Schools in the United Kingdom, with the national differences explained

Cities: London, Edinburgh, Oxford, Cambridge, Manchester, Cardiff, Belfast

The United Kingdom does not have one school system. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different curricula, admissions arrangements and regulators. A family moving between them should check year-group placement and examination subjects, not just translate a school’s year number.

Independent schools charge fees and set their own admissions requirements. Some are charities; others are privately owned. Their freedom to design a programme does not remove their registration, safeguarding and inspection responsibilities.

I would start with the state-funded options and ask what an independent school adds for this child. Boarding, a particular qualification or specialist support can justify a separate search. Reputation alone does not explain the benefit.

This guide covers selected schools, mainly independents, with two Belfast voluntary grammar schools included to explain an important contrast. It is not a complete directory.

School types and inspection

In England, an academy is state-funded. A state grammar school selects pupils academically, but it is not an independent school. Some independent schools also have “Grammar” in their names, including Manchester Grammar; the name does not establish funding status.

A prep school is a junior independent school, often ending at eleven or thirteen. “Public school” is a historical term associated with some fee-paying senior schools. It does not mean a free state school.

England’s GOV.UK independent-school guidance explains registration and inspection. Schools need not follow the national curriculum, but they must meet the applicable standards. Inspection is by Ofsted or the Independent Schools Inspectorate, depending on the school. Read the report’s date, findings and required improvements rather than treating it as a ranking.

Use the correct national sources elsewhere:

• Scotland has its own independent-school register and inspection-report service.
• Wales requires registration with the Welsh Government; Estyn inspects independent education, with care oversight relevant to residential provision.
• Northern Ireland distinguishes grant-aided from independent schools. Its official school-types guide explains voluntary grammar schools and inspection by the Education and Training Inspectorate.

Ages, qualifications and entry points

In England, most children begin Reception in September after their fourth birthday. Compulsory school age is the first 31 December, 31 March or 31 August following the fifth birthday. If the birthday falls on one of those dates, that date applies. The government’s starting-age guidance explains delayed starts and requests for Reception rather than Year 1.

School-leaving rules also differ. In England, young people must continue in education or training until eighteen, but that does not mean they must remain at school. The four-country leaving-age page explains the permitted dates and England’s participation choices.

Independent entry points often include:

Entry label	What it means	What to check
4+ or 7+	Reception or junior entry	Age cut-off, assessment and progression to the senior school
11+	Senior entry, commonly Year 7 in England	The school’s own tests; not necessarily the state grammar-school test
13+	Senior entry, commonly Year 9	Earlier registration, pre-tests and any later Common Entrance requirement
16+	Sixth-form entry	Subject availability, entrance assessment and examination-grade conditions

These are sector conventions, not a national admissions timetable. Registration for some thirteen-year-old entrants happens several years before they start. Other schools consider later applications if places and appropriate support remain.

GCSEs are commonly followed by A-levels in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scottish schools commonly offer National qualifications, Highers and Advanced Highers. Some Scottish independents instead offer GCSEs, A-levels or IB. Check the school, not the postcode.

The International Baccalaureate Diploma is a distinct two-year senior programme. An American high-school diploma, individual Advanced Placement courses and the full IB Diploma are also different qualifications. For an older transfer, compare subjects and assessment already completed before discussing a place.

Fees, boarding and immigration

Since 1 January 2025, charged private-school education and associated boarding have generally been subject to 20% VAT. The government’s VAT guidance explains the measure. Use the school’s VAT-inclusive figure when budgeting; do not add VAT a second time.

The fee examples below are starting points, not complete family totals. Most English examples are termly, while several Scottish schools quote annually. Check the number of billing periods, year group and whether tuition is included in a boarding price.

Registration fees, acceptance payments, refundable deposits and tuition prepayments are different. Ask when each is due, whether it is credited later and what happens if you withdraw. Add transport, meals, devices, uniform, examinations, trips and any chargeable support.

