English private schools are called independent schools, and the two terms are used interchangeably. They charge fees instead of receiving government funding, and they sit alongside a large state sector that includes academies, grammar schools and free schools. For families arriving from abroad, the main difficulty is not the quality of the schools but the vocabulary and the timing of entry points.
This guide explains how the stages fit together, how the schools are regulated, what boarding involves and what has changed in the way fees are taxed.
The stages of an English education
State and independent schools follow the same year-group numbering, even though independent schools are not obliged to follow the national curriculum. The government's own description of the national curriculum gives these ages:
| Stage | Years | Ages |
|---|---|---|
| Early years (EYFS) | Nursery and Reception | 3 to 5 |
| Key stage 1 | Years 1 and 2 | 5 to 7 |
| Key stage 2 | Years 3 to 6 | 7 to 11 |
| Key stage 3 | Years 7 to 9 | 11 to 14 |
| Key stage 4 | Years 10 and 11 | 14 to 16 |
Most pupils sit GCSEs at the end of Year 11, at 15 to 16, though some take them a year earlier. After that, sixth form covers Years 12 and 13 and usually leads to A-Levels or the IB Diploma. Both are classed as Level 3 qualifications on the government's list of qualification levels.
Prep, senior and sixth form
Independent schools often divide the journey differently from the state sector, and the labels matter when you plan an application.
Pre-prep and prep. Pre-prep schools take children from roughly 4 to 7 and prep schools take them on to 11 or 13. Many prep schools are designed to feed particular senior schools, and they prepare pupils for the entrance process.
Senior school. Senior schools traditionally admit pupils at 11, at 13 or at 16. Entry at 13 is common in the independent sector, which means that a child may spend Years 7 and 8 at a prep school and move to a senior school for Year 9. Entry at 11 is increasingly the norm at day schools, so it is worth checking which point each school treats as its main intake.
Sixth form. Some schools admit new pupils to the sixth form at 16. These places are competitive, because there are fewer of them, and offers are usually conditional on GCSE results. A child joining at 16 from a different system should ask early how the school treats overseas qualifications.
The consequence for relocating families is that the right time to start looking is often two or three years before the year of entry. Schools with a main intake at 13 may ask for registration well before the child is old enough to sit an assessment.
Selection and assessment
Independent schools set their own admissions policies. Entry commonly involves some combination of an assessment in English and mathematics, a reference from the current school, an interview and, for some schools, a pre-test taken online at an earlier age. Some schools are academically selective, others are broad in intake, and some specialise in particular needs.
Good schools tend to ask more about the child than about the family. Be sceptical of any process that seems to depend on speed or on persuasion rather than on suitability.
How the schools are regulated
The government's guidance states that all private schools in England must be registered with the government and are inspected regularly. Two bodies carry out the inspections. According to the guidance, around half of independent schools are inspected by Ofsted. The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), which is approved by the Secretary of State for Education, inspects the schools that belong to the associations making up the Independent Schools Council.
Reports are published online by whichever body inspects the school, and parents can ask the school which one that is. Reading the most recent report, especially the sections on safeguarding and on pupils' welfare, is one of the more useful checks you can make before a visit.
Boarding
Boarding comes in several forms. Full boarding means that pupils live at school during term and go home only for exeats, half terms and holidays. Weekly boarding means that pupils go home at weekends. Flexi-boarding allows a few nights a week by arrangement. Many day schools offer one or more of these as an option, while a smaller number are mainly boarding.
For families living overseas, a few practical points matter:
- Guardianship. Schools generally expect a named adult in the UK who can act for the family in an emergency and host the child during short breaks. Ask how the school expects this to work.
- Pastoral structure. Look at how boarding houses are organised, who the housemaster or housemistress is and how many staff live on site.
- Exeats and weekends. The social life of a boarding school varies a great deal depending on whether most pupils stay at weekends.
State boarding schools also exist. They provide free education but charge fees for boarding, according to the government. Places go first to children with a particular need to board.
VAT and business rates: what changed in 2025
This is the most significant change to the sector in decades, and it affects the fees you will be quoted.
From 1 January 2025, education and closely related boarding provided by private schools in the UK is subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20%. HMRC's policy paper defines a private school as a school providing full-time education for pupils of compulsory school age for a fee, excluding nursery schools, and it also covers institutions mainly for 16 to 19 year olds that are mostly fee-funded, such as private sixth forms. Boarding is specifically excluded from the exemption that continues for other goods and services closely related to education.
Some details are worth knowing:
- Fees paid from 29 July 2024 for terms starting in January 2025 or later are also within the charge.
- A nursery class where at least 90% of children are under compulsory school age is exempt.
- Where a local authority funds a place because a child's Education, Health and Care Plan requires it, the authority can reclaim the VAT in England.
- HMRC's own estimate was that the net VAT cost to schools would be around 15% of fee income on average, since schools can reclaim some VAT on their inputs, and that average fees would rise by around 10%. Individual schools have made their own decisions, so treat this as a government projection rather than a guide to any particular school.
Separately, the same policy paper states that charitable schools in England would lose eligibility for business rates charitable relief from April 2025. Government guidance on charitable rate relief now excludes private schools from it.
In practice, ask every school whether the fee you are quoted includes VAT, and whether boarding and tuition are shown separately.
Questions to ask on a visit
- Which body inspects the school, and when was the last report?
- What are the main entry points, and when does registration close?
- How are fees structured, and is VAT shown clearly on the invoice?
- How does the school support pupils whose first language is not English?
- For boarders, who is responsible for a child at weekends and in emergencies?
Sources
- GOV.UK: Private schools
- GOV.UK: National curriculum
- GOV.UK: What the different qualification levels mean
- GOV.UK: State boarding schools
- Independent Schools Inspectorate
- HMRC: VAT on private school fees (policy paper)
- HMRC: Check if you must register for VAT if you receive private school fees
- GOV.UK: Charitable rate relief