Location

The public schools were renamed "independent schools" in 1985 and there are now over 2,500 in the UK and over 500 in Ireland, the majority of which are boarding schools. Some are located in or near the heart of towns - albeit within their own spacious grounds - but more schools are to be found in a rural setting, often with many hectares of their own land surrounding the premises. Whilst there is a large concentration of independent schools in the Greater London area, the majority of these schools are not boarding schools, but cater for day pupils only.