American readers may be confused about what a British preparatory school is. Preparatory schools in America are private secondary schools preparing teenagers for college entrance. Preparatory schools in
Traditional British prep schools were boarding schools, but day schools in recent years have become increasingly important. |
British preparatory or prep schools developed as unique
educational institutions, distinct in important ways from private
schools in other European countries. Early prep schools were Spartan,
strictly disciplined boys' boarding schools, established to prepare
young Britons for the country's elite public schools. Modern prep
schools have changed dramatically from those early beginnings and are e
volving as they adjust to major economic and demographic changes in the
United Kingdom. Harsh discipline and austere classrooms have been
replaced with positive disciplinarian methods and modern, increasingly
elaborate, educational and recreational facilities which give some
schools the appearance of year-round summer camps. The schools report
an impressive record of superior academic performance, due to a variety
of factors. The most important among these are: the individual
attention made possible by low student/teacher ratios, insistence on
achievement-based objective standards, and strong parental support.
Surprisingly, in an era when parents and educators are increasingly
concerned with improving educational standards, preparatory and other
independent schools have become a divisive political issue in the
United Kingdom. While few deny the striking standards of academic
excellence achieved, critics charge that independent schools are
divisive bastions of privilege and exclusivity for the wealthy few who
can afford the substantial fees. An increasing number of modest income
Britons, however, are turning to the independent sector, prepared to
make significant financial sacrifices out of concern over the widely
perceived deterioration in state schools.