The British are proud of their education system, claiming that it has served as a model for many countries around the world. And even a brief look at the history of its formation convinces: there really is a reason for pride. After all, what education has become in the UK today is the result of the work of many generations. Being the owner of the title "university" for an educational institution has always meant a high honor and great responsibility. The political and economic situation, the scientific picture of the world and the weight of various disciplines in it, teaching methods and the necessary circle of knowledge of an educated person were changing. The highest quality of education remained unchanged, and its most important task is to open new horizons for a person and guide him in the realization of his creative potential. Today, the UK offers an almost limitless choice of university programs, which allows each student to find subjects and methods that will be most interesting, effective and convenient for him. How was such power and diversity possible? The history of the formation of higher educational institutions of any country shows the attitude in it to education. Let's try to figure it out.

The oldest universities in England XII-XIV centuries.

Probably, there is no person all over the world who is preparing to receive a higher education and has not heard of the two oldest British universities, Oxford and Cambridge. "Oldest" and "first" in Britain are perhaps the most frequently used words in connection with them. This applies to everything - the first lectures and classes, university printing houses, museums and libraries. True, the word “largest” is also added to the latter.

Oxford was founded around 1170, although historians say that classes began much earlier. Cambridge - in 1210. In the Middle Ages, the necessary minimum knowledge of an educated person, in addition to Latin, philosophy and theology, was seven sciences (“seven liberal arts”): rhetoric, logic, grammar, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music. Students left these universities ready for high ecclesiastical and secular positions, conducting theological debates, and jurisprudence. Already in the XIII-XIV centuries, the first scholarships appeared.

An amazing fact - the oldest universities remained the only ones in England for more than six hundred years. It was they who laid a solid foundation and many traditions of British higher education. Both of these educational institutions have a similar management system, organization of the educational process and infrastructure, but the main thing that unites them is something intangible, the spirit of education they keep and high quality standards of university education. Their commonality is emphasized by the word that is quite often used today, formed by merging parts of the names of the oldest universities - Oxbridge (Oxbrige = Ox ford+cam bridge).

The oldest universities in Scotland XV-XVI centuries.

In Great Britain, due to historical reasons and traditions, there are in parallel two systems of higher education comparable in quality, scope and degrees awarded: one operates in England and, with minor changes, in Wales and Northern Ireland, and somewhat different in Scotland. Therefore, Scottish universities should be discussed separately. Within the framework of this article, we will only mention the names of the first universities in Scotland in order of seniority: (University of) St. Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh.

Civil universities of the XVIII-XIX centuries.

In the XVIII - XIX centuries, two very important processes took place - the transformation of Great Britain into a leading colonial power and the industrial revolution that was growing around the world. The main industries were concentrated in the northern regions of the country, and most civilian universities are also located there. They grew out of medical and engineering colleges, which, having received a new status, became known as: (University of) Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, Manchester, Wales and Imperial College of London.

These educational institutions, in accordance with the needs of modern times, prepared civilian specialists - administrative workers, civil servants, lawyers, scientists, chemists and engineers. Their features are a centralized management system, teaching natural and exact sciences and technical disciplines, a high degree of specialization and practice orientation, which allows acquiring deep professional knowledge and skills. At present, all these universities have an excellent material base, high intellectual potential and conduct numerous scientific research.

New universities of the XX century.

After the Second World War, based on the demands of a growing population, higher education becomes a priority in British domestic policy. During the second half of the 20th century, important reforms were carried out: secondary education in public schools became free, and higher education became available to the general population. This also applied to ethnic minorities, and children from dysfunctional families, and families with low incomes.

In the postwar decade the second wave of opening of civil universities took place. Then the educational institutions, which already had a solid history, were given a new status. Among them: (University of) Nottingham, Southampton, Hull, Exeter, Leicester.

