If you’re planning to bring your family to the UK, sorting out schooling for your children will be a top priority. The British education system falls into two categories: state and private. State schools are funded by the government at no cost to the parent. Private schools are paid for by the child’s parents. Private schools are also called Independent Schools and, very confusingly, Public Schools. We outline the basics of the UK’s private education system.
KEY STAGES
A child can attend a private school from the age of 2 and a half, albeit on a part-time basis. There are three levels:
» PRE-PREPARATORY (generally termed pre-prep)
These schools can run from 2 and a half if there is a Nursery Class (and there often is) until the end of Year 2 when a child is 7.
» PREPARATORY (generally termed prep school)
These schools run from Year 3 until either the end of Year 6 (age 11) or the end of Year 8 (age 13). Very often a prep school has its own pre-prep department. There is often an academic entrance test into a prep school.
This type of school may be a day school or a boarding school or a combination of both. Generally, prep schools within the major cities will be day schools. Boarding schools tend to be located in country areas and may be full boarding schools (children stay at weekends) or weekly boarding schools (children go home on a Friday evening or after the end of Saturday school). These schools will also have day pupils who may be able to board for the odd night when parents are away on business. This is known as flexi-boarding and is extremely popular with parents.
Most schools that offer boarding will have school on Saturday which is obligatory for day pupils too. Saturday school may finish at lunchtime or after games at about 4.00pm. Sports matches with other schools are often held on Saturday afternoons. Fairly often a child will not need to attend for Saturday school until Year 5. Very few day-only prep schools have Saturday school.
Preparatory schools may be co-educational or single sex; the great majority of pre-preparatory schools are co-educational.
» SENIOR OR PUBLIC
These schools start at Year 7 when a child is 11 or at Year 9 when a child is 13. Children enter their senior school via an academic exam known as Common Entrance. Children taking the Common Entrance at age 11 will sit papers in English, Maths and Science. At 13 a child will be examined in all the academic subjects. A few senior schools have their own prep school (often known as a Junior School to add to the confusion): they may or may not require an entrance test to move into the senior part of the school.
As with prep schools, senior schools may be day or boarding. The majority of boarding schools accept day pupils. The school day is generally longer than in state schools but terms are shorter. Some schools do not finish until 6pm and nearly all schools that have boarders will have obligatory Saturday school. Senior schools may be either co-educational or single sex. Some single sex schools become co-educational in the Sixth Form (Years 12 and 13).
FEES, EXTRAS & COSTS
No two schools have the same fees and fees may vary according to year groups. Most will include meals, stationery and books. However, it is always advisable to check this. As a general rule, approximately £300 should be added to a senior school termly bill to cover ‘extras’ (items such as school trips, extra curricular activities and merchandise purchased from the school shop.) For a prep school bill, the ‘extras’ will be about £200.
Music lessons are not included and are approximately £150 per term per instrument.
The following are average figures based on the 2005 / 2006 academic year and are for one term. This figure will need to be multiplied by three to give an average annual amount. You would expect an annual increase in the fees of between 6% and 9%.
» PRE-PREPARATORY
£1,700 per term, although schools in London will be nearer £2,000 with some as much as £3,400.
» PREPARATORY
Day schools cost around £3,000 per term, and up to £3,900 in London. Day places in boarding schools will tend to be more expensive than schools which are day only, around £3,500 per term. Boarding is around £4,600 per term. Flexi-boarding rates vary enormously but you will pay between £20 and £40 per night.
» SENIOR OR PUBLIC
London Day Schools are around £3,600 per term. Day Schools in other areas are around £3,200. Day places in boarding schools tend to be more expensive than day only schools at around £4,500. Boarding is around £6,900.
THE ACADEMIC YEAR
The academic year runs from the beginning of September until the middle of July. The year is divided into three terms and each term has a short mid-term break. Each school may observe slightly different term dates, so ask the school to provide them directly.
PUBLIC EXAMINATIONS
All children will need to take public exams. During Years 10 and 11 (ages 14-16), children prepare for GCSE’s. A child will usually sit between eight and ten GCSE’s. The core subjects, which every child will sit, are English, Maths and Science. Where English is not the first language, a child can sit the International GCSE in English. In science, all children study Biology, Chemistry and Physics and may take these subjects as three separate GCSE’s or, alternatively, take two papers combining all three subjects yielding two GCSE’s – this is known as Dual Award Science. A child then chooses its other GCSE subjects from a wide range of options.
If a child stays on for Years 12 and 13, or Sixth Form (ages 16-18) they will prepare for ‘A’ Levels (usually studying three or four subjects). The IB (International Baccalaureate) is an option for Sixth Form study in some private schools and in a very few state schools. Entry into University is dependent upon results in ‘A’ Levels or IB.