(10) St Edward’s School - Oxford
Boarding: £13,489 per term | Day Pupils: £10,749 per term
The school is affiliated with the Church of England and follows t curriculum national curriculum GCSE, A-Level and International Baccalaureate (IB). In the First World War more St Edward's pupils went to serve their country than from any other independent school in the UK.
You can find a large mural in the school's famous dining hall that depicts what life is like to study at St Edward's. In the mural, you can find several characters from The nd The Willows written by Kenneth Grahame who was formally a pupil at St Edward's.
Famous Alumni also includes actors Emelia Clarke, Florence Pugh, and Channel 4 presenter Jon snow.
(9) Bryanston School - Dorset
Boarding: £13,630 per term
Bryanston is a very liberal and artistic school, the school prides itself on its Music lessons, where instrumental and vocal classes are compulsory, and encourages pupils to develop their creative side. The school officially opened on 24 January 1928 containing 23 pupils and seven staff members, it now has over 809 students and 118 staff and is the location for the Dorset Opera Festival which hosts both amateur and professional singers. Famous alumni include sibling actors, Emilia and Freddie Fox, and presenter Ben Fogle.
(8) Charterhouse - Surrey
Boarding £13,802 per term
Day pupils £11,406 per term
As with all of these beautiful buildings, this historical school was Founded many years ago, 1611 to be exact. The school is in the top 60 A level league tables, and in 2011, more than 80% of students achieved A* or A grades in GCSE.
The school and its beautiful grounds have been used as the background for many films and tv locations. It was used to portray Westminster Palace in the BBC drama Bodyguard, The Boys are Back, Jupiter Ascending, St Trinians 2, Foyle's War, An Ideal Husband, and Vampire Academy. The school has always been a boy's school however they’re making history by taking their first female students in 2021.
(7) Marlborough College - Wiltshire
Boarding: £13,310 per term
Day pupils: £11,317 per term
Marlborough College is a co-educational boarding and day school founded in 1843, The school includes an impressive range of facilities like a rifle shooting range, two theatres, swimming pool, chapel, science building and impressive sports fields. 80% of their students proceed to attend the prestigious Russell Group unis. Famous Alumni include comedian Jack Whitehall, Illustrator of Whinnie the Pooh Graham Shepard, and Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton.
(6) Radley College - Oxfordshire
Boarding £13,900 per term
This beautiful school has 800 acres of lawn, a golf course, a lake, and even farmland.
The facilities include state of the art Mathematics, Economics, Biology and Geography, a rowing tank, a tennis court and a gym that was opened in 1997 by Queen Elizabeth II. In 2008 the school was inspected by independent schools' Inspectorate and rated the school's education standard as ‘’outstanding” the highest score you can get.
(5) Downe House - Thatcham
Boarding: £14,030 per term
Day Students: £10,435 per term
This all-girls school is set in a beautiful 110-acre woodland estate in the Berkshire countryside. Downe House encourages girls to explore their creative side with impressive art, drama and dance classes. The Good Schools Guide described Downe House as an "Archetypal traditional girls' full boarding school turning out delightful, principled, courteous and able girls who go on to make a significant contribution to the world", as well as winning Tatler's "
l" award in 2011. Famous Alumni include Miranda Hart, Clare balding, and Kate Middleton
(4) Beneden School - Kent
Boarding: £13,616 per term
This school is situated in the beautiful countryside with 250 acres of parkland, the girls get regular trips to large towns, seaside and London. There are impressive facilities like the new music hall with a bridge that links into the stunning atrium and one of the most advanced centres of scientific learning available in the independent sector. Pupils can also gain work experience in the local village shop, which is owned by the school. Famous Alumni include Princess Anne, Princess Alia bint Hussein and Sue Ryder.
(3) Harrow School - Middlesex
Boarding: £14,555 per term
Perhaps one of the most famous and prestigious on this list, founded in 1572 under a Royal Charter granted by Elizabeth I, situated in a 300-acre estate the school prides itself on Arts, culture and sport, and has a collection of many different societies within the school such as debating, fishing club, cheese society, Latin and much more. Surrounded by acres of sports fields, astroturf pitches, a golf course, a swimming pool, a sports centre, and five courts, the school includes over 30 different sports to choose from. Harrow's famous uniform includes morning suits, straw boater hats, top hats and canes, and was documented on the sky documentary “A very British School”. Famous Alumni include politician Winston Churchill, actor Benedict Cumberbatch, and singer James Blunt.
(2) Winchester College - Hampshire
Boarding: £14,445 per term
Although it may look like Hogwarts, this school is a lot different, boys undergo military training! In the United Cadet Corps, boys choose the priority direction: Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy. Boys can practice art, study bells (the college has a chapel with 6 bells), fishing, metalworking, carpentry, web design, jewellery, stand shooting, aeromodelling, robotics, bookbinding and much more. The school even invented its own sport which is a mix of football and rugby called winkies. The school has revealed they plan to accept female sixth form day pupils from September 2022 and female boarders enrolling in 2024. Famous Alumni include Jack White the co-founder of the Irish Citizen Army, actor Laird Cregar, and Saif Ali Khan.
(1) Eton College - Windsor
Boarding: £14,698 per term
Eton is among the most expensive and famous schools on this list, and even perhaps one of the most prestigious institutions in the world due to its history, wealth, and notable alumni. Eton College was founded by King Henry VI as a charity school to supply free education to 70 poor boys who would then continue to study at King's College, Cambridge. The school is pretty impressive. It has its own museum, three to be exact, a large library and a chapel built in 1890. Eton has gone on to educate generations of British and foreign aristocracy, and even members of the British royal family Prince William and his brother Prince Harry, other famous alumni include Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Redmayne and several future Prime Ministers, including David Cameron and Boris Johnson.