In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school (usually abbreviated to prep school) is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools. While many prep schools prepare their students for entry to a range of senior schools, some are closely associated with a single school, such as Colet Court with St Paul's School. Most British prep schools are primarily day schools, but many also take boarders.

Some maintained grammar schools which are otherwise free have a fee-paying prep department. Examples include Sullivan Upper School in Holywood and Bangor Grammar School, Bangor, County Down, both in Northern Ireland.

This use of the term in the UK is different from United States and Canadian usage, where a "prep school" is a university-preparatory school for older pupils.

Boys' prep schools are generally for eight- to thirteen-year olds, when most pupils take the Common Entrance Examination for entry into a secondary independent school. Before the age of eight, the term "pre-prep school", a maintained primary school, is often used. Thus, most independently educated boys will go to a pre-prep school from the age of four or five until eight, then from eight to thirteen to a prep school, and from thirteen to an independent secondary school.

Girls' private schools in England tend to follow the age ranges of maintained schools more closely than those for boys. A girls' preparatory school will usually admit girls from the age of five, and they will continue to another independent school at eleven. However, as more girls now go on to formerly single-sex boys' schools which have become co-educational, the separation is less clear.

The Incorporated Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS) is the prep schools' heads' association serving the top 500+ independent prep schools in the UK and worldwide, with a total of 130,000 pupils. The IAPS is one of seven affiliated associations of the Independent Schools Council (ISC).

List of British Preparatory schools

Below is a list of British prep schools and their headmaster or headmistress as of 1 November 2008.

Former UK prep schools

• Ascham St Vincent's School

• Bridgeway School for girls London

• Bishop's Court School for Boys

• Emscote Lawn Preparatory School (Warwick)

• Hawtreys

• Nevill Holt

• Ravenscroft School (Somerset)

• St Cyprian's School

• Temple Grove School

• West Downs School

• Seafield Park, Fareham, Hampshire.http://www.newellsonline.net

• Seafield Park,Endsleigh, Milton Abbott, Nr Tavistock, Devon.http://www.newellsonline.net

• Newells School. Lower beeding, Nr Horsham, Sussex. http://www.newellsonline.net

See also

• Independent school

• Boarding school

• Education in England

• School and university in literature, in particular Pamela Hansford Johnson's novel The Honours Board (1970)