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 ISCis website.

Choose a School with ISCis

Every year thousands of parents are helped with one of their most important decisions by the Independent Schools Council information service (ISCis - formerly known as National ISIS) in London and ISIS 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 about 1300 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, political and public debate and the media.

They educate 80% of the 600,000 children in the British independent sector. They provide parents with a wide choice.

• 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

Whatever their type, ISC schools pride themselves on their high academic standards and high expectations, manageable class sizes and individual attention, traditional values with modern facilities, broad and balanced curriculum, and exceptional extra-curricular opportunities.

ISCis publishes “The ISCis Guide to Accredited Independent Schools” – a guide to the independent sector and the 1300 ISC schools, with their examination results, an interactive CDROM and a range of leaflets and other publications to help parents. It also has an informative, detailed and fully searchable website.

Please contact ISCis at Grosvenor Garden House, 35-37 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0BS; telephone 020 7798 1500; fax 020 7798 1501;

To visit their website you may follow this link to http://www.isc.co.uk/