In 1957, the first Soviet satellite was launched into orbit, which forced Western countries to once again reconsider the goals and objectives that the education system should solve. Six years later, in 1963, the report of the Committee on Higher Education, chaired by Lord Robbins, was published in Great Britain, one of the conclusions of which was the need to increase the number of educational institutions teaching technical specialties and social sciences as soon as possible.

In the 60s - 70s a number of universities started their work from scratch. In addition to scientific and technical specialties, they began teaching disciplines related to the study of man and society: psychology, sociology, political science, linguistics. The new universities include: (University of) Sussex, York, Essex, Lancaster, Kent, Warwick, Stirling and UEA. In addition, medical, commercial, and engineering colleges founded since the second half of the 19th century received a new status and names: (University of) Aston, Bath, Bradford, Brunel, Loughborough, Salford, Strathclyde. These universities are more compact in size than the traditional ones. Although everything else is quite comparable: they are equally internationally renowned, are active in research activities, pay close attention to providing the highest level of teaching and offer the most up-to-date curricula.

In the 20th century, the need for practitioners and new technologies grew at a rapid pace. And to meet these requests, another 30 polytechnics were formed by merging existing colleges. They offered programs similar to university ones, although they did not have the right to award higher education diplomas. To control the quality of their work and award degrees, a special organization was created - CNAA (Council for National Academic Awards). And in 1992, a law was passed allowing them to become full universities, which almost doubled the total number of British universities.

Other important initiatives in the 20th century include:

Development of distance education offered by Open University;

The emergence of colleges of higher education and professional institutes that can award higher education diplomas;

Growth in the number of privately funded educational institutions.

But what about today?

The newest universities of the XXI century. From 2001 to 2008, another wave of applications began in the UK from educational institutions applying for university status. As a result of consideration of applications, 31 more universities were created. Many of them offer unique programs and equipment and are equipped with the latest technology. They are directed to the future, but their roots go back to the distant past. As we have seen, it is rarely the other way around in Britain.

Today, effective management tools have been developed that have strengthened state control over the activities of universities, the content and quality of the education offered. This is the funding policy, which involves a regularly published assessment of their RAE research activity, and the annual National Student Survey (National Students’ Survey), which gives each graduate the opportunity to give their assessments to the studied programs and the educational institutions that offered them. The results of the National Survey, as well as detailed information about the results achieved by students during their studies and about the work they received in the next six months, are publicly available on the UNISTATS Internet resource. A number of other measures were taken to make the entire education system as transparent as possible for society. Add to this significant requirements for student motivation, a warm welcome for students from all over the world and the global goals of education, formulated as follows: "educating worthy citizens, building an intellectual and cultural heritage" * - and you have a first idea of ​​\u200b\u200bwhat education in the UK is. .

Adapted from the Association of University Administrators (AUA), UK.

* - Dr. Tony Rich, Academic Secretary of the University of Essex, presentation at the seminar “Introduction to Higher Education”, AUA, January 2009.

Due to the time difference in London, a message about the discovered losses was received from Singapore at the beginning of the eighth morning of Friday. And just an hour later, the Barings board gathered for an emergency meeting.

After that, the president of Barings and a descendant of its founder, Peter Baring, reported the disaster to the governor of the National Bank of England, Eddie George. The call found the manager at the Swiss resort of Avoriaz, where he had only managed to get to spend the weekend. Skiing was not possible. On the very first flight from Geneva, George returned to London.

By the end of the day, losses had doubled. Barings released an official press statement on Saturday. Peter Baring's only hope is in the support of the National Bank. He had already somehow helped Barings escape from disaster after losses in Argentina. But that was in 1890. Now the central bank has refused direct financial support to Barings.

We are talking only about the sale of the bank, and Peter Baring is ready to negotiate on any terms. At six o'clock Saturday comes from the Sultan of Brunei. But four hours later, the sultan cancels his offer after reviewing the bank's balance sheet.

