11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi All,

Please excuse my ignorance, but what's the difference between an Independent school and a Prep school??

Thanks
dp

Fundamentally, an independent school, or indie, is any school that you have to pay for, to go. So an indie can be primary or secondary school - or even an indie 6th form college.

A prep school is an independent primary school.

Agree with Kenya.

Some people though say that a prep school is so named because it prepares children for common entrance. So an indepenendent primary school going up to 11+ only would not be a prep. I think that is being a little too pernickety (even if that is what the word used to mean) and most people these days would use "prep" in the wider sense.

thanks everyone, basically, i'm going to be paying out of my pocket either way.

If a private school has a secondary section, it will most likely 'not' prepare fro eleven plus. It may make a pretence of doing it. It stands to gain if its brightest stay with them for secondary. A primary private school' s reputation is primarily based on the destination of its leavers.

I work in a prep school and in general a traditional prep school is a school which goes from y3 to y8. Some will also have a pre-prep department (Infants) and may even have a nursery. In Gloucestershire we have a mixture of Independent primary schools, up to y6, and Prep schools, up to y8. To get into the senior schools most children have to take the 11+ in Y6 where they would be offered an unconditional or conditional place at the senior school, start in Y7 in the prep school and then in Y8 they take the Common Entrance exam which confirms their senior school place.