Private schools in England. Famous private schools in Great Britain
In Great Britain, two educational systems coexist peacefully. One is mainly distributed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the other covers mainly Scotland. Both systems provide two types of education, free education in public schools and paid education, mostly in private boarding schools. Both public and private boarding schools in the UK provide compulsory secondary education. At the age of 16, students take a compulsory exam and receive a GCSE certificate of secondary education. Those planning to enter the university must continue their education through a two-year A-Levels or IB International Baccalaureate program. The A-Levels program is designed to study a certain number of subjects, 4-5 in the first year of study and 3-4 in the second. Successful completion of this program opens the way for admission to leading universities in the country and abroad. The IB program is more complex and is designed for in-depth study of 5-6 subjects.
For a foreign student, studying at a public school is possible only if his parents are in the country on a long work trip. Therefore, we will focus our attention on the private education sector.
So, private schools in England are classified according to the following criteria:
By gender, schools are divided into:
- coeducational schools attended by both boys and girls;
- for girls, where only girls study;
- and for boys, where only boys study.
Based on age, schools are divided into primary, junior and senior secondary schools, the so-called secondary schools Grammar School and Six Form Colleges:
- Primary School educates children aged 4 to 11 years. Here, at an early age, they are taught to take their studies seriously;
- Junior School is a junior school for children aged 7 to 13 years. After graduation, the children take the Common Entrance Examination and move on to high school;
- Senior School Senior high school is designed for teenagers aged 13 to 18 years. During the first two years, children study according to the GCSE program and take exams. Then, those of them who plan to further study at the university enter a two-year A-Level’s or International Baccalaureate program.
There are specialized educational institutions, so-called Sixth Form Colleges, that prepare students for entry into UK universities. The age of students in them is from 16 to 18 years. Some Senior Schools also offer Sixth Form programmes.
High schools include Secondary School, where students are taught from the age of 11, and Grammar school, a school for advanced study of subjects (from the age of 11).
Most schools in England pay special attention to the academic performance of their future students. Having good grades on your certificate, positive characteristics from teachers, and, if possible, a well-designed portfolio is an additional bonus when enrolling.
The good academic knowledge of students is directly dependent on the rating of the educational institution and its place in the ranking table of private schools, published annually by the country's leading publications. The higher the average scores of students in exams, the higher the school will rise in the ranking. The higher the rating of the school, the more prestigious universities the graduate will be able to enroll in. And the higher the cost the school will be able to charge for training. The higher the cost of training, the more professional and highly qualified specialists it will be able to hire. And so on. Everything is interconnected.
Tuition fees for private schools in England
The range of prices for tuition at private schools ranges from 6,500 to 13,000 pounds sterling per term. This would be £19,500 - £39,000 per year. The cost covers tuition, accommodation, food. Uniforms, additional classes in clubs (music, dance, etc.), textbooks are usually paid extra. Although in some schools educational literature may be included in the tuition fee.
There is an unspoken category of so-called selective schools, where students with high academic performance are enrolled. It makes no sense to get into such a school by artificially inflating the scores on the child’s annual report card. At the enrollment stage, internal tests are taken, usually in mathematics and English, where the true knowledge of the candidate is revealed.
Knowledge of the English language is a necessary and mandatory condition when applying to school. When enrolling in the A;Levels program, the level of language proficiency must correspond to the IELTS value of 6.5-7.0, in the GCSE program 4.5 - 5.5, in the lower grades the level of proficiency may be minimal. It is expected that during the training the student will improve his English to the necessary requirements.
Private boarding schools in England are distinguished from public schools by:
High level of teaching staff, which primarily contributes to students obtaining deep fundamental knowledge;
high-tech material and technical base, which includes modern scientific laboratories, computer classes, spacious classrooms, which, in turn, increases students’ interest in acquiring knowledge;
modern multidisciplinary sports facilities equipped according to the latest international standards, which include indoor athletic complexes and gyms, tennis and basketball courts, extensive fields for group sports, swimming pools and much more, which in turn helps students maintain healthy lifestyle.
And finally, modern residences, which include a full range of necessary services, from dining rooms to laundry rooms and recreation rooms. where children are monitored around the clock by school staff.