It was the end. On Monday, Britain's High Court declared Barings bankrupt. So, thanks to the ambitions of one trader, the 233-year history of the bank ended ingloriously. A week later, Barings was sold to the Dutch banking group ING for a symbolic amount of 1 pound and became its division.

star boy

Nick Leeson was born on February 25, 1967 in the small English town of Watford. His father William Leeson was a plasterer and predicted his son a career as a civil engineer. But Nick was drawn to a more prestigious job - he dreamed of becoming a financial bigwig. True, he had problems with mathematics.

Nick even flunked a few math tests at school. However, Leeson from childhood had a quirky mind and amazing perseverance in overcoming obstacles. Therefore, in college, he studied in the specialty of his dreams - to be a financier. And he graduated from college with good grades. Now the young and ambitious Leeson faced the most difficult thing - to make a career.

And Nick got off to a good start. In July 1989, 22-year-old Leeson was hired by one of the most reputable and oldest London banks, Barings. For three years he gained experience, dealing with the execution of exchange contracts. In 1992 he married Lisa Sims, who also worked for Barings.

Nick's work went smoothly, and soon he knew all the complex paperwork of the bank to perfection. The authorities could not get enough of him, and in 1992 he was sent to work in his Singaporean subsidiary, which was engaged in speculation on the stock exchanges of Southeast Asia. Although Nick went there as a simple broker, this appointment could be seen as a promotion. After all, it was in Asia that the main exchange turnovers were made.

Nick's main tasks were the execution of clients' orders for the purchase and sale of securities and arbitrage transactions with futures contracts on the Osaka Securities Exchange (OSE) and the Singapore International Monetary Exchange (Singapore International Monetary Exchange, SIMEX).

Arbitrage here means receiving income due to the difference in the price of Nikkei-225 futures on OSE and SIMEX, which arises due to the difference in the working hours of these trading floors. That is, if prices evolved accordingly, Leeson first bought Nikkei-225 in Japan, and then sold them at a higher price in Singapore. And the Nikkei-225 futures themselves are essentially a money bet that the stock index of the same name on a certain date will be the value specified in the contract.

And Leeson's business went uphill. In 1993, he brought in 8.83 million pounds to his native bank, which amounted to about 10% of all Barings' profits in Singapore that year. The following year, Nick earned already 28.53 million pounds - more than half of the profits of the Singapore "daughter". And only for the first two months of 1995 - 18.57 million pounds. Leeson's income also grew. Along with a salary of £200,000 a year, Barings paid him bonuses of around £750,000 a year. And in February 1995, their amount increased to a million pounds.

Starting in 1992 as a simple broker, Leeson soon became the head broker and at the same time the manager of the entire back office (transaction processing service) of the Singapore branch of Barings. At the same time, he reported only formally to the head of Barings in Singapore. In his work, Nick reported directly to the head office in London and received instructions directly from there.
In Singapore, Leeson was considered a star not only in his native bank. Employees of all competing companies carefully monitored all the transactions of "lucky Nick", trying to find a clue to his luck there. It was great, and everything seemed to be even better ahead.

Life is good

Nick was a fun guy to work with and have a nice drink with. His superiors appreciated him, his subordinates respected him. He didn't skimp on promotions. Following the results of 1993, his subordinates received bonuses in the amount of an annual salary. And according to the results of 1994, the bonuses increased to one and a half annual salaries.

Often Leeson also went to Singapore's Harry's bar, where he liked to skip small with other stockbrokers. He also enjoyed himself to the fullest. Somehow, having got enough, he took off his pants in front of a group of women, and when they demanded an apology, he advised them to call the police and even offered his mobile phone for this. The ladies did just that. The judge fined Nick S$200 "for indecent exposure".

There were scandals and more unpleasant. For example, Leeson was expelled from the local cricket club Select Cricket Club for racist remarks and a fight with a visitor. “He was an ordinary guy,” one of the brokers of the Singapore exchange later recalled Leeson. “I would never have thought that this man drowned Barings.”

