Abbreviation | ISC |
---|---|
Founded | 1974 1998 (as ISC) | (as Independent Schools Joint Council)
Type | Lobby group |
Headquarters | Queen Anne's Gate London, SW1 |
Region served | Mainly United Kingdom |
Chairman | Barnaby Lenon |
Chief Executive | Julie Robinson |
Website | www |
The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is a non-profit lobby group that represents over 1,300 private schools in the United Kingdom. [1] The organisation comprises seven independent school associations and promotes the business interests of its independent school members in the political arena, which includes the Department for Education. The ISC has received much positive comment for their work to support independent education in the face of ideological and politically motivated attack on the sector. Even critics of the ISC describe them as the "sleepless champion of the sector" [2] and doing so in a "very forthright manner." [3]
The ISC was first established (then as the Independent Schools Joint Council) in 1974 by the leaders of the associations that make up the independent schools. In 1998, it reconstituted as the Independent Schools Council.
Schools that are members of the associations that constitute ISC are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI). Since December 2003, ISI has been the body approved by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for the inspection of ISC schools and reports to the DfE under the 2002 Education Act. ISI was part of ISC until, in late 2007, the ISI became its own limited company, thereby separating itself from ISC. [4]
The current chairman of ISC is Barnaby Lenon CBE. ISC is managed by the Chief Executive, Julie Robinson.
Promoting partnership working between the State and Independent Sectors is an important part of the work by ISC. Figures from the 2022 ISC Annual Census show 8,793 partnerships were recorded in that year up 26% from the prior year.
The types of partnerships are very varied from academy sponsorship, helping with university entrance, seconding teaching staff, serving as governors at state schools and sharing facilities to partnering for music, drama and extra curricular activities.
The ISC has published an annual report of cross-sector partnership work between independent and state schools called Celebrating Partnerships.
Partnerships, case studies and best practice are further promoted via Schools Together. 6988 case studies are included.
In 2011, the ISC challenged the Charity Commission in relation to the latter's statutory guidance on public benefit. The Upper Tribunal heard the judicial review, which was combined with an Attorney General's reference, over five days in May 2011 and reserved judgment until October 2011. The lengthy ruling upheld ISC's main ground of complaint, which was that the guidance did not reflect the true state of charity law on public benefit and charities which charge fees. [5] A subsequent hearing and ruling in December 2011 ordered that the Commission withdraw large parts of its guidance or face a quashing order. The disputed guidance was withdrawn shortly before Christmas 2011, and replacement guidance was put out to consultation in 2012.
Private schools in the United Kingdom are schools that require fees for admission and enrollment. Some have financial endowments, most are governed by a board of governors, and are owned by a mixture of corporations, trusts and private individuals. They are independent of many of the regulations and conditions that apply to state-funded schools. For example, the schools do not have to follow the National Curriculum, although many such schools do.
Ratcliffe College is a coeducational Catholic private boarding and day school near the village of Ratcliffe on the Wreake, Leicestershire, approximately 7 miles (11 km) from Leicester, England. The college, situated in 200 acres (0.81 km2) of parkland on the Fosse Way about six miles (10 km) north of Leicester, was founded on the instructions of Blessed Father Antonio Rosmini-Serbati in 1845 as a seminary. In 1847, the buildings were converted for use as a boarding school for upper-class boys. The college became coeducational under the presidency of Father Tony Baxter in the mid-1970s. As of the 2023-2024 academic years, there were 920 students on roll at Ratcliffe, from ages 3 to 18.
The Oratory School is an HMC co-educational private Roman Catholic boarding and day school for pupils aged 11–18 located in Woodcote, 6 miles (9.7 km) north-west of Reading, England. Founded in 1859 by Saint John Henry Newman, The Oratory has historical ties to the Birmingham Oratory and the London Oratory School. Although a separate entity from the nearby Oratory Preparatory School, it shares a common history. Newman founded the school with the intention of providing boys with a Roman Catholic alternative to Eton College. Until 2020, when it first admitted girls, it was the only boys’ Roman Catholic public school left in the United Kingdom. According to the Good Schools Guide, the school is “an active choice for families looking for a small, nurturing environment."
