British Preparatory Schools E-Book: Volume I--Table of Contents


Figure 1.--Here two boys at a boarding school are discussing a book they are both reading. After classes the boys at boarding schools are normally allowed a little free time to play games are persure various interests. 

Here are the major sections of British Preparatory Schools, another E-Book released by Apertures Press. This is composed of an illustrated written essay desribing English education and the different types of schools, essays on going to school in Britain, and a series of photo essays on different aspects of the school experience. Interspersed with the photographs are short excerpts written by the children themselves or a variety of releases and publications provided by the different schools. As time goes by we will add several other features.

The Country

Britain is a fascinating country with a history that is relatively well known. Here we plan to provide some helpful background information to our non-British readers. Some of the background information here will be helpful helpful in understanding the British people, the climate, and the economy. This section will help you better understand the information and images of preparatory schools. By Britain we are speaking of the United Kingdom, which includes England, Scotland, Ulster, and Wales. This is somewhat confusing as Britain sometimes is used to refer to Great Britain, the largest island in the British Isles which would exclude Ireland and even Ulster. One of the most important thing to understans about Britain is that even though it is located at a far northern latitude, more or less that of Canada, thanks to the Gulf Stream, the country has a realtively mild climate.

British Education

Here we have an illustrated written account describing British education and the different types of schools. Quite a wide range of different schools have been founded in Britain, some with rather curious sounding names. British prep schools are only one small part of the much larger history of British education. We will post chapters as we complete the drafts. Feel free to comment on our drafts if you have insights to add or alternative views. Historic and current photographs will illustrate this section. Here we will focus primarily on England, in part because we plan a separate edition on Scottish preparatory schools.

Chronologies

Have a look at British preparatory schools, the buildings, the masers, and the oupils in different decades. This will begin in the 19th century when preparatory schools were first founded. Several preparatory schools pre-date the 19th century, but that was because they were not founded as preparatory schools. The changing styles of school uniform over the decades are particularly interesting. Major changes in these schools took place after World War II, especially when parents began reassessing the valie of boarding for younger children. The shift to coeducation was another major development. Most of our photographs were taken in the 1980s, but we plan to add some historical photographs to provide a view of preparatory schools over time.

Mission Statements

The mission statements of different schools provide some interesting insights on the values and goals of different British preparatory schools. The authors have compiled some representative statements fron a variety of different schools.

Goals

The principal goal of most preparatory schools is, as the name suggests, to prepare children for entry to public school, usually at 13 years of age. Most preparatory schools, however, especially boarding schools, seek to do much more. English preparatory schools were founded on the principle that the early years's of a child's life are critical to the development of academic skills, and more importantly his or her character. Terrington insists that to "cope successfully with life in our competitve world, children need not only a sound foundation, but also strength of character and self confidence to face the pressures and challenges of modern society." Twyford tells parents, a good prep school "sends out its boys with the sound foundations of character well and truly laid, and with that sturdy independence which will enable a boy to stand on his own feet."

Locations

Location plays a key role in the success of any school. Many schools were initiatlly founded in rural areas which were seen as healthy sites affording many opportunities for outdoor activities. The increasing tendency of parents to select day schools has means that the schools have to be located close to home. But even those parents selecting boarding schools generally want schools close to home. Boarding schools located in Scotland and England's northern counties in particular have declined as they have also been affected with the general economic malaise of the industrial north, Britain's version of the American rust belt. Schools located in the Midlands' or especially near London, however, have been much more successful. Counties located in the London area have large numbers of prep schools. Surrey, for example, has more than 60 schools. Many northern counties like Durham, Nothhamptonshire, and Staffordshire have only a handful of schools.

Types

There are a wide variety of British preparatory schools. Here are some of the basic categories, some of which overlap. There are differences in ownership, gender, religion, responsibility, age range, orientation, size, and other factors. Some schools are owned and operated by individuals or families, reflecting the foundation of most prep schools by individual as profit making establishments. Most are now foundations or chariotable trusts. Most British prep schools were originally established as single gender schools, most commonly boys schools. Many are now coeducational. Many schools are associated with individual churches, but many are non-denominational and have noreligious affliliation. Even the non-denominational schools usually have a variety of devotional or chapel services and incourage the children to participate in Sunday religious services. Schools offer both boarding and day programs. Many schools, especially those located in large cities, only offer a day program. Most boarding schools make some provision for day children. The boarding programs vary and increasingly include weekly boarding where the children go home over the weekend. The standard age range for a traditional prep school is 8-13 years. There are, however many differencess. Schools range in approach from progressive to traditional. Individual schools fall some where on a continum between the two extremes. British prep schools vary greatly in size from a few private establishments caring for only 15-20 children to large institutions responsible for as many as 800 children. The average prepschool now probably has between 100 and 200 students, including the increasingly obligatory pre-prep departments.

