e d u c at i o n
LEARNING YOUR A,B,C’S
Our definitive guide to help you make all the right choices for your children there are 2,500+ independent schools in the uK which are independent of local or central government control. independent schools offer a wealth of facilities and high teaching standards that enable students to achieve great results year after year. independent schools are in the unique position to provide a truly bespoke education for your child.
Free of the national curriculum, prep schools can differentiate their curricula according to what they think best prepares children for their later education. Most prep school children will be learning a foreign language from the very first year, and don’t be surprised to see subjects like Latin, Philosophy and Physics in the classroom, with cricket, rugby and tennis all on offer during games.
choosing the right school for your child is an important decision that takes plenty of time and research. there are a wide range of independent schools specialising in different age groups and needs.
as children reach the end of their time at prep school, most will look to the common entrance exam as their gateway into the senior schools. it is during this transition process that senior schools are also looking for talented pupils for scholarships and other awards, so the very able students may be asked to attend further examinations/recitals/ matches &c, depending on where their particular strengths lie.
PRe-PRePARAtORy SchOOlS (AgeS 2 yeARS - 7 yeARS) Pre-preparatory schools - also called nursery schools or kindergartens correspond to nursery and infants stages in local authority schools. in prepreparatory schools children are taught to read, write, develop numeracy and learn to play. Pre-prep schools are often attached to specific junior schools.Preprep school is the first time most children will experience education, as opposed to the daycare provided by kindergartons. children will have to learn the basics of mathematics, science and english, and a host of other subjects. outside the classroom, many of the children will be having their first proper experience with team sports, music and/ or choral tuition, and the arts. PRePARAtORy SchOOlS (AgeS 7 yeARS -11+ OR 13 yeARS) Preparatory or prep schools, have a full range of subjects leading to admission to senior schools at 11+ or through the 13+ common entrance examination.as their name implies, the preparatory schools are focused primarily on preparing boys and girls for their senior education, and the important public exams that come with it.
in the state system, children are tested by the Government Sats, however many schools in the independent sector will have their own internal methods of measuring the performance of the children. there are around 499 prep schools in the independent association of Prep Schools, one of our constituent Head’s associations, collectively educating over 134,000 children. SeniOR SchOOlS (AgeS 11 yeARS -18 yeARS) Most of the pupils in independent education are in senior school, educating over 350,000 senior school students in almost eight hundred schools. independent Senior Schools offer approaches to education, subjects, facilities and sports unparalleled in the state sector – students can study History of art, Government, Russian and Japanese, and try their hands at astronomy, ceramics or equestrianism. they could be on their school judo or sailing team, and take trips all over the world. Whatever your child’s particular strengths, passions and interests, there is almost certainly a school which can offer the chance to try all of them.
february issue | 13