The Private System

No one can understand the educational system in England and Wales without reference to the “public schools” – which are independent and private. The major public schools, such as Eton, Harrow, Winchester and Westminster, have several hundreds of years of history. They have traditionally served a social elite and, in some cases, an intellectual elite. Oxford and Cambridge, for instance draw almost half their undergraduates from the private schools which only about 7% of the population attend. And the top jobs in the judiciary, the civil service, the military and the Church have tended to go to those who have had this privileged upbringing – although this is changing bit by bit. However, the private school system, especially the top public schools, remains extremely influential in British society.

There are schools for those up to 13, generally called “prep school”, followed by the secondary or “public school” at 13. Many of these are boarding schools. It was customary for the upper classes to send their children away to school. This was in many ways subsidised by the state since many children going to these schools would be the children of army, navy or airforce personnel stationed abroad and their fees would be paid by the Ministry of Defence. However there has recently been a sharp drop in the number of boarders. There have been cuts in the armed forces, with a consequent drop in fees to the private sector. And many more parents wish to keep their children at home. So many of the boarding schools are now recruiting from abroad, especially the Far East (and Russia!) to fill their places.

The most significant subsidy, however, has been through the “assisted places scheme” which enabled some parents who otherwise would not be able to afford it to send their children to private schools. However, the first thing that the Labour government did when elected in 1997 was to abolish this scheme.

The distinction, however, between public (state) and private or independent can become increasingly blurred. For example, there is growing dependence of the maintained (or state) sector on private means – on donations from parents for essential goods such as books, equipment and even teachers; or sponsorship by industry, and on selling services such as renting sporting facilities and premises. There is much evidence of schools dependent on donations and covenant schemes. And it is clear that, as schools move towards control of their own budgets, they will be expected to improve their resources through external funding.

The position may best be seen in terms of the degree of independence from government control, or of readiness to compete in the market conditions that once affected only the private sector but now provide the framework for all. The point is that one cannot understand the educational system in England and Wales without appreciating the role of those often very rich and influential schools which remain financially independent of government and to which many influential people send their children (about 7% of the secondary school population).