Full, weekly and flexible boarding describe different arrangements. Even “full boarding” rarely means accommodation throughout the entire calendar year. Ask about closed weekends, half-term, holidays, guardianship and travel.

An offer does not itself confer permission to live or study in the UK. The Child Student visa is for eligible children aged four to seventeen studying at an independent school with an appropriate sponsor. Check the child’s actual immigration route before paying non-refundable charges. A school that cannot sponsor may still admit a child who already has a suitable right to reside.

London: start with the programme and daily journey

Westminster School offers day and boarding education with A-levels. Its move towards co-education has a timetable: girls enter at thirteen from 2028, while sixth form is already mixed. Under-sixteen boarders must have parents resident in the UK; overseas boarding entry is at sixteen. Those conditions matter more than a general “international applications welcome” label.

For single-sex day schooling, compare the correct age group and location:

• City of London School is for boys on the riverfront; 2026/27 tuition is £9,848.40 per term including VAT.
• City of London School for Girls is at the Barbican; 2026/27 tuition is £10,611 per term including VAT, with lunch additional.
• St Paul’s Girls’ School is in Brook Green. St Paul’s School, for boys, is in Barnes. They are separate schools, not two sections of one campus.

Dulwich College offers boys’ senior education and boarding from Year 9. Nearby Alleyn’s School is a co-educational day option. Highgate School is another co-educational day school, in north London. Compare them only after establishing which journey and entry point are workable.

The American School in London, in St John’s Wood, is an American day school that does not issue a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, or CAS. Southbank International School offers IB programmes and has student-sponsor status. Its three campuses occupy five sites; an offer must identify the site and programme your child would attend. Rolling applications are subject to capacity, not a promise of immediate entry.

The London guide helps organise the search geographically. Test arrival and dismissal, including the journeys of any siblings attending elsewhere.

Boarding and day choices around southern England

The schools below share regions, not interchangeable programmes. All fee figures in this table are per term; the linked profiles explain age bands, VAT treatment and additional charges.

Area	Useful comparison
Eton and Harrow	Eton College and Harrow School are boys’ boarding options. Harrow’s reviewed £21,245 VAT-inclusive figure was still labelled 2025/26: request the current quotation.
Harrow day schooling	John Lyon is co-educational and day, rather than the same boarding experience. Its 2026/27 senior fee is £10,076 including VAT.
Winchester	Winchester College offers boys’ full boarding from thirteen and day/boarding sixth form for boys and girls. Its 2026/27 boarding fee is £20,700. St Swithun’s offers girls’ senior day/boarding education, with 2026/27 fees of £11,403.37 and £19,272.08 respectively.
Crowthorne	Wellington College is co-educational, with day and boarding places. Its 2026/27 boarding fee is £21,690. Ask whether the intended sixth-form programme is A-level or IB.
Cheltenham	Cheltenham Ladies’ College offers girls’ day/boarding education; its 2026/27 Lower College day fee is £12,840. Cheltenham College is co-educational from Year 9, with Lower College day/boarding fees of £15,376/£20,558.
Sevenoaks	Sevenoaks School offers an IB sixth form and day/boarding places. Walthamstow Hall is a girls’ day school with A-levels; its September 2026 senior tuition is £10,365.

For location-specific planning, use the Eton, Harrow and Winchester guides. The Crowthorne, Cheltenham and Sevenoaks guides cover the other comparisons.

Other English cities

A regional day school can offer the qualification you need without residential costs. Equally, boarding may make a school practical when the family lives too far away. These examples keep those decisions separate.