Unlucky Player

In fact, things were going from bad to worse for the Barings, but only Leeson knew about it. He turned out to be too ambitious to make little money on guaranteed income deals and earn a salary increase for years.

Literally immediately after the transfer to Singapore, Nick tried to conduct several exchange operations unauthorized by his superiors. He hoped to curry favor in this way if he could earn a lot of money for his bank. But unexpectedly for himself, he lost. It was the end of everything: dreams, careers, respect from colleagues. “I felt that the walls around me were closing in and everything was getting out of control,” Nick later said. - I was pushed forward by the fear of falling in the eyes of my comrades. This fear overwhelmed me.”

Leeson found the way out in his excellent knowledge of the Barings workflow. He began hiding losses inside the bank's financial accounting system. For almost three years, no one among the thousands of bank employees and the external auditor, the famous Deloitte & Touche, noticed that the bank was incurring multimillion-dollar losses.

The system developed by Leeson was based on counter transactions of the bank with itself. Such transactions are permitted by the rules of the exchanges. If he receives orders to buy and sell the same number of contracts at the same price, he can pass through his clients' accounts. Nick conducted such trades between accounts for operations with various securities and off-balance account 88888 “Unexplained errors”. In reality, Leeson's task was more difficult. To avoid conspicuous postscripts, he additionally spaced parallel operations across accounts in time and presented them in unequal amounts. And to external auditors, he showed the so-called letters of representation signed by his immediate superior, Simon Johnson. These letters confirmed the legitimacy of Leeson's operations. The letters, however, were fake. But Deloitte & Touche figured it out after the bank crash.

In this elegant way, Nick in 1992 hid losses of 2 million pounds. In 1993, 21 million pounds had to be hidden, in 1994 - 185 million pounds. The trouble is that, having lost money once, Leeson always hoped to recoup. And the more he lost, the more he had to risk to get everything back.

The pinnacle of the schemer's career came in early 1995. Nick bought Nikkei-225 futures ranging from 19,000 to 20,000 points. After the January 17 earthquake in the Japanese city of Kobe, the index collapsed. But Leeson continued to buy contracts, hoping to turn the tide. And he almost succeeded, but unfortunately, Barings finally ran out of money. At this time (unpaid contracts) Leeson was worth $29 billion.

In the first two months of 1995, Nika lost £619m. Total losses exceeded the bank's own. However, Leeson officially “drew” 18.57 million pounds during this period. Total damage for the entire time exceeded 827 million pounds, or $ 1.4 billion. The authorities learned about the losses only after Nick's farewell fax: "I'm sorry, boss."

Time to run

Realizing that this was the end, Leeson did not try to hide. He had faxed his friends the night before apologizing that he would not be able to invite them to his birthday party. And then, quite calmly, he left by taxi to the airport with his wife, who before that honestly paid $ 350 to the maid for the last month.

Also calmly under his real name, he flew to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, where he settled in the luxurious Regent Hotel, paying for the room with his own Barings bank card. And all this in order to celebrate your birthday on February 25 for the last time in freedom. We spent a week at Lison's hotel. On March 2, he flew to German Frankfurt, where he surrendered to the authorities.
In December 1995, a Singapore court sentenced Leeson to six and a half years in prison, accepting as a mitigating circumstance that he unintentionally caused damage to the bank and its shareholders. In prison, Nick was diagnosed with colon cancer and underwent surgery. Together with good behavior, this was credited to him when the appeals board decided to release him after three and a half years.

His wife took a job as a flight attendant to visit Nick more often in prison. But when he described their personal lives too candidly in his 1997 autobiography Rogue Trader, she filed for divorce. By the way, based on this book in 1998, a film of the same name was shot in Hollywood (in the Russian box office - “Swindler”).

