Types of School in England & Wales

There is a wide variety of types of independent school in England and Wales. These are:

All-Through Schools (Ages 2/5-16/18)
Many schools take pupils all the way through from early ages to 16 or 18/19, though usually in quite separate departments or separate schools under the same management.

Pre-Preparatory Schools (Ages 2-7)
Pre-preparatory schools - also called nursery schools or kindergartens - correspond to nursery and infants stages in local authority schools. Children are taught to read, write, develop numeracy and learn to play. Pre-prep schools are often attached to specific junior schools.

Junior Schools (Ages 7-11+ or 13)
Junior schools, often called preparatory or prep schools, have a full range of subjects leading to admission to senior schools at 11+ or through the 13+ Common Entrance Examination.

Senior Schools (Ages 11-18)
These schools offer three years of general studies followed by two years for GCSE and two years for AS/A2 or the International Baccalaureate. Schools which admit pupils at 11+ sometimes have a lower school for children aged 11-13. There may be a special entrance examination to the upper school at 13.

Senior Schools (Ages 13-18)
Some boys' senior schools still have the traditional age of entry at 13. These schools offer one year of general studies followed by two years for GCSE and two years for AS/A2 or the International Baccalaureate.

Sixth Form (Age 16+)
Many senior schools admit students at 16+, usually for two-year AS/A2 courses, the International Baccalaureate, vocational courses or GCSE retakes.