Independent School
A privately funded school charging fees and not bound to the National Curriculum.
An independent school (also called a "private" or "fee-paying" school) is funded by tuition fees rather than government grants. It is not bound to follow the National Curriculum and is regulated by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) or, occasionally, by Ofsted.
Independent schools include:
- Day schools and boarding schools
- Single-sex and co-educational schools
- Schools in associations such as HMC (Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference) or GSA (Girls’ Schools Association)
Most independents prepare pupils for GCSEs and A-Levels, though some use IGCSEs or the International Baccalaureate (IB) instead. Note: IGCSE results are not included in the DfE’s Attainment 8 figures, so the headline league-table position of an IGCSE-using independent can look misleadingly low.
Entry is by application, school visit and (often) an entrance test or interview. There is no national application system; each school has its own deadlines and criteria.
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