Upon his release, Leeson did not return to England, but moved to Ireland. And there he is by no means poor. He is often invited to speak at various conferences, and he does not charge less than $ 100,000 for this. Leeson has repeatedly spoken not only to corporate, but also to university audiences, including Oxford, Trinity College Dublin and University College in Cork, Ireland.
He has also been repeatedly invited to other countries, including Holland, New Zealand, South Africa, and others. Leeson's candid account of his unique life experience intrigues listeners, arousing curiosity, serious interest, and sometimes sincere sympathy. After all, the death of the Barings bank and the role played by Leeson in it remain one of the most exciting dramas in modern financial history. By the way, not so long ago the agreement under which Leeson was obliged to transfer part of his earnings to the liquidators of Barings lost its force. In addition, he still trades financial instruments, but now only for his own account.

In his personal life, Leeson also experienced a happy change - in 2003, he married for the second time to an Irish woman, Leona Tormay. Leona, a cosmetologist by profession, already had two children - Kersti (Kersty) eight years old and four Alex (Alex), but the couple dreamed of a joint child. In 2004, their attempts were crowned with success: Nick and Leona had a son. Currently, Leeson and his family live in the village of Barna, located near the capital of the county of Galway in the west of Ireland.

Cancer, according to Leeson, should not take over a person and control his life. The more positive a person is, the greater his chances of survival. He also advises others not to “digest” stress within themselves, as he himself has done for almost his entire life.

Now he talks to Leona and expresses what is on his mind. In the words of Leeson, “In the case of cancer, as with other problems, it is amazing how much adaptability human beings have,” and this makes a person able to “fight, provided that he is determined.”

In April 2005, Leeson accepted an offer to become commercial director of Irish football club Galway United Football Club. He has a job that suits him, and he leads a life that he likes. More than a decade after Barings busted, one of the world's most notorious financial scammers is still learning to look at himself and his life in a different light. “One of the most important tasks in my current life,” he says, “is changing the way of thinking, trying to find a positive side in the events that are happening. It's not always easy. Sometimes it is very difficult, but it can be done.”

History of Barings

The history of the Barings bank began in 1717, when Francis Baring immigrated from Germany to Britain to engage in the wool trade. In 1762, his grandchildren, using the family fortune, founded a merchant bank under the family name of Barings. Thanks to its impeccable reputation, Barings soon became one of the largest financial institutions and the real treasurer of the British Empire. The bank financed the wars against Napoleon and the USA, credited the US purchase of Louisiana from France. In the 19th century, members of the Bering family received five titles of nobility, more than any other family since the Middle Ages.

Alexandre Dumas placed the treasures of the Count of Monte Cristo in the Barings bank. And the Duke de Richelieu wrote in 1818 about the geopolitical situation at that time: “There are six great powers in Europe: England, France, Prussia, Russia, Austria and the Baring Brothers.”

"Eggs in the mouth"

From Nick Leeson's book "Rouge Trader"

“In trading jargon, my position was called “balls in the mouth.” I had taken on a huge position and had to get rid of it somehow… This is what is commonly referred to as a current loss of £3m, well, £5m. But I have crossed that milestone so long ago that I have completely lost touch with reality.I no longer needed these petty deals, I was not interested in nibbling on the crumbs of profit, like a fish sucking on pieces of coral in search of food. I longed for only one thing - the real movement of the market!Only in this case, I could recapture all the losses. Only then would my eggs miraculously pop out of the mouth of the market. If the market moves down, the teeth will close.”

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UK universities regularly rank at the top of the rankings of the best educational institutions in the world. As of 2017, 4 universities in the United Kingdom are among the top ten universities in the world according to the reputable consulting company Quacquarelli Symonds (hereinafter referred to as QS). When compiling the rating, the following parameters were taken into account:

• level of international education communication;
• research activities of the university;
• the quality of teaching staff training.

Cambridge university

This institution of higher education is one of the most famous universities in the UK. According to QS, it ranks first in the ranking of the best universities in the kingdom and 4th in the international ranking. It was founded in 1209. At the moment, more than 5 thousand teachers work at the university and about 17.5 thousand students study, a third of which are foreigners.