Area	Schools and relevant differences
Cambridge	The Perse is co-educational and day; Upper School tuition is £9,482 per term for 2026/27. The Leys offers day and boarding; boarding from Year 9 costs £18,276 per term. Both quoted figures include VAT.
Oxford	Dragon School is a prep school for ages 4–13, with day and boarding provision by age. Magdalen College School continues through sixth form; 2026/27 senior tuition is £10,036 per term including VAT.
Manchester	Manchester Grammar is a boys’ independent day school, with 2026/27 annual fees of £19,809 including VAT. Withington Girls’ School is a girls’ day option; senior tuition is £6,580 per term including VAT.
Birmingham	King Edward’s School is a boys’ day school and King Edward VI High School for Girls is the neighbouring girls’ school. Their 2026/27 termly figures of £6,413 and £6,260 are before VAT. Request the payable totals.
Bristol	Bristol Grammar is co-educational and day; Autumn 2026 senior tuition is £7,422 per term including VAT. Clifton College offers day and boarding; Years 9–11 day tuition is £12,950 per term for 2026/27 including VAT.
Leeds area	The Grammar School at Leeds is co-educational and day; 2026/27 senior fees are £20,556 annually including VAT. Woodhouse Grove offers day and boarding; Years 7–10 day fees are £6,582 per term including VAT.

Do not compare the numbers down a column without checking age and fee period. An annual day charge and a termly boarding charge answer different questions.

Scotland: check the qualification school by school

In Edinburgh, Fettes College offers boarding as well as day places. George Watson’s College is a large day school following Scottish qualifications. Its 2026/27 senior fee is £20,351 annually including VAT.

The Edinburgh Academy is another day option with Highers and Advanced Highers. Its 2026/27 Seconds-to-Sevenths fee is £22,990 annually including VAT, with lunch additional. “Seconds” and similar traditional labels need to be matched to the child’s current stage. Use the Edinburgh guide to compare all three.

Glasgow’s options also have distinct locations. The High School of Glasgow uses Bearsden and Anniesland, with a Transitus year around age ten. The Glasgow Academy has provision at Kelvinbridge, Milngavie and Newlands. Request the current fee for the actual site and year; a general campus name is insufficient.

Hutchesons’ Grammar School is a south-side day school. Its 2026/27 S3–S6 fee is £20,395 annually including VAT. The published 7 November 2026 open day is a visit opportunity, not an application deadline. The Glasgow guide explains the locations.

In Aberdeen, Robert Gordon’s College offers Scottish qualifications in the city centre. Its 2026/27 S1–S6 tuition is £21,204 annually including VAT. International School Aberdeen, at Pitfodels, offers the IB Diploma; 2026/27 Grades 9–12 tuition is £21,000 annually including VAT. The Aberdeen guide is useful for choosing between those different curricula.

Gordonstoun, in Moray, is a boarding and day option with a substantial outdoor-education programme. Check its actual examination route rather than assuming every Scottish school teaches Highers. The reviewed full-boarding quotation required an enquiry; a published weekly-boarding price should not be substituted for it.

Wales and Northern Ireland

The Cathedral School, Llandaff is a co-educational day school in Cardiff. Its 2026/27 Years 7–8 fee is £7,033 per term including VAT. St John’s College, Cardiff, in Old St Mellons, lists £6,905 per term including VAT for Years 7–11, plus a £70 sports supplement. Compare subjects, entry stages and travel using the Cardiff guide.

The Belfast choices here are not English-style independent schools. Methodist College Belfast is a co-educational voluntary grammar school, while Victoria College Belfast is a girls’ voluntary grammar. Both use academic selection, including SEAG assessment under their published criteria. SEAG is the Schools’ Entrance Assessment Group; registering for its test does not replace the school application.

Methodist College’s reviewed notice listed 240 Form 1 places, with secondary charges still labelled 2025/26. Victoria listed 135 Year 8 places and a 2026/27 fee list. Capital charges, voluntary contributions and preparatory tuition must be distinguished; do not treat them all as compulsory secondary tuition.

The Belfast guide explains the two schools. For the actual application process, use Northern Ireland’s official admissions guidance and the school’s annual criteria. The 2026 Year 8 process is already past.

Friendly orientation, not formal admissions advice. Always confirm dates with the school.