You should apply to a private school in the UK at least one and a half to two years before your planned enrollment. Those parents who are considering enrolling their children in a selective school need to begin preparing for admission two or even three years in advance. Of course, you can hope to choose a school a year before the planned trip, but the likelihood that there will be a free place in the educational institution you like is reduced to a minimum.
It should be noted that the process of obtaining a visa for an academic program takes a sufficient amount of time, so the collection of necessary documents should be approached with due responsibility.
We wish you success!
An English boarding school is a closed educational institution with a separate campus where children study and live (in residences) throughout the academic year. UK boarding schools can be week-long or part-time (children go home at weekends) or full-time (students go home only on holidays). Full boarding is the most common form of education among British private schools, with over 500 boarding schools to be found in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales).
Such schools bring together both British citizens and foreigners. Sometimes you can find a scheme of joint education, when programs are simultaneously taught to both boarders and incoming full-time students: this only improves the atmosphere within the institution, making the composition of students more balanced and diverse.
There are mixed-education boarding schools, as well as separate male and female boarding schools: for example, one of the most famous schools in the world, Eton, is intended only for the education of young men. Both single-sex education (the historical tradition of Great Britain) and mixed education have their supporters - we will help you choose the most suitable option by explaining the features and advantages of both types of education.
Boarding schools are divided into private (independent) and public, there are some fundamental differences between them:
- Prevalence and popularity: there are more than 450 private boarding schools and approximately 35 public schools in the UK
- Accessibility for foreigners: independent boarding schools accept students from all over the world without any restrictions, while British citizens and members of the European Union can study in a public institution
- Cost: private boarding schools will require quite significant investments, since the institution develops only through student fees. In state boarding houses, only accommodation is paid, and the training programs themselves are free (financed from the state treasury).
Due to the relatively high cost, private boarding schools in the UK usually provide greater opportunities for recreation, education and extracurricular activities, more modern equipment and developed infrastructure. But there are also state boarding schools with high ratings and excellent reviews - we will help you choose the best option for you in all respects.
Structure of education in British boarding schools
Studying at a British boarding house is divided into three stages:
- Primary school - primary school, infant school, junior school, pre-preparatory school and preparatory school (the latter names are most often used by private boarding schools in the UK) = from 4-5 to 11-13 years
- Middle classes - secondary school, high school and senior school (the latter term is more often used by private boarding schools) = from 11 to 13-16 years old
- Senior, graduating classes - Sixth Form = 16-18 years old.
Typically, boarding school accommodation is provided to children from 7-11 years of age (the specific age must be clarified separately at each school); until this point, children can study full-time. As a rule, the main wave of foreign students enter English boarding schools at the age of 7, at 11-13 years old, at 14-16 years old - this parameter depends on the educational goals of the student.
Private boarding schools usually do not limit themselves to standard educational programs: they organize short-term courses, vacation programs throughout the year, and summer camps. This is a great opportunity to get acquainted with a priority school, try to live on a British campus, and prepare for studying abroad in a longer and more complex program.
Features and advantages of boarding schools in England
The best British boarding schools are not just schools: they are entire campuses with their own infrastructure, rules, history and way of life. This is a place where students grow into harmonious, well-rounded and educated individuals, become citizens of the world, and prepare to build a career and achieve high personal goals.
Boarding schools in England pay close attention not only to the academic program: development in the sports, creative, and social spheres here keeps pace with basic education. There are many electives, sections, clubs and communities of interest on campus; sports are always included in the curriculum of junior, middle and senior classes; interesting lectures, master classes and other educational and exciting events are held.
UK boarding school is an excellent choice for those who are sending their child to study abroad for the first time. The campus territory is always carefully guarded around the clock; students are prohibited from leaving it without permission and accompaniment of the teacher and teachers: this creates a safe, comfortable, cozy environment for living, learning and development. Educators and teachers usually live with students in campus residences: this way they can be responsible for the safety of their students around the clock, monitor cleanliness, order and discipline, and quickly come to the rescue to resolve any issues. Teachers also monitor adherence to the daily routine: it helps students not to overexert themselves, to keep up with their studies and extracurricular activities, and sets aside mandatory time for rest.
