Preparatory school (UK)
Encyclopedia
In English language
usage in the former British Empire
, the present-day Commonwealth
, a preparatory school (usually abbreviated to prep school) is an independent school
preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary
independent schools, some of which are known as public schools
. Most British prep schools are primarily day schools, but many also take boarders
. In Northern Ireland, preparatory departments are fee-paying schools
which cater for children between the ages of four and eleven. They are usually part of a grammar school
, to which the majority of pupils will go upon leaving the preparatory department at the age of eleven.
A pre-prep or pre-preparatory school is a school similar to a modern preschool or nursery school
for two or three year olds to 4, 5 or 6 for girls and 6, 7 and 8 for boys.
This use of the term in the UK is different from United States and Canadian usage, where a "prep school" is a university-preparatory school
for older pupils.
Boys' prep schools are generally for eight- to thirteen-year olds (sometimes 6 or 7 to 13), when most pupils take the Common Entrance Examination for entry into a secondary independent school. Before the age of seven or eight, the term "pre-prep school" is used. Thus, most independently educated boys will go to a pre-prep school from the age of four until eight, then from eight to thirteen to a prep school, and from thirteen to an independent secondary school.
Girls' private schools in England tend to follow the age ranges of state schools more closely than those for boys. A girls' preparatory school will usually admit girls from the age of four or five, and they will continue to another independent school at eleven, but if the school is co-educational, may stay on to 13. However, as more girls now go on to formerly single-sex boys' schools which have become co-educational, the separation is less clear.
The Incorporated Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS) is the prep schools' heads' association serving the top 500+ independent prep schools in the UK and worldwide, with a total of 130,000 pupils.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
usage in the former British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, the present-day Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
, a preparatory school (usually abbreviated to prep school) is an independent school
Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...
preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
independent schools, some of which are known as public schools
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
. Most British prep schools are primarily day schools, but many also take boarders
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
. In Northern Ireland, preparatory departments are fee-paying schools
Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...
which cater for children between the ages of four and eleven. They are usually part of a grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
, to which the majority of pupils will go upon leaving the preparatory department at the age of eleven.
A pre-prep or pre-preparatory school is a school similar to a modern preschool or nursery school
Nursery school
A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of one and five years, staffed by suitably qualified and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply providing childcare...
for two or three year olds to 4, 5 or 6 for girls and 6, 7 and 8 for boys.
This use of the term in the UK is different from United States and Canadian usage, where a "prep school" is a university-preparatory school
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
for older pupils.
Boys' prep schools are generally for eight- to thirteen-year olds (sometimes 6 or 7 to 13), when most pupils take the Common Entrance Examination for entry into a secondary independent school. Before the age of seven or eight, the term "pre-prep school" is used. Thus, most independently educated boys will go to a pre-prep school from the age of four until eight, then from eight to thirteen to a prep school, and from thirteen to an independent secondary school.
Girls' private schools in England tend to follow the age ranges of state schools more closely than those for boys. A girls' preparatory school will usually admit girls from the age of four or five, and they will continue to another independent school at eleven, but if the school is co-educational, may stay on to 13. However, as more girls now go on to formerly single-sex boys' schools which have become co-educational, the separation is less clear.
The Incorporated Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS) is the prep schools' heads' association serving the top 500+ independent prep schools in the UK and worldwide, with a total of 130,000 pupils.
List of British Preparatory schools
Below is a list of British prep schools and their headmaster or headmistress as of 1 November 2008.Former UK prep schools
- Ascham St Vincent's School
- Bridgeway School for girls London
- Bishop's Court School for Boys
- Cabin Hill School Belfast
- Childscourt school, somerset
- Dunchurch-Winton HallDunchurch-Winton HallDunchurch-Winton Hall was a boarding and day Preparatory School for boys and girls from 3 ½ to 13 ½ years. Pupils joined the Main School at 7 ½, while from 3 ½ to 7 ½ they attended the Pre-Preparatory Department which was housed separately in the grounds....
- Emscote Lawn Preparatory School (Warwick)
- Eyelesden Court Preparatory School (Bearsted, Kent)
- Hamilton Academy's prep schoolHamilton AcademyHamilton Academy was a school situated in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.Described as "one of the finest schools in Scotland" in the Cambridge University Press County Biography of 1910, Hamilton Academy featured in the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association Magazine article series on...
phased out in 1952 - HawtreysHawtreysHawtreys Preparatory School was an independent boys' preparatory school, first established in Slough, later moved to Westgate-on-Sea, then to Oswestry, and finally to a country house near Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire...