A preparatory school in the United Kingdom is a fee-charging private primary school that caters for children up to approximately the age of 13. The term "preparatory school" is used as it prepares the children for the Common Entrance Examination in order to secure a place at an independent secondary school, typically one of the English public schools. They are also preferred by some parents in the hope of getting their child into a state selective grammar school. Most prep schools are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, which is overseen by Ofsted on behalf of the Department for Education.
The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is approved by the Secretary of State for Education – under section 106 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 – to inspect private schools in England. These schools are members of associations, which form the Independent Schools Council.
The Ladies' College is an independent day school for girls in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey. The school was founded on 10 October 1872 in order to provide academic education to girls on the island and was modelled after Cheltenham Ladies' College. As a member of the Girls' Schools Association (GSA), it is a public school in the British sense of the term.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), formerly the Secondary Heads Association (SHA), is a UK professional association and trade union for leaders of schools and colleges.
Notre Dame School is an independent Catholic girls day school located in Cobham, Surrey, England. The school includes both a preparatory school and a senior school.
Priory Preparatory School was a preparatory school in Banstead, Surrey, England, for boys aged two to thirteen years, which was closed in 2017. The school was a member of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS) and of the Independent Schools Council (ISC). It was founded in 1921, and was a charitable trust. Upon closure in 2017, pupils moved to the new Banstead Preparatory School at the site formerly occupied by Greenacre School for Girls. The school's buildings at the old site on Bolters Lane, including the historic mansion known as the Red House were demolished in January 2021 to make way for the development of retirement apartments.
Rochester Independent College (RIC) is an Independent Schools Council accredited co-educational, private day and boarding school, in Rochester, United Kingdom. It was established in 1984.
St Joseph's College is a coeducational private day school in Reading, Berkshire, England. In September 2010, it changed its name to St Joseph's College to reflect the move into co-education from being a girls' school. The junior section is known as St Joseph's College Prep School. It was a member of the Girls' Schools Association until the move into coeducation. The College is now a member of the Society of Heads, Independent Schools Council and Catholic Independent Schools’ Council. It won the TES Independent School of the Year award in November 2015.
Langley School is an HMC independent co educational day, weekly, flexi and full boarding school situated near the market town of Loddon in South Norfolk, England. The current headmaster is Jon Perriss, who has been in post since 2019, and the school is a member of the Society of Heads. Termly fees are currently £5,087 for day pupils, £8,624 for weekly boarders and £10,337 for full boarders.
Kingsmead School was a co-educational private day school for boys and girls aged 2 to 16 and, from 2018 until its closure, offered a sixth form for students up to age 18. The school is located in Hoylake, on the Wirral Peninsula. The school was founded in 1904 by Arthur Watts, a Baptist minister and mathematician. In 1911 the school motto was selected, "Dominus Vitae Robur" – The Lord is the Strength of my Life. Kingsmead is a member of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS).
Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate incorporates four boarding and day schools for girls and boys from 3 months to 19 years old, located in Thorpe Underwood, near Little Ouseburn, close to York and Harrogate, England. It is a member of the Independent Schools Association. It is named after Æthelburh of Kent.
Heathfield Knoll School and Nursery is a small, independent, non-denominational day school and nursery in Wolverley, near Kidderminster in Worcestershire, England, for boys and girls aged three months to 19 years.
Chinthurst School is an independent co-educational nursery, pre-preparatory and preparatory school in semi-rural surroundings in the village of Tadworth, Surrey, England, 15 miles south of the centre of London. As a member of the RGS Group, the school is associated with Reigate Grammar School and Reigate St Mary's School. Its pupils' ages range from two to eleven years.
The Christian School (Takeley) is an independent educational institution situated in Takeley, within the vicinity of Bishop's Stortford, Essex.
Sir Roger Fry CBE, BD Hons (London), Hon D Litt (Portsmouth), PGCE (London), AKC, FRSA, F Inst D.
Lagos Preparatory & Secondary School (LPSS) is a private co-educational day school in the affluent Ikoyi suburb of Lagos, Nigeria, and has adopted the UK National Curriculum; it was established in 2002. LPSS which was formerly known as LPS, provides Early Years, Primary and Secondary school education for children from 18 months up to age 16+.
The Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS) is a registered Scottish charity which represents the independent school sector in Scotland. Its membership includes mainstream fee-paying independent schools and a range of schools for young people with complex additional support needs.
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