Equipment for British boarding schools
Separately, it is worth noting the excellent material and technical base of British boarding schools, especially private ones, which invest huge amounts of money in equipment and facilities. Children study in cozy, bright classrooms with modern interactive and computer technology, visit large libraries with paper and electronic sources, prepare homework on the latest PCs, and conduct research in functional practical laboratories. From an early age, children learn to search for information among a variety of sources, work with electronic and multimedia tools: all this subsequently facilitates their studies at university and work in their specialty.
Cost of tuition at a private boarding school in the UK
The price paid by students of private British boarding houses can be different: it depends on the rating and prestige of the institution, its popularity and eliteness, location and historical significance. You can expect an amount from 30 to 47 thousand pounds sterling per academic year: this is full board tuition and accommodation, free use of the entire campus infrastructure, additional elective classes, clubs and sections.
There are also more budget options, for example, with a cost of 17,500-19,000 pounds sterling per academic year - these are good, rated schools with high graduate results. For each of our students, we select the best options individually, listening to all your requirements and wishes and adequately assessing the possibilities.
Great Britain is a country where traditions are respected, honored and preserved. The history of education in the state has deep roots; the first universities appeared here in the 12th century, so no one doubts the fundamentality of British education. Cambridge and Oxford degrees are associated by people all over the world with the highest level of education, based on centuries-old traditions. It is no secret that UK schools are attracting more and more students from all over the world. Many parents seek to send their children to England in order to guarantee their children a high level of subject and professional knowledge, promising and highly paid work, as well as career growth in the future.
England school system
To navigate UK schools in order to determine a suitable educational institution for yourself, you need to familiarize yourself with how the education system of this country works. There are several criteria by which the types of schools in the UK can be classified.
- Availability of tuition fees. Two sectors of education harmoniously coexist in the country: free (state) and paid (these are private schools in England, which are represented by boarding houses, they are well provided and have excellent equipment).
- Age of students.
- Preschool education: nurseries and kindergartens for children 2-7 years old.
- Primary schools in England: Primary schools, where children aged 4-11 study and take exams after the second and sixth years of study, and Junior Schools - with a mandatory exam to move to the secondary level of education. The main subjects for study are English and mathematics, with optional subjects including computer science, religion, music, history, natural sciences, and geography.
- High school in England - at the age of 11, students, based on the results of the junior school exams, move to the next level. The main ones remain English, science and mathematics, the main ones include foreign language, physical education and technology, and history and geography are considered elective subjects. Secondary school in England also has its own classification. There are general education schools, where most children study, as well as schools with in-depth study of individual subjects and secondary specialized schools. The last two types of schools differ in the presence of a humanitarian and technical bias in the subjects studied.
- Post-school level: teenagers aged 16-18 enter school to prepare for university. Here, 3-4 subjects are studied at an advanced level, passing exams for which can provide admission to British and some foreign universities.
- mixed schools (co-education of boys and girls is designed to develop the ability to communicate with a person of any gender);
- only for girls (strict discipline and order reign here);
- only for boys (more outdoor games and competitions are arranged for them).
How to choose a school
If you want to find a school to educate your child, Russian schools in England are unlikely to help you. They are aimed primarily at immigrants from Russia permanently residing in the UK. They have a clear orientation towards Russian culture, subjects studied in our schools, all this so that the child does not forget about his belonging to Russia. Parents seeking to organize their son or daughter’s education in Britain are focused on learning English and obtaining a diploma that would be valued in any country in the world, so they must choose from purely English schools in England.
Only citizens of the country can enroll in public schools in the UK; foreigners have to rely on private schools. Studying abroad is often challenging. This is due not only to the lack of strong language skills, but also to a different approach to teaching in English schools. To have a high chance of getting into British universities, you need to start your studies as early as possible. To begin with, summer schools may be suitable, which will help the child adapt to the language environment and get used to the principles of learning. Then you can move on to permanent residence in a boarding house in the country.