The university consists of 31 colleges, which are divided into "old" and "new". The first group includes colleges founded before 1596, and the second group includes those that opened between 1800 and 1977. New Hall, Newnham and Lucy Cavendish are three all-girls colleges. Peterhouse is the first college of the University of Cambridge. It was opened in 1284. The youngest is Robinson College, founded in 1979. Tuition fees range from £11,829 to £28,632 per year.

The University of Cambridge is ranked 4th in the ranking of the most influential universities in the world. It is second only to Harvard and Stanford University. 92 are Cambridge graduates. The most famous of them: Charles Darwin, Oliver Cromwell, Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking.

University of Oxford

This university is the oldest university in the UK. It has been teaching since 1096. In the British QS ranking, he takes 2nd place, and in the international one he is on the 6th line. along with Cambridge, it is part of the Russell group, which brings together 24 of the best higher education institutions in the UK.

In 1249 the first college, the University College, was founded. The last open one is Templeton, which was founded in 1995 and merged with Green College 13 years later. In total, the university has 36 colleges and 6 hostels in which religious orders study.

In many respects, this institution of higher education is the best university in the UK. The cost of one year of study for foreigners ranges from 15 to 23 thousand pounds. Students who have studied at any of the British colleges for three years or spent the last three years at a UK school will have to pay about 9 thousand pounds for their studies. The most expensive program is clinical medicine, which costs over 21,000 pounds. An annual fee of £7,000 is also paid to the college.

University College London

This educational institution is ranked 3rd in the UK university rankings. The university is located in the capital of England and is very young when compared with Cambridge and Oxford. University College was founded in 1826. At first it was called the University of London, and received its modern name in 1836. In the international ranking, the college ranks 7th. According to statistics, 9 out of 10 graduates find a job within 6 months after graduation.

The college consists of 7 faculties. As of 2014, the Department of Economics was the best economics department in Britain. The cost of a year of undergraduate studies is almost 16 thousand pounds. Applicants at the age of 18 can enter the college. For admission, you must submit a bachelor's degree with an average score of 4.5, two letters of recommendation and one motivational letter. Also, the applicant must pass IELTS with a score of 6.5 or higher and TOEFL with a minimum of 92 points.

The cost of a year of study at the master's program at University College London is about 17 thousand pounds. In addition to the above data, upon admission, the applicant is required to submit his resume.

Imperial College London

On the 4th line of the British ranking and on the 9th international ranking is the Imperial College London. The educational institution was founded in 1907. The college is part of the Golden Triangle group, along with the universities of Cambridge and Oxford, and is one of the most elite universities in the UK.

The cost of a bachelor's degree is almost 28 thousand pounds. In addition to TOEFL, the applicant must complete the International Baccaulaureate program. For admission to the magistracy, you must pay from 13 thousand pounds.

Edinburgh University

This establishment was founded in 1583. In terms of seniority, the Scottish university is in 6th place among British universities; in the 20th century, its rector was British Prime Minister Sir

Foreign students wishing to obtain a bachelor's degree must pay 23,500 dollars a year in tuition, and those who plan to enroll in a master's program will have to pay about 18 thousand dollars. For UK residents, tuition prices are slightly lower. The cost of a master's degree is 17.5 thousand dollars a year, and a bachelor's degree - 12.5 thousand dollars. You also need to pay additionally from 664 to 1265 dollars per month for accommodation.

King's College London

This institution is one of the most famous universities in the world. The college was founded in 1829 by order of King George IV.

The cost of undergraduate education is almost 24 thousand dollars a year for foreigners and 12.5 thousand a year for citizens of the United Kingdom. For master's studies, you need to pay 25,740 and 7,500 dollars a year for foreigners and British citizens, respectively. The cost of training does not include accommodation fees, which range from 1 to 2 thousand dollars per month.

