If your child is in Year 4 or 5, there's a good chance you've already started thinking about secondary school. And at some point, the question might become: grammar or independent?
For many families, it's not one or the other. But to make the right call, you need to understand what actually separates them – and the landscape has changed more in the last 18 months than in the previous decade.
Here's what you need to know.
The basics: funding, fees and who gets in
The most fundamental difference is simple: grammar schools are free, independent schools aren't.
Grammar schools are state-funded secondary schools that select their intake based on academic ability. Your child sits the 11+ in the autumn term of Year 6. If they pass – and pass well enough – they can apply for a place.
No fees. No tuition bills. Education funded by the taxpayer.
Independent schools, sometimes called private schools, charge fees. Historically, the average termly fee for a day school was around £6,000. Since the government introduced 20% VAT on school fees in January 2025, that number has risen sharply. The average termly fee for a day school is now £7,382, up from £6,021 – a rise of 22.6% in a year. That's roughly £22,000 per year, per child, before extras.
Some families mitigate this through scholarships and bursaries – more than 183,000 pupils currently receive some form of fee assistance, totalling over £1.5 billion across the sector. But for most families, independent school fees are a significant ongoing commitment.
How selection actually works
Both types of school can be selective – but they're selective in different ways.
Grammar schools use the 11+ to identify the top academic performers in a cohort. Most grammar schools now use GL Assessment papers, covering Maths, English and Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. The exam is non-negotiable: pass with a high enough score, and you're in the pool. The result is essentially binary.
Independent schools have more flexibility. Many use the ISEB Common Pre-Test or Quest Assessment as a starting point, particularly at the pre-test stage in Year 6. But most also factor in references, school reports, and – at some schools – interviews. A child who performs slightly below their best on the day still has other ways to demonstrate their ability. The process is more holistic, and that matters for some children.
It's also worth knowing that grammar schools in England only exist in certain areas. Kent, Buckinghamshire, Trafford, and parts of London (Barnet, Sutton, Kingston) have significant clusters. If you don't live within reach of a grammar school, the choice may be made for you.
What about curriculum and school life?
Grammar schools follow the National Curriculum and are Ofsted-inspected. Independent schools are also inspected, but they're free to set their own curriculum, choose their own qualifications, and design their school day however they like. Some offer the International Baccalaureate alongside A-Levels. Many offer a wider range of subjects and extracurriculars than state schools can typically afford.
Independent schools often have smaller class sizes, newer facilities and longer school days. Grammar schools, which are state-funded, vary considerably in resources – but many are extremely well run and are heavily oversubscribed year after year.
Both types tend to attract motivated pupils and engaged families. That shared culture often shapes the school experience as much as anything else.
What do the results actually look like?
This is where it gets interesting.
On paper, independent schools often outperform grammar schools in headline GCSE figures. In 2025, 49.2% of all entries at independent schools achieved the top GCSE grades (9–7), compared to 20.6% across all state-funded schools.
But that comparison isn't quite fair. When you isolate grammar schools from the wider state sector, the picture shifts dramatically. Of the top 100 schools in the UK by GCSE result in 2025, 85 were grammar schools and just 14 were independent. It's also worth noting that many independent schools sit IGCSEs rather than standard GCSEs, which means their results don't always appear in government data – so the league table comparison is imperfect in both directions.
The top grammar schools are competing with – and often beating – schools that charge tens of thousands of pounds a year. Queen Elizabeth's School in Barnet had 95.4% of GCSEs graded 9–7 in 2025, making it the UK's top state school for the second year running. Pate's Grammar School in Cheltenham achieved 90%, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls 86%, and The Latymer School in Enfield 84.5%.
These are results that match or exceed most independent schools, at zero cost to parents.
That said, independent schools – particularly at the most selective end – provide something beyond exam results: dedicated university admissions support, interview coaching, personal statement help and networks that last well beyond school. For families targeting Oxbridge or highly competitive courses, those extras can matter.
What the results don't tell you
Raw grades only tell you part of the story. Both grammar and independent schools select their intake – one by academic ability, one largely by ability to pay – which means their headline results start from a favourable baseline before teaching has even begun.
The metric that tries to account for this is called Progress 8. Rather than measuring what grades a cohort achieved, it measures how much a school improved pupils relative to where they started. A school that takes the top 10% of academic performers and gets strong GCSE results is doing something different to a school that takes a wide mixed intake and gets comparable outcomes.
On that measure, the grammar school advantage narrows considerably. Most grammar schools post Progress 8 scores close to zero – meaning their pupils performed roughly in line with what their prior attainment would predict. That's not a failing, but it does suggest the headline results owe more to who gets in than to what happens once they're there.
Independent schools largely opt out of Progress 8 reporting altogether, so a direct comparison is almost impossible.
None of this means grammar or independent schools are doing a bad job. But it does mean that a school with slightly less dazzling GCSE figures and a high Progress 8 score might actually serve your child better than one with a glossy prospectus and a selective intake. It's worth looking up both numbers for any school you're seriously considering – our directory of grammar schools has data on this.
The admissions timeline
The two processes run in parallel but on separate tracks.
Grammar schools:
- Register your child by the end of Year 5 (dates vary by grammar school and region)
- The 11+ is sat in September or October of Year 6
- Results are released in mid-October
- Complete the Secondary School Common Application Form (CAF) and submit to your local authority by 31 October
- Offers are made in early March of Year 7
Independent schools:
- No universal deadline – every school sets its own dates
- Most hold open days in the autumn term or throughout the year
- A non-refundable registration fee is usually required to apply
- Entrance exams typically take place in the autumn or early spring term of Year 6
- Offers are generally made in the spring term of Year 6 – before grammar school offers
The fact that independent offers come first is worth knowing. If your child is holding a grammar school application alongside an independent one, you'll likely know whether they have an independent school place before the grammar school decision arrives. That gives you real flexibility.