- Heatherdown Preparatory SchoolHeatherdown Preparatory SchoolHeatherdown Preparatory School was an independent junior school for boys in the civil parish of Winkfield, near Ascot, in the English county of Berkshire. It closed in 1982...
- Hill Brow SchoolHill Brow Preparatory School for BoysHill Brow Preparatory School for Boys was a small English preparatory school, initially based in Eastbourne, East Sussex, but subsequently relocated to Brent Knoll in Somerset as part of the evacuation of civilians that took place during World War II....
, Brent Knoll, Somerset (1940 to 1967) - Hill Brow SchoolHill Brow Preparatory School for BoysHill Brow Preparatory School for Boys was a small English preparatory school, initially based in Eastbourne, East Sussex, but subsequently relocated to Brent Knoll in Somerset as part of the evacuation of civilians that took place during World War II....
, Eastbourne (c.1893 to 1940) - Howsham hallHowsham HallHowsham Hall is a stately home in Howsham, North Yorkshire, England, built in the early 17th century. The hall is now a grade I listed building....
- Lady Eden's School, Kensington, London
- Ladycross SchoolLadycross SchoolLadycross was a Catholic preparatory school based in Seaford, East Sussex, overlooking the downs with trenches which led up to the cliffs. Founded in 1891, more than 2,000 pupils attended it before its closure in 1977.-History:...
for boys, Seaford, East Sussex - Nevill HoltNevill HoltNevill Holt is a hamlet and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated at about northeast of Market Harborough and northwest of Corby and lies close to the borders with Northamptonshire and Rutland. It lies on the north side of the Welland valley...
- New Park SchoolNew Park School- Founding and Development :New Park School was an independent preparatory school in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. The school was founded in 1933 by Cuthbert Dixon, a teacher at Merchiston Castle School....
, St Andrews, Fife - The Old Malthouse School, Langton Matravers, Dorset (1906 to 2006)
- Prior's Court, Newbury, Berks. Now moved to Kingswood Preparatory SchoolKingswood SchoolKingswood School, referred to as 'Kingswood', is an independent day and boarding school located in Bath, Somerset, England. The school is coeducational and educates some 950 children aged 3 to 18. It is notable for being founded by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, in 1748...
, Bath, Somerset - Ravenscroft School (Somerset)Ravenscroft School (Somerset)Ravenscroft School was an independent day and boarding school, initially for boys only, but from 1964 co-educational. From 1945 onwards its premises were in Somerset, England...
- St Cyprian's SchoolSt Cyprian's SchoolSt Cyprian's School was an English preparatory school for boys, which operated in the early 20th century in Eastbourne, East Sussex. Like other preparatory schools, its purpose was to train pupils to do well enough in the examinations to gain admission to leading public schools, and to provide an...
- Temple Grove School
- Tormore School, Upper Deal, Kent
- West Downs SchoolWest Downs SchoolWest Downs School, Romsey Road, Winchester, Hampshire, was an English independent preparatory school, which was established in 1897 and closed in 1988.-History:...
- Seafield Park, Fareham, Hampshire.http://www.newellsonline.net
- Seafield Park,Endsleigh, Milton Abbott, Nr Tavistock, Devon.http://www.newellsonline.net
- Newells School. Lower beeding, Nr Horsham, Sussex. http://www.newellsonline.net
See also
- Independent schoolIndependent schoolAn independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
- Boarding schoolBoarding schoolA boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
- Education in EnglandEducation in EnglandEducation in England is overseen by the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Local authorities take responsibility for implementing policy for public education and state schools at a regional level....
- School and university in literatureSchool and university in literature-School in literature:*Thomas Bailey Aldrich: The Story of a Bad Boy*Laurie Halse Anderson: Speak*Christine Anlauff: Good morning, Lehnitz*F...
, in particular Pamela Hansford JohnsonPamela Hansford JohnsonPamela Hansford Johnson, Baroness Snow was an English novelist, playwright, poet, literary and social critic.-Career:...
's novel The Honours BoardThe Honours BoardThe Honours Board is a novel by Pamela Hansford Johnson first published in 1970. Set in the South of England at Downs Park, a small fictional preparatory school for boys, it follows the lives of the members of the staff over a couple of years...
(19701970 in literatureThe year 1970 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Deliverance by American poet James Dickey published...
)