negative verb:

Parents have to pay school fees unless the child gets a scholarship
(= …if the child doesn’t get a scholarship)
Unless he passes the entrance exam, he’ll have to go to a state school
(= …if he doesn’t pass the entrance exam, …)
She’s going to start boarding school – unless her parents can find a good day school
(= …if they don’t find a good day school, …)

We don’t normally use unless meaning if…not to express an unreal condition:

If you didn’t talk so much, you’d get more work done
If you hadn’t failed the exam, you would have got a place at the school
(NOT Unless you failed the exam, you would have got a place at the school)

We do not use unless to talk about a feeling which would result from something not happening:

Her parents will be upset if she doesn’t get into a good school
I’ll be very surprised if you don’t pass the entrance exam
(NOT I’ll be very surprised unless you pass the entrance exam)