A classic boarding school consists of several buildings on the territory of a private school, children live several people in a room, and have a strict, rigid routine. Boarding schools are very diverse. Although free schools in England are not much inferior to private ones, the choice of educational programs in the latter is wider, and the groups of students in the class are not so large. Prestigious UK schools include the following:
- Repton;
- Eton;
- Bolton Boys;
- St.Vary & St.Anne;
- Oakham;
- Uppingham.
The ranking of schools is published every year in well-known publications; it is calculated based on their percentage of school graduates who entered higher education institutions. It is not easy to get into such schools. For example, Eton School in England is only available to students who have passed the post-primary school examination at age eleven. For foreign students, a special course is provided that will help prepare for such a test.
Price issue
Boarding schools in England are paid for any category of students. Their cost is twice as much as tuition in day schools, but this is understandable, because in a boarding school children are fully provided for. The price of a semester also depends on the school’s place in the national rankings; the higher the place, the more expensive the education at the educational institution. Here it is worth paying attention to the following nuance. If the goal of studying is not to enter a British university, but the student is driven by the desire to obtain a secondary education, then you can save about half the cost by choosing a “simpler” school for studying. When you plan to take an exam and study at a prestigious university, then you need to forget about saving money, we are talking about 8-10 thousand pounds per semester (there are four semesters in an academic year). This must also include a visa fee, about 580 pounds for a guardian (the person who will help your child in England), a deposit of 1,500 pounds for the student’s current expenses. If the expected duration of study exceeds six months, medical care is provided free of charge.
Paperwork
If your child speaks English well and is ready to undergo special testing, you can choose a school. At least a year before the intended study, you must register, send an application to the administration of the chosen school, you can prepare several requests at once to educational institutions of interest. An important step is to visit the school, where you will be told in detail about the regulations and given a tour, which will allow you to form a more complete picture of the institution. Each school provides special tests to control the level of knowledge (language and subject). After testing, the child will have to undergo an interview.
It may take some time before you receive a response from the school administration. If you refuse, do not expect any explanation. But after a positive answer, you can apply for a visa and resolve organizational issues. It is better if this issue is dealt with by professionals (special organizations) who know the intricacies of registration, translation of documents, and resolving issues related to enrollment in schools.
English boarding schools have earned worldwide recognition for their quality and comprehensive education. In such schools, children live and study all year, returning home only for the holidays. The opportunity to combine good academic preparation, music, art and various sports in one educational institution is attractive to both many Englishmen and foreigners. The British, whose work involves frequent travel or increased workload, willingly send their children to private boarding schools. Even very wealthy parents, who have the opportunity to hire tutors and teachers for their children, prefer to use the services of prestigious boarding schools. Therefore, boarding schools in England have remained popular for many years.
The main goal of boarding schools in England is the comprehensive development of children. School subjects, sports and art are organically combined here into a single program for the upbringing and education of children, which has been formed over decades, has stood the test of time and continues to be continuously improved. Private schools in England perfectly combine long-standing traditions and modern educational trends.
Most private schools in England are located outside major cities. The distance from the bustle of the city allows us to provide children with a calm and safe atmosphere for learning and living, as well as compactly accommodate all the necessary school infrastructure (swimming pools, golf, cricket, football fields, art studios, workshops, school theater, library, etc.). Private schools in the UK have good infrastructure that allows children to lead a full life within the educational institution.
Types of boarding schools
England is one of the few countries where single-sex schools still exist. It is believed that such a system allows children to concentrate more on their studies and not be distracted by daily communication with the opposite sex. Also, supporters of separate education say that in such schools children grow up more self-confident and even avoid the emergence of some of the complexes of adolescence. Therefore, many private schools in the UK maintain this tradition.
The main argument of supporters of co-education is that children should grow up in their natural habitat and, from childhood, get used to communicating with the opposite sex as equals.
In any case, the fact remains unchanged that the majority of private schools in England that occupy the first lines of ratings (including the famous Eton, Harrow, Badminton) are single-sex schools. It is also worth considering that children are not deprived of communication with the opposite sex in principle; schools regularly organize joint sports and cultural events.
