I. Types of institution

1. In England there are both state and independent (or pri­vate) institutions. Before dealing with the various institu­tions, it is worth giving the names of the bodies and people responsible for the state system of education, together with their functions, as some of them will be mentioned in discus­sing the institutions, and all of them occur in the press and in books on education.

The Department of Education & Science (DES) is the min­istry responsible for national educational policy. Until 1964 it was called the Ministry of Education, and (government) department has the same meaning as ministry.

Nicola Ann Morgan

T he Secretary of State for Education & Science, or, in less formal style, the Education Secretary, is the minister who heads the DES.

The local education authorities (LEAs) are responsible for:

• providing and maintaining schools in their areas in accord­ance with national policy;

• the day-to-day administration of schools, the employment of teachers, and the curriculum (see unit 397), although in practice much of this responsibility is delegated to head teach­ers;

• post-school education, except for universities (see unit 28).

The chief education officer is the official at the head of a local education authority. In some areas the title director of education has come into use instead.

2. Independent, private

The word independent, when applied to an educational institution, means "independent of the state". However, such independence is not complete. For example, independent schools must register with the DES and be open to inspection by the Department; universities are increasingly dependent on the Department from the financial point of view (see unit 28).

Private is often used of educational institutions in the same sense as independent, especially in non-formal style. Strictly speaking, however, a private institution is one run mainly for the profit of its owner(s), in contrast to other, non-profit-making institutions, which are controlled by some form of governing body.

Independent (private) schools

The expressions independent/private school are general ones and not necessarily connected with the English educa­tional system.

Independent schools, unlike state schools, are fee-paying, that is, parents have to pay fees. The majority of independent schools are boarding schools, and pupils go home only for the holidays. However, there are also some independent day schools. Most independent schools are single-sex, that is, for boys or girls only, whereas most state schools are now coeducational, or mixed. (Mixed is less formal than coedu­cational. Coeducational can be abbreviated to coed in non-for­mal style.)

Independent schools are not generally divided into primary and secondary, like state schools. Many fit into the follow­ing pattern:

1. kindergarten or pre-preparatory school — ages 5-8

2. preparatory school — ages 8-13

3. public school or similar school — ages 13-16/18

public school

A public school is an independent school for pupils aged 13-18 which is distinguished from other such schools by mem­bership of the Headmasters' Conference or one of two similar bodies, and therefore has a certain status. (There are about 260.) Most of them are boys' boarding schools, although some are day schools and some are for girls. A few have even become coeducational recently. Some of them are several hundred years old, but many others, including some of the thirty lead­ing public schools, were founded in the last 150 years. The most famous are Eton, Harrow, Winchester, and Rugby.

It is clear from this definition that public schools are now not public in the usual sense of the word. Formerly, however, the name was quite appropriate, as C. Е. Eckersley explains in his PATTERN OF ENGLAND: "Public schools are private foundations. Originally they depended mainly on endowments by noble founders and wealthy benefactors, and were intended to put education within the reach of anyone intelligent enough to take advantage of it, whether their parents were rich or poor. Now they depend almost entirely on the fees paid by their pupils* parents."

Note, however, that in the USA public school means a school supported by public funds, and corresponds to British English state school.

An English public school education is traditionally aca­demic, with an emphasis on the classics.

preparatory school

A preparatory school is an independent school for children aged 8 to 33, whom it prepares for the public schools. At 13 pupils take the Common Examination for En­trance to Public Schools, usually called simply the Common Entrance (exam) in conversation, which is the public schools' entrance examination.

Nearly all preparatory schools are for boys and many of them are boarding schools. The abbreviation prep school is widely used.

ETON

Perhaps the most famous public school in the UK is Eton. It is located near Windsor. It was founded in 1440 by the English king Henry the Sixth (King's College Cambridge was founded in 1441). Lupton's Tower, opposite the main entrance, was built in 1520 by Henry Redman, who was also worked on the palace at Hampton Court.

Entrance to Eton is competitive, based on a test at the age of 11 and a Common Entrance exam at 13. Academic standards are very high. The academic year starts at the end of September and has three terms. The year finishes with the exams in early June. Short courses are run at the college after the boys have left for their summer holidays. There are no girls at Eton (many other boys' public schools in the UK accept some girls in the upper school, after age 16). Boys leave the school at the age of 18 - many go on to study at top universities such as Oxford and Cambridge. 

Famous "Old Etonians" (people educated at Eton) include the Duke of Wellington, writers such as Shelley and George Orwell, the economist Keynes, and many British Prime Ministers. Both of Prince Charles' sons (William and Harry) studied at Eton