The term 'private education' tends to conjure up images of £30,000 a year institutions, only accessible to the financial elite. However, there are plenty of schools across the UK that offer top class education for a significantly more manageable price. Academically, most of these schools compete results wise with their more expensive counterparts, as well as offering much the same array of extra-curricular options and sporting prowess. Despite the lower fees, there are still generous bursaries and scholarships available at many of these options, and even two schools from London make the list.
The focus here is on day schools, and all of these come in at under £15,000 annually. This is a list rather than a top 10 countdown, and schools are spread across the country, with a mixture of boys', girls', and co-educational secondary schools.
Reading Blue Coat School
Annual senior day school fees: £14,580
This Berkshire based school takes boys from 11 to 18 and girls in the sixth form, totalling over 700 pupils. The IGCSE is used, with 73.8 per cent A*/A grades in 2014, in addition to 45.74 per cent A*/A grades at A-level in 2015. There is a dedicated geology lab thanks to a former teacher’s enthusiasm, and extra-curricular facilities include a new boathouse. Everything from archery and scuba diving to journalism and Young Enterprise is on offer, and many students are involved with the Cadets. There are a number of scholarships available for art, music or academics, and some means tested bursaries available up to 100 per cent of fees; full fees stand at just under £15,000.
Bradford Grammar School
Annual senior day school fees: £11,790
This West Yorkshire based co-educational school offers a wide range of A-levels including PE, electronics and Latin, with over 49.6 per cent of A-level grades in 2015 at A*/A. They perform strongly in rugby and netball on a national level, and sports facilities include a competition sized swimming pool. Around a dozen pupils from the school go on to Oxbridge each year, and the Good Schools Guide describes the school as “First-class, academic and outward looking”. Fees are kept low and bursaries are available thanks to Old Bradfordians and corporate benefactors, maintaining the school's social diversity.
St Helen and St Katharine School
Annual senior day school fees: £14,190
Located in Abingdon, as the Good Schools Guide puts it this girls' school ‘takes no prisoners’, with 77.8 per cent of A-level grades being A*/A in 2015 and 93 per cent of I/GCSE results. Some teaching, such as theatre studies, is shared with Abingdon Boys’ School. The school ranked in the top 10 girls' schools for sport this year according to School Sport magazine and for the musically minded there are multiple orchestras, choirs and ensembles to choose between, with the school often staging ambitious music and drama productions. The overall fees are just over £14,000 annually, and there are a few means tested bursaries on offer, as well as some music and academic scholarships.
The Glasgow Academy
Annual senior day school fees: £11,584
This Glasgow based school has 680 boys and girls in the senior school, all following the Scottish school system. In 2015 67.5 per cent of Scottish higher entries gained A grades, and the school has links with Glasgow and Strathclyde universities. The school looks beyond the academic with sixth formers being offered a childcare qualification and home economics forms part of a life skills course. Musical offerings are varied, ranging from harp to drums, and the school can lay claim to many international sportspeople and Olympians. On the money side, there is a comprehensive bursary scheme in place, with the aim being that financial need should not prevent attendance.
King Edward VI High School for Girls
Annual senior day school fees: £11,250
KEYS has over 500 girls in attendance, and has produced outstanding academic results for decades, 75 per cent of students achieving at least AAB with two facilitating subjects in 2014. Facilities include nine science labs, two computer rooms and a high calibre library, in addition to a fitness centre, squash court, and fully kitted out video technology room. The school has a liberal outlook with pupils encouraged to take on responsibility, and very few choose to leave the school after GCSE. There are up to 14 financially assisted places available a year, and other academic scholarships on offer, with the fees themselves coming in around £11,000 annually.
