According to new research, children attending private schools have more chance of outshining their state-educated counterparts when it comes to qualifications and eventually high paying jobs. They also stand an improved chance of winning Oxbridge places and are admitted with lower grades.
There are around 2,400 privately run and privately funded schools in the United Kingdom. Children as young as two years old can be enrolled into pre-prep school nurseries before going on to prep (or preparatory, to give it the full name) schools when they reach the age of five. Preparatory schools are so called because they prepare children for entry to senior independent schools when they reach the age of 13 or 14. Many senior schools require children to pass an entrance examination.
Some schools offer special facilities for children gifted in a particular area and can offer special training in addition to wider academic curriculum. Others simply offer what the parents see as a better all round education and an improved start in life for their offspring.
Disillusioned with state education, many parents make considerable financial sacrifices to send their children to...