University of Manchester

In 7th place in the ranking of the best higher education institutions in the UK according to QS is located. It was founded in 1824 and belongs to the "red brick" universities. The university in its current form began to exist in 2004 after the merger of the University of Manchester Victoria and its Institute of Science and Technology.

The cost of training is from 19 to 22 thousand pounds. Living and transport costs are approximately £11,000 per year. There is also a preparatory program worth 11,940 pounds and 15,140 pounds for 3 and 4 semesters, respectively.

bristol university

Like Manchester, the University of Bristol is a red brick university. It was founded in 1909. Part of the Russell group. At the moment, the university has 2.5 thousand teachers and almost 19 thousand students, a quarter of whom are citizens of other states.

The cost of a year of study for international students is almost 20 thousand US dollars. For holders of a UK passport, the rates are lower - 9 thousand US dollars. The cost of living and transportation is approximately one and a half thousand dollars a month. In order to enter the 1st year of a bachelor's degree, a Russian student must have an A-Level equivalent diploma and graduate from the 1st year of a higher educational institution in Russia. It is also necessary to confirm the level of English proficiency and pass the LNAT exam.

University of Warwick

The University of Warwick is located in Coventry. It was founded in 1965 and is also part of the Russell group. The university consists of 4 faculties: medical, social sciences, humanitarian and scientific and technical. In total, more than 20 thousand students study at the University of Warwick.

For admission, the applicant must confirm the level of English proficiency by passing the IELTS and TOEFL tests. It is also necessary to submit a UCAS form between September 1 and October 15. The cost of education is from 15 to 30 thousand pounds per year. Annual living expenses - from 10 thousand pounds.

Open University UK

This higher educational institution of open education was founded in 1969 by decree of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. The Open University (hereinafter referred to as the OU) was created with the aim of providing an opportunity for people who aspire to get a higher education to study in any place convenient for them. OU is one of the largest universities in the Kingdom. It trains more than 200 thousand people.

The university uses a large number of methods that allow students to study remotely. One of the British agencies that assess the quality of education gave the OU an excellent rating. In the mid-2000s, the educational institution ranked first in the ranking of the best universities in the UK.

When it comes to traditional boarding schools, the first thing that comes to mind is private schools in England. And, in fact, English schools are in perfect order with traditions, because they are the oldest schools in the world. But which one was founded first? The answer to this question is at the end of our material on the oldest educational institutions in England, which still function to this day.

10. The Pilgrims' School, Winchester - circa 900

Many of the schools on this list are located on the grounds of ancient cathedrals and are inextricably linked to them. The Pligrims' School is just that. It was built along with Winchester Cathedral and is located on its territory. In those days, members of the cathedral choir studied at the school, and the first mention of this dates back to 900. In the seventeenth century, the main building was redesigned by one of the most famous English architects, Sir Christopher Wren. And the roof of the school hall is the first roof in the world made using beams. Here is such an architecturally interesting The Pligrims’ School.

9. Beverley Grammar School, Beverly - circa 700

In addition to the fact that this educational institution is one of the ten oldest schools in England, it is also the oldest among the state ones. A public school in England means that it is open to all children free of charge and is funded in whole or in part from the country's budget. Beverley Grammar School is an all-boys school that specializes in engineering. The institution fully justifies its specialization and for several years now has been showing outstanding academic results that the best private schools in England can envy.

8. Trinity School, Carlisle - 685

Located in the very north of England, it used to be named after the city - Carlisle Grammar School. The school was also founded along with Carlisle Cathedral as a place for the training of the ministers of the cathedral. Until 1883, it was located on the territory of the cathedral, but then moved, due to the large number of students - more than one and a half thousand students. However, some buildings still remain on the territory of the cathedral, which allows schoolchildren to enjoy impressive views of the cathedral every day.

