There are more than 2,500 independent schools in the UK, educating about 620,000 children. In England, independent schools educate about seven per cent of the entire school age population; proportions are lower in Scotland and Wales. There are regional variations, too: in the south east, about 10 per cent of children are in independent schools and the proportion rises to 13 per cent in London.
Independent schools educate about 8 per cent of the whole school population. Under the Education Act 1996 all independent schools must be registered with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and must meet certain regulations set by the DfES (in Wales the Welsh Office Education Department -- WOED). However, independent schools are largely self-governing and are not required to comply with all legislation covering schools maintained by the State.
The education system in the UK has been deeply influenced by the social class structure. The traditional view held that education was the concern of the family - private tutors were engaged to teach the sons of the nobility - and of the church - schools were set up by bishops to give instruction to prospective clergymen.
It was not until the 19th century that it became the state's responsibility to establish a system of elementary schools, and there was still no provision for secondary education, which continued to be provided by voluntary fee-paying grammar schools and "public schools". A few of these dated back to the 16th century, but the majority were established to meet the growing demand in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The "public schools" were aristocratic, exclusive, formal and classical and only catered for a small proportion of the population. Their main goal was to develop the nation's future leaders for service in public life, and as such were only open to the sons of the nobility or the prosperous new mercantile class. Boys who had previously been educated at home were now sent away to live at school in a community with boys of similar upbringing.
Roughly 6-7% of children in the UK attend independent schools, of which there are over 2500. All are required to meet regulations, and most are funded by fees paid by parents. Many of these are run as Charitable Trusts under the control of a Board of Governors.
Whilst independent schools do not have to comply with the national curriculum, many of them have chosen to do so. There is considerable variation in admission procedures but Common Entrance is used by the majority of senior schools for admission at 13+. Some independent day schools are highly selective and dominate the national league tables for GCSE and A level results.
There are a few Associations of independent schools, foremost amongst which are the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) and the Girls' Schools Association (GSA) at senior level and the Incorporated Association of Preparatory Schools at prep school level. Many independent Sixth Form and Tutorial Colleges belong to the Council for Independent Further Education (CIFE).