Accommodation
International and many English students from boarding schools live on the school grounds in a student residence (boarding house). This ensures that the child is 100% immersed in school life, has a good effect on academic performance and provides the opportunity to gain communication experience in a team. Boys and girls live in separate buildings if it is a coeducational school. The older the student, the fewer roommates he has. High school students live in double or single rooms. The children live in the building with their home supervisors or educators, who can always be contacted with any questions. The building has everything necessary for a student’s life and comfortable stay: a place to sleep and study, all the amenities for personal hygiene. The school provides three meals a day, laundry services, and medical care.
Teachers are responsible for all aspects of students’ extracurricular life, their health, and psychological state. Boarding schools must have a 24-hour medical office with qualified nurses. Schools usually have agreements with local doctors who regularly conduct medical examinations of children and can arrive on call and provide the necessary medical assistance at any time of the day.
Training program
From the ages of 11 to 16, English schoolchildren attend secondary school. This stage of training is considered the most responsible, because It depends on him with what knowledge the child will graduate from school and what university he will be able to enroll in. It is at this time that many English people prefer to take their children out of public educational institutions and send them to private ones. Therefore, boarding schools in the UK are mainly aimed at teenagers.
During the first two years, children study English, French, German, Spanish (optional), mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography, information technology, physical education, design, music, drama.
At the age of 14, students choose 8-10 disciplines and over the next two years purposefully prepare for exams for a certificate of secondary education - General Certificate of Secondary Education, GCSE.
After successfully passing their GCSE exams, students wishing to subsequently pursue higher education begin another two-year course that prepares them for A-Level exams. A-Level - a state exam for obtaining an “Advanced Level Certificate” - is taken at the age of 18, at the end of the 13th year of study in 3-4 disciplines of the student’s choice. As a rule, these are the subjects that the student plans to study at university. Based on the results of A-Level exams, students are admitted to British universities.
An interactive table explaining the English education system can be found.
Ratings
There are more than two and a half thousand private schools in the UK. Among them, about 500 are included in the annual ratings. As a rule, the first 100 positions in the ranking are occupied by so-called selective schools (Eton, Harrow, Rugby, etc.), which select children with above average abilities. By origin, these are the educational institutions where the elite of the British Empire were educated - counts, members of the royal family, figures in politics, art and culture. As before, as now, among the students of such schools there are many children of famous parents - Hollywood stars, politicians, world-famous businessmen. However, a lot of money does not guarantee getting into school, but only allows you to give your children a good preparation. The path to selective schools is open to everyone who is able to pass exams and pay for tuition, the cost of which is not much different from other private schools in England (25-30 thousand pounds per year). By the way, students from the CIS usually study in each of these selective schools.
The list of documents varies slightly between schools due to slight differences in the work of the admissions committees of educational institutions in the UK. But the document base - what is required to be collected for admission - remains unchanged:
- school annual reports (grades for the academic year) for the last 2-3 years of study
- a copy of the student’s (schoolboy or schoolgirl) passport
- letters of recommendation from teachers of mathematics, English, the director, written in free form with translation into English
- certificate of proficiency in English (not a mandatory requirement for British private schools due to the presence of their own entrance tests)
- some private schools in Britain may require you to take a single test before submitting documents to the school for consideration by the admissions committee
- school registration forms (filled out by our company)
- Skype interview with the applicant
Admission to prestigious private boarding schools in England (the so-called British Boarding Schools)
Most often, parents planning to give their child or Europe (for example, send him to a good gymnasium or high school in England) ask the question at what age is it better to send him to study - it is difficult to give a definite answer, much depends on the individual characteristics and character of the student . It is necessary to focus on this first of all, considering studying in schools and colleges in England as a pre-university stage.
It is believed that the optimal age to start is 11, 12, 13 years old (in Britain at this time children enter the middle classes). Teenagers are easier to break up with their parents than kids. At the same time, children for whom education began at 7, 8, 9, 10 years old adapt faster to the new environment, and, according to statistics, in their senior year they speak English at the level of native speakers. For a Russian schoolchild to fully adapt, it is also recommended to take an additional, vacation course - for example, a program, enroll in, conduct: this will help him quickly integrate into the language and educational environment.
