Public school (United Kingdom)

The term public school refers to a group of older, more expensive and exclusive fee-paying private independent schools in the United Kingdom, particularly in England, which cater primarily for children aged between 13 and 18. Traditionally, these were boys' boarding schools, although most now allow day pupils and many have turned either partially or fully co-educational. They emerged from ancient charity schools established to educate poor scholars, the term "public" being used to indicate that access to them was not restricted on the basis of religion, occupation or home location.

Soon after the Clarendon Commission reported in 1864, the Public Schools Act 1868 gave the following seven schools independence from direct jurisdiction or responsibility of the Crown, the established church or the government: Charterhouse School, Eton College, Harrow School, Rugby School, Shrewsbury School, Westminster School and Winchester College. Henceforth each of these schools were to be managed by a board of governors. The following year, the headmaster of Uppingham School invited sixty to seventy of his fellow headmasters to form what became the Headmasters' Conference—later the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference—membership of which now defines schools as being 'public schools'. Separate Preparatory schools(or "prep schools") for younger boys developed from the 1830s, which 'prepared' pupils for entry to the senior schools which began limiting entry to boys of at least 12 or 13 years of age.

Public schools have had a strong association with the ruling classes. Historically they educated the sons of the English upper andupper-middle classes. In particular, the sons of officers and senior administrators of the British Empire were educated in England while their parents were on overseas postings. In 2010, over half of Cabinet Ministers had been educated at public schools; by contrast, however, most prime ministers since 1964 were educated at state schools. In 2009, annual fees were up to £30,000 for boarders.

Psychological effects of boarding

There is a growing body of knowledge supporting the view that being sent away to boarding school at an early age can result in long-term psychological harm. In 2008 it was announced that a committee of MPs was to investigate and look at the social and emotional impact of separating youngsters from their parents and the "possible dangers" of children being sent to boarding school at a young age.

Public schools (especially boarding schools) have sometimes been jokingly compared by their pupils or ex-pupils to prisons. Evelyn Waugh observed in Decline and Fall (1928) that "anyone who has been to an English public school will always feel comparatively at home in prison". Former Cabinet Minister Jonathan Aitken, sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment for perjury in 1999, commented in an interview: "As far as the physical miseries go, I am sure I will cope. I lived at Eton in the 1950s and I know all about life in uncomfortable quarters."