The Independent Schools Council

Just like School Fees Advice, giving professional advice on independent schools requires skills and experience of other professionals. SFIA cannot advise on information related to schools, however, we recommend that you look at the ISC website.

Choosing an ISC school

Every year thousands of parents are helped with one of their most important decisions by the Independent Schools Council in London and ISCis (Independent Schools Council Information Service) regional offices throughout Great Britain. Where should my child go to school? Or, as many of them phrase the question, which school would be best for my child?

The Independent Schools Council has 1270 accredited schools in membership which are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) every six years to ensure that standards are being maintained and improved.

The Independent Schools Council exists to promote and advocate high quality independent school education in the United Kingdom, its worth to individuals and its value to society. In co-operation with its seven constituent associations, the Council works to ensure that the values and interests of independent schools are fairly and accurately represented to Government and the Media, and in political and public debate

ISC schools educate 80% of the 600,000 children in the British independent sector. ISC schools include:

• schools catering for pupils of all ages, from nursery up to university entry
• co-educational or single-sex, or a mixture (such as boys’ schools which also have girls in their sixth-forms, girls’ schools with boys in the junior years)
• day or boarding (most boarding schools also have day pupils)
• schools which are academically selective and others which take a much wider range of abilities
• schools catering for specific talents, such as the specialist music schools and choir schools, and for those with special educational needs, such as learning difficulties
• urban schools and rural schools in every part of the British Isles

Please contact ISC at St Vincent House, 30 Orange Street, London WC2H 7HH; telephone 020 7766 7070; fax 020 7766 7071 or visit www.isc.co.uk for more information.