Private Schools in England

About seven per cent of children in England are educated in private schools, but the significance of the private sector in policy terms is far greater than this proportion would indicate. While schools such as Eton College and Winchester College are still the best-known, these schools form only as small part of the private sector, which is actually characterised by its diversity. The number of private Muslim schools has increased considerably since the 1970s due largely to immigration. Furthermore, individual profit-orientated schools have established themselves in recent years. Despite the diversity within the sector and the lack of evidence, there is a widely held belief that private sector schools are more educationally effective. Indeed, the belief influences government policy towards both private and state-maintained schooling.