Independent schools

Independent schools in the United Kingdom are fee paying private schools, administered by an elected board of governors, without necessarily adhering to the conditions and regulations of the state-funded school governance. Learners do not necessarily have to follow the national education curriculum as the school is authorized to have its own but as per the rules and regulations of the Independent Schools Council. Similarly, the schools do not depend on the taxpayers’ money, local, or national government for their finances. Rather, their operations are fully funded from tuition charges and sometimes donations.

Over the last twenty years, independent schools have continually grown. In England and Wales, the most prestigious independent schools are usually public schools subdivided into minor and major schools. They are public in the sense of their school heads membership. In Scotland, schools that are not funded by the state are referred to as independent schools. They may comprise of special schools such as music schools, of special education schools. One distinct factor about the independent schools  in Scotland is for the fact that they are still inspected by the state inspectorate and are subject to a test designed to demonstrate the benefits the school provide to the public.

Indeed the schools are extremely prestigious and pricey if the reports are anything to go by. For instance by 2016, the Independent Schools Council averaged the cost required to send a child to an Independent boarding school is around $30,000 per year and half of the amount for an independent day school. And all this huge amount of money is not in vain as students can enjoy impressive facilities in the schools such as fancier music and sporting facilities. On the part of education, the schools ensure that they have the latest library materials, well-equipped science and computer laboratories, as well as the classroom setups. Typically, these are schools for the affluent who want to accord their children the best education in the United Kingdom with all the comfort.