7. The Royal Grammar School Worcester, Worcester - 685

As you know, in the UK, the word "royal" in the title never goes to anyone just like that. So this school in Worcester had to earn the coveted word in the title. Initially, it was a regular school at Worcester Monastery for the education of monks and their relatives. But she coped with her duties so well that influential people from the area petitioned the queen, at that time Elizabeth I, to issue a Royal Charter - a document that confirms the significant importance of the organization for society and guarantees royal patronage. And in 1869, Queen Victoria issued a second such document and officially endowed the school with royal status. So the word “royal” appeared in the name.

6. Hereford Cathedral School, Hereford - 676

As was customary in those days, the school was for boys and served as an adjunct to the Hereford monastery, training future ministers, which is why it was named after the monastery. Although the year of foundation is considered to be 676, the first official documentary records of it date from 1384, when Bishop John Gilbert appointed Richard Cornvale headmaster. For most of its history, Hereford Cathedral School remained a small boys' school at the cathedral. But after the Second World War, it greatly increased in size, began to accept girls for education, having grown to 370 students by 1970.

5. Thetford Grammar School, Thetford - 631

Located in the picturesque county of Norfolk, in the east of England, Thetford Grammar School has experienced a lot of interesting things over the years of its existence. For example, historical records show that from about 1496 to 1566, the school ceased its activities altogether, until it was re-founded by Sir Richard Fulmerston, a well-known politician in those parts. This school is also notable for the fact that the famous historical figure, philosopher and revolutionary Thomas Paine studied within its walls. Payne was once one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, but that's another story...

4. StPeter's School, York - 627

One of the most impressive schools in this top, if not the most. It is located in the historic center of ancient York, on the banks of the River Ouse and surrounded by gardens. Its buildings are designed in the style of cathedrals, and about a thousand students study there, many of whom live in school residences. After being founded in 627, within the walls of the magnificent York Cathedral by St. Paulus of York, the educational institution quickly became a leader in British education. The school honors its traditions and close connection with the cathedral: every morning, chapels are open for all students for morning prayers, all students wear a branded brown uniform, and the best academic work is personally marked by the director and left for storage in the local archive.

3. Minster School, York - 627

Another school from the rich history of York. You can safely call it a twin of the previous one, since they were founded by one person - St. Paulus of York, at the same time. However, if the St Peter's school eventually separated from the cathedral, then the Minster School still prepares choristers for York Minster (“minster” means “cathedral” in English). That is why she is so strong in music and singing, and regularly supplies young talents to the choir - out of 180 children, 40 perform in the choir.

2. The King's School, Rochester - 604

From the north of England we move south to Kent, which is also called the "Garden of England". In the small town of Rochester, along with a beautiful cathedral, the King's School settled down. It owes its existence to King Henry VIII, who reopened it in 1541 after it had been dormant for several decades. This school is also rather big, it has about 750 students, some of whom live in the surrounding area. For so many children, you need a spacious campus, and there is one - its buildings are freely located among the buildings of the cathedral, its gardens and green lawns.

1. The King's School, Canterbury - 697

Kent County can be safely considered the birthplace of the most ancient schools, because the first place in our top is occupied by the namesake school of the previous one, which is also located in Kent - The King's School. However, it is already located in the old Canterbury, on the territory of the most famous English cathedral - Canterbury. This is the only school still operating (and operating very well - at the moment there are more than 800 students, including those who came from abroad), founded in the sixth century. Of course, the status of this educational institution obliges to honor traditions and ancient rituals. Thus, final year students have the right to wear special purple robes, and students with excellent academic performance become members of the elite club King's Scholars.

Summing up our top, we must once again emphasize that all the schools listed are still functioning and are happy to accept children from abroad. However, given the exceptional status of these schools, getting into them is not an easy task. Therefore, it would be most reasonable to use the services of the Aspect educational agency, among whose partners there are several schools from this top, which can be found in a convenient catalog. After all, education in private schools in England is not as unattainable as it seems.