What is an Independent School?

In the UK, a public or private school is an exclusive and fee-paying school. School types are charactorised into pre-preparatory school, preparatory and senior school for children aged between 5 and 18. Traditionally, public schools were all-male boarding schools until recently, most schools allow day pupils, whilst others have changed to either partially or fully co-educational.

Originally the term 'Public school' emerged from charity schools established to educate poorer scholars. The term 'Public' being used to indicate that access to them was not restricted on the basis of religion, occupation, or home location. Public schools were administered locally by a governing board to serve the children of that area. In contrast to private schools which were run for the personal profit of the proprietors. Today both Public and Private schools usually only cater for society’s elite. State schools are either known as comprehensive schools or academies , with the vast majority of children attending these schools , they are not open to overseas students.

In UK private schools students are conditioned for future success to become leaders in whichever field they choose later in life, they are encouraged to achieve their full potential. Studies show that Boarding School graduates excel at university, they forge life long connections and are more likely to advance rapidly in their chosen professional careers, such as obtaining senior government positions (see current UK government ministers). For more examples, click on the following link, http://cf.datawrapper.de/JdH1O/1/?fs=1

The oldest senior public schools are Charterhouse, Eton College, Harrow School, Rugby School , Shrewsbury School , Westminster School and Winchester College. The headmaster of Uppingham school invited sixty to seventy of his fellow headmasters to form what became the Headmasters' Conference—later the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC). Therefore, HMC schools are usually highly academic. Preparatory schools (or "prep schools") for younger boys developed in the 1830s onwards, their purpose was to 'prepare' pupils for entry to the senior schools.

Public schools have had a strong association with the country’s leadership. Historically they educated the sons of the English upper and upper-middle classes, particularly, the sons of officers and senior administrators of the British Empire. In 2010, over half of cabinet minsters were educated at public schools.

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