Independent Schools' Guide 2025

The Attain Independent Schools' Guide is different. It empowers parents to make informed choices by giving you everything you need to know to choose a private school for your child with confidence. Available as a web eBook or as a print edition, this book tells you how to find the right school for your unique child – and be confident in that judgment.

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The Attain Guide helps you make one of the hardest decisions you can take on behalf of your child. It deliberately doesn't tell you which private schools are the best in the country for exam success or rank the best for sport. It does not list the best headteachers nor frankly tell you 'the best' at anything.

What it does explain is why seeking out 'the best' for your child is one of the most unhelpful things you can do as a parent. It shows you where to focus your thoughts and what matters when evaluating different schools. You will see how marketing spin, league tables, awards and other unhelpful influences can get in the way. And it highlights the practical things which can make – or break – a choice of school.

Written by Matthew Smith, who has worked with the independent schools' sector for 25 years, the Attain Guide covers the things to consider – the head, pastoral care, curriculum and extracurricular – through to the things to avoid. The book highlights the importance of logistics, the value of inspection reports and how ultimately to make an informed decision. And to help in the process of shortlisting, details of over 700 independent schools are included in our Schools' Directory section.

Book or eBook – or both?

Parents can buy the Attain Independent Schools' Guide 2025 from all good bookshops or direct from Attain. If you prefer an eBook version, you can subscribe for just £9.99. The print edition is £16.99 (with free P&P) and you receive complimentary access to the eBook edition so you can start reading whilst waiting for the book to arrive in the post.

Explore a preview of the contents

In this introductory chapter to the book, Matthew sets out how the guide helps parents. He explains why searching for 'the best' for your child is so unhelpful and why the key to finding the right choice of school – both initially and long term – is to recognise the need for partnership between your child, the school and you.

Ensuring your child's happiness is key to finding the right school. In this chapter, Matthew explores the pressures around school choice – including the inherent risks of parental ambition – and why corrosive tutoring might get a pupil over an admissions hurdle but runs the risk of causing problems in the future.

The consequences of sending a child to a school they don't wish to attend goes far beyond not succeeding academically. In this chapter, Matthew explores how a child's perspective on future schools, at any age, can highlight things a parent might easily miss. Parents can sense a lot by instinct – but so can children.

When searching for a school for their child, parents cannot avoid bringing a certain amount of personal baggage, based on their own past experience. In this chapter, Matthew debunks some myths, including the quest for the so-called 'best school', and highlights some unhelpful distractions to avoid.

Do you need to like the Head? In this chapter, Matthew explores the role of the Head and why whether you like her or him is actually not something to worry about. Far more important is whether they are 'doing a good job' and you have confidence in their leadership of the school – and its future direction.

No topic is as important in school choice as pastoral care. In this chapter, Matthew explains why wellbeing and the happiness of pupils is what matters most, despite the fact that many schools promote their academic excellence as front and centre. Without the right pastoral care environment, you will not have happy children wanting to succeed.

Too often overlooked or just taken for granted, a school's curriculum is one of the areas which most defines the individuality of independent schools. In this chapter, Matthew discusses why the prep school years are more than just preparation for senior school and why narrow specialisation should be avoided at all stages.

Whilst sport, music and drama often dominate, most independent schools offer a huge range of activities which enrich pupils lives. In this chapter, Matthew looks at the value of extracurricular opportunities and how they are so much more than the sum of their parts – they might just open a child's eyes to a future career.

Some school websites might look nice but they feel bloated, too slick and lack authenticity. In this chapter, Matthew laments the need for parents to wade through the gloss of school marketing, searching for clear and concise information. What do you need to find on a school website – and how should you approach any due diligence?

Whilst on face value, league tables look like they offer parents a convenient shortcut when choosing a school, the reality is somewhat different. In this chapter, Matthew shines a light on the inherent problems with league tables. Far from providing the transparency and accountability parents crave, they are a false friend.

Awards, reviews and the growth of the school brand: three aspects of marketing noise which do little to help parents in their quest for finding the right school for their child. In this chapter, Matthew bemoans the unhelpful hype which sadly can end up dominating the information to prospective parents.

As a parent, how do you get the balance right between encouragement and being too pushy? In this chapter, Matthew treads carefully through the difficult issue of parental ambition and highlights the critical importance of the need for a strong partnership between parents and schools.

It's easy to dismiss 'logistics' as unimportant or not one of the big questions. But in this chapter, Matthew emphasises why they are key to ensuring that life at school flows smoothly: the prep gets done on time and your child awakes after a good night's sleep ready for the next school day.

The inspection report is singularly the most important document a prospective parent should read prior to considering a school for their child. In this chapter, Matthew looks at the background to reports, how they are structured and the insight to be gained from reading them.

In this chapter, Matthew looks at why independent school fees are so expensive and the need for parents to factor in much more than just the baseline cost. High fees do not mean that all parents are wealthy however and many pupils access private schools through the life-changing opportunities offered by bursaries.

What's the difference between an 'independent school' and a 'private school'? In this chapter, Matthew challenges a few myths, stereotypes and undeserved labels which surround private schools as a result of unhelpful language. He also looks at the problem of scholarships and the risks of undue pressure.

In this penultimate chapter, Matthew explores the admissions process and how parents should approach an Open Day – the questions to ask and the things you can expect to see. How should you – and your child – compare different schools and what areas do you value when it comes to an in-person visit?

In the final chapter, Matthew reflects on the advice of Headteachers over the years during his time as an Education Editor. Choosing a school for your child can be pressured, stressful and difficult but sometimes it is necessary to step back and remember the bigger picture.

Swipe between chapters and click to select

Hampshire