Senior Schools

Senior Schools, catering for pupils aged between 11 (or 13) and 18. Many of them also have their own, or linked, junior schools.

The choice is very wide: single-sex schools for girls or boys only, boys' schools which admit girls at the age of 16, and co-educational schools for parents who want girls and boys to be educated together.

Many schools are small, while the larger ones are often divided into houses of between 40 and 60 pupils each. The traditional grammar schools usually cater for day pupils only; they select children for their academic ability by examination, usually in January, for entry at 11+.

Many schools, including the so-called "public schools", admit both boarders and day pupils of a wide range of abilities. Most stay on after 16 into the sixth form and go on to higher education at colleges and universities. Most independent schools offer a wide choice of examination subjects at GCE Advanced level, though an increasing number now offer vocational courses (GNVQ) too.

Some students leave at 16 to go to further education or sixth form colleges. Others, who are not going on to further study, will leave at 16 or 18 having received an all-round education fitting them well for working life.

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