Making sense of it all
Pre-preps: schools for children aged 3-7. The majority of these are co-educational and independent (fee paying).
Prep-schools: schools for children aged 7-11 or 13, depending on your choice of senior school. The majority are co-educational and independent (fee paying) and either stand alone or are affiliated to a senior school. There are both day prep schools and ones that offer boarding.
Primary schools: schools for children aged 4-11 and are run by the state; they are free. They are subject to OFSTED ( Office for Standards in Education) checks.
Private schools: these are fee paying schools. Children here do not have to follow the National Curriculum (the government guidelines as to what a child should be learning and at what stage in their school life). They are inspected regularly by OFSTED, The ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate) or The Bridge Schools Inspectorate.
Public schools: fee paying schools (not to be confused with the American system). These schools were originally intended to educate the children of civil servants and soldiers working in parts of the British Empire. They are usually older and well-established schools with children attending whose parents, grandparents and even great-grand parents went to.
Secondary schools: schools for children aged 11-16 or 18 years old and are usually state funded.
Grammar schools: these schools are state funded secondary schools but are academically selective. Children must sit an exam taken at 11 years old (the 11+) and are highly competitive. There are only about 163 grammar schools left in England. Historically grammar schools focused on academic studies, with the presumption most of their pupils would go into higher education. Secondary schools were for children who would go into trades; essentially dividing educational ‘types’
7+, 8+, 9+, 10+, 11+: these are exams taken in either years 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6. The 11+ is normally taken in the January of Year 6 (although some schools offer their exams in November) and most results and offers are with you by February half term. These exams usually, but not always, consist of an English paper with comprehension and composition, a written Maths paper with no calculator and a Verbal and Non-Verbal exam. Each school may do their exam a little differently; always check with the school you are sitting for.
Pre-Test: The ISEB Common Pre-Tests are taken when a pupil in in Year 6 or 7 and are a standardised measure of ability and attainment. They are commissioned from GL Assessment and are online and adaptive. The tests include Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, English and Maths in a multiple – choice format and take about 2 ½ hours to complete; the tests can be taken together or at separate times, either in the pupil’s own school or at the senior school. Among the senior schools using pre-tests to assess are Bradfield College, Brighton College, Charterhouse, Eton, Marlborough, Wellington College and Downe House.
+ Common Entrance: this exam is taken in June of Year 8 where still required. Many schools require children to sit a ‘pre-test’ at 11; these results will have an effect on what pass mark they may need to achieve in the 13+. The Common Entrance exams are usually designed by the ISEB (Independent Schools Examination Board). The exams consist of English, Maths and Science when they are in Year 6, usually for girls’ school. 13+ candidates also sit exams in these core subjects, along with papers selected from a wide range of humanities, languages and some classical subjects.