The second important issue for parents is choosing a good institution. Most focus on the ratings of closed educational institutions, their names published in thematic media, attention is naturally attracted to options from the TOP 10. But parents need to take into account that sending their child to one of these institutions is not easy; almost all of them accept students on a competitive basis: there is a waiting list for enrollment, which can take several years (for example, at the famous (Eton), Harrow). Perhaps this is the only disadvantage of private boarding schools in England, besides their price.
British private elite schools and co-educational boarding schools from the TOP 100-200 rankings are numerous and attract special attention from parents who want to send their children abroad. Among them there are old (vintage) colleges, which are not much inferior to the elite ones - they are not well-known brands, but this does not prevent their graduates from entering prestigious universities, showing high results in entrance exams.
The third pressing issue is the time of submission of documents, as well as preparation for testing in educational institutions. For your attention - for Russians, Ukrainians, Kazakhstanis, other foreign children and students in various subjects and ages. It is recommended to do this a year before enrollment, in addition, it is worth submitting documents to several places. This will allow the child to be guaranteed admission and receive quality education.
Private colleges and boarding schools in England: admission and study procedures (with translation into Russian)
Colleges in England, as a rule, accept children from 13 years of age to prepare for the GCSE program after grades 8 and 9. For Russian schoolchildren and foreign students aged 14, 15 years, 1-2 years are given to obtain a certificate of incomplete secondary education (General Certificate of Secondary Education), followed by the so-called sixth form level - high school (16, 17, 18 years old) with A-level, Foundation, IB programs.
British private boarding schools can have various priority specialized areas of study: with an art bias, with a business and economic bias, technical, medical, engineering, music bias, there is also a bias in the media (media), the film industry, hotel management, directing and others.
In Great Britain, the school year lasts from September to July, it is divided into 3 trimesters: the first and second are separated by the Christmas holidays, the second and third by the Easter holidays.
Education in schools in England and Great Britain takes place mainly according to intensive programs. The life and daily routine of students here follows a certain schedule: it includes academic lessons, sports and/or creative activities, time for self-study, leisure, and entertainment. The schedule must be followed by all students, this is monitored by mentors and educators.
A feature of the well-known programs is the increased attention to the physical training of students - sports here are no less important than general education and special (in high school) disciplines. Each child, as a rule, chooses 1-2 priority sports areas, and the general list of sections is usually not limited to a dozen: children are offered football, tennis, swimming, golf, cricket, rugby, horse riding and much more.
For the harmonious development of the individual, many clubs have also been opened in educational institutions - almost every institution has its own choir, orchestra, jazz and dance group. Creative individuals can engage in design, drawing, sculpting, etc.
Students have free time after dinner (subject to homework completion). Bedtime for different age groups varies between 22:00-23:00.
Private British schools and boarding schools: accommodation and conditions
Private boarding schools in England mainly accept students on a boarding basis: children are offered rooms in a dormitory (residence), primary school students live in rooms of 4 to 10 people.
Accommodation in “dormitories” is also provided - they are spacious rooms separated by partitions. In the “dormitories”, each resident has his own corner with a bed, a desk, and a small closet for storing personal belongings, shoes, and clothes. High school students are accommodated in double and single rooms.
Three hot meals a day are provided for children of all ages. The menu, as a rule, offers meat, vegetarian, fish, and several dishes are served to choose from at each meal.
The territory of the boarding house is guarded; children are prohibited from leaving the campus without permission. If such conditions seem harsh to parents, they can send their child to an international college in the UK.
The rules there are not so strict, children have more freedom, and the accommodation conditions are also different. But a typical primary school in England, like a secondary school, strengthens the will: living in somewhat ascetic conditions does not allow children to grow up as mercantile consumers. Discipline teaches responsibility, and the lack of opportunity to be distracted from studies allows you to get an excellent education.
Tuition fees at private secondary schools in England, boarding schools and colleges in the UK
The cost of education in schools, boarding schools and colleges varies depending on the rating of the institution, the results of graduate exams, prestige, history; average cost: at school and college £14,000 - £25,000 per year (full-time - without accommodation), at a boarding school - £30,000 - 50,000 per year in the most expensive ones.