Character

Every prep school has its own definitive character. Preparatory schools are organized along no national standard. As a result the schools tend to be highly individualized, depending on the headmaster and a wide-variety of school traditions. The headmaster at most schools has a significant impact on the school organization to a much greater extent than is common at a state school. Many schools were founded by individuals in the 19th century as a profit-making activity. While many continue to be privately owned, an increasing number have been converted to charitable trusts. Others were founded by public schools to care especially for younger children. As a result, some schools have tradiions extending backk to the 16th Century or even earlier. Many schools have varied conections with a variety of churches. This diverse background results in a great diversity of organization and programs at English preparatory schools.

Headmaster Reports

The headmasters at British preparatory schools often provide provide annual or term reports on developments at their schools. These reports contain interesting information, not only about the specific school, but about preparatory school trends in general.

Atmosphere

British preparatory schools seek to develop a spirit of responsibility and concern for others. This is especially important in a boarding school where the school becomes an important part in a child's life. A boarder spends more time at school with his teachers and school mates than at home. Successful boarding schools now make a concerted effort to develop the atmosphere of a home away from home. Many British preparatory schools were once austere, rather forboding places for children. Happily, preparatory schools have significantly changed for the better in the past 25 years in this area. Headmasters and their wives at successful schools invariably make great effort to meet the emotional needs of the children entrusted to their care. There are a variety of reasons why these changes have come about. Certainly children now have more say in matters that concern in the past. Many schools give great attention to the atmospere of the school. Most schools provide rigorous academic studies, small classes, and challenging and interesting activities. But it is the atmosphere of the schools which can vary greatly. Many varied factors determine the tone and atmoshere at a school. The tone and atmosphere of preparatory schools vary significantly from school to school. Some schools continue to have quite strict, formal approaches. The number of schools which such strict discipline has declined sharply in recent years. Most schools are now much more informal. Most make a point of stressing their efforts to create a happy,' comportable atmosphere to allay the concerns of parents worried about boarding for young children. Prep schools describe the atmoshere they seek to create in various ways. These brief descriptions give an indication as to what the schools are seeking to achieve. As to how well they are accomplishing their goal, parents ill have to assess. Some children remember with considerable affection their time at prep school.

Grounds and Facilities

Many prep schools have lovely grounds. As many were founded in old manor houses, there are in many cases beautiful formal gardens which in many cases are lovingly maintained by dedicated gardners that have been with the schools for years. There are normally extensive games fields. Of particular interest to the younger children are undeveloped, often wooded areas where they can play. The boys in particular like to build forts and secret hideaways in their free time. The architectural design of British preparatory schools vary widely. Many utilize buildings that were not purpose-built as schools, although they have since added purpose-built buildings to the school campus. Many early preparatory schools were founded in rural areas using large manor houses that were then converted into school use. Prep schools vary greatly in the facilities they offer the children. Some small schools offer on the most rudimentary facilities. Some larger schools have extensive well-equipped classrooms, labratories, fine arts facilities, gyms, swimming pools, playgrounds, and games fields. In general there has been a major upgrading at many schools since the 1970s with the addition of new facilities and amenities.

People

The heart and soul of any prep school are of course the people involved. The operation of any prep school centers around the headmaster. This is much more so than the primcipal of a state school in that he is less encumbered by beaureacratic regulations that principals at state school. Of course this can work for better or first worse depending on the character and abilities of the headmaster. Over the long run, because unsuccessful private schools disappear (unlike unsuccessful state schools), it generally works for the best. Especially important is the headmasters choice of staff. We have noted some worederfully devoted individuals working at these schools. Often the commitment in terms of time is far greater than at state schools. And of course there is the children. We found them to be uniformally delightful in our many visits and in fact a bit different than anticipated.

Discipline

As a beginning teacher, I had the idea that discipline was not an important matter and was much more interested in the subject matter. I was very quickly disabused of that misconception. The goal of a school is to inpart learning, but the simple truth is that without adequate discipline, learning can not occur. This is not to say that discipline is the central matter at school, it is to say that without basic discipline nothing of value can occur in the classroom. Often this is the principal difference between private and state schools in Britain, the private schools recognize the importance of discipline and insist on basic discipline statndards. There are of course many fine state schools and teachers which recognize this. Unfortunately teachers in the state school often are forced to devote inordinate efforts to the problem of discipline and a few unruly students, often without the adequate support of the school administration. This detracts from the effort on academics. These sort of problems and detractions are for the most part avoided at prep schools and the masters there can devote their efforts to the learning process.

Program

The prep school program centers on the academic program. This has become especially true in recebnt years. Most preparatory schools are remarably successful educational institutions, providing the choldren a sound grounding in basis maths, reading, and writing--the classic "Three Rs". The schools insist on high academic standards. Some may argue that thi subjects young children to undue pressure. An important adjunct part of the program is sports or games as they are called in England. Games are of course an activity, but they are of such importance that we have created a special section for them. Most English prep schools continue to place a considerable emphasis on physical activity and sport, or games as they are commonly called. The greatest emphasis is placed on the major team sports, football, rugby, and cricket. Many schools also give important arrention to the arts. Schools also weave a range of other activities into the prep school program. The empahasis given to these various compaonents varies from school to school and along with the staff help to give each school its unique character.

Organization

The prep school children are organized into forms on the basis of their age and academic abilities. Usually the forms run from 1 through 6, although this varies somewhat from school to school. Many also have pre-preps which deal with the younger children before they actually begin prep school work. For most chldren in the pre-prep, entry in the prep school is virtually automatic. And because the staff is already working with the child, the approriate time can be determined. Not all prep schools have pre-preps Schools have varying entry requirements. Most want the children to have basic reading and math schools. A few schools have entrance examinations. The children are also organized into houses which are particularly important aspect of boarding school life. Another important aspect of the organization of the school are prefects. Some schools have special names for these older children who are given responsibility to help enforce the school rules.

Individual Attention

The major advantage offered by prep schools is individual attention. Many parents choose independent education because of the individual attention afforded to the children. Most prep schools stress that they view every child as an individual and seek to meet each child's individual needs. Often teachers in the state sector would like to do this, but large class sizes often make this impossible. Small class sizes in prep schools make this much more feasible. Terrington tells paremts, "... it is our privlige to develop to the fullest extent all the talents and abilities he or she possesses." Wells House in Worcestershire aims to "help develop children to make the best use of their ability, whether great or small. It is with this in mind that all children are considered as individuals. Their interests and views are studied and sought, their performance assessed individually, and their varying needs catered for."

School Cuisine

Food is another matter that would surprise many observers. Some might assume that the fare at expensive independent schools would be quite elaborate. Other observers already sceptical about British cuisine wonder what the English are capable of producing in insituational settings.

Fees

Many prep and other independent schools were adversely affected during the 1980s by the termination of the Direct Grant Grammar School and the abolition of assisted places. [PB> impact?] Most of the old Grammar Schools which turned independent have been successful financially. Independent education does not come cheaply. The small classes and individual attention offered the children means that the operating costs at prep schools are higher than at state schools. This is not a question of luxary facilities. It is simple matamatics. The largest single operating cost at any school is staff salaries. Low staff ratios providing for individual attention is the principal reason that most parents have chosen independent education. It is also the main reason that prep schools and other independent schools are costly. With average staff ratios of about 10 to 1, that means in effect that the fees of 10 children are required to pay for one staff salary as well as the proportional share of all other school costs.

Photo Essays (Volume II)

A series of photo essays on different aspects of the British preparatory school experience can be viewed in this Apertures Press E-Book. Our photo essay here is a separate volume II of our British Preparatory Schools E-Book. We are now essentially finished with Volume I, although we will occassionally add a few new pages. w We will add drawings, snipets of written work, and quotes from the children as well as material provided by the staff describing the schools and their educational programs. All this written material is designed to to help illustrate the photographs and to give an idea about what is on the mind of the the childeren pictured. The photo essays will cover all aspects of prep school life from beginning school in the morning to going to bed at night and is arranged in a kind of rough daily schedule order.

Appendices

Interesting information is available here on a variety of information about British preparatory schools. Glossaries will provide information on educational terms, school slang, and British idiom. A schools glossary is especially important. Some words are simply British idiom. Other words are particular to British school life.



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