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Preparatory school (UK)
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In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school (usually abbreviated to prep school) is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are called public schools. While many prep schools prepare their students for entry to a range of senior schools, some are closely associated with a single school, as Colet Court is with St Paul's School.
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In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school (usually abbreviated to prep school) is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are called public schools. While many prep schools prepare their students for entry to a range of senior schools, some are closely associated with a single school, as Colet Court is with St Paul's School. Most British prep schools are primarily day schools, but many also take boarders.
Some maintained grammar schools which are otherwise free have a fee-paying prep department. Examples include Sullivan Upper School in Holywood and Bangor Grammar School, Bangor, County Down, both in Northern Ireland.
This use of the term in the UK is in contrast to that in the United States and Canada, where "prep school" means a university-preparatory school.
Boys' prep schools are generally for eight to thirteen year olds, when most pupils take the Common Entrance Examination for entry into a secondary independent school. Before the age of eight, the term "pre-prep school", parallel in the UK with a maintained primary school, is often used. Thus, most independently educated boys will go to a pre-prep school from the age of four or five until eight, then from eight to thirteen to a prep school, and from thirteen to an independent secondary school.
Girls' private schools in England tend to follow the age ranges of maintained schools more closely than those for boys. A girls' preparatory school will usually admit girls from the age of five, and they will continue to another independent school at eleven. However, as more girls now go on to boys' schools which have become co-educational, the separation is less clear.
The Incorporated Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS) is the prep schools' heads' association serving the top 500+ independent prep schools in the UK and worldwide, with a total of 130,000 pupils. The IAPS is one of seven affiliated associations of the Independent Schools Council (ISC).
List of British Preparatory schools
Below is a list of British prep schools and their headmaster or headmistress as of 1 November 2008.
Former UK prep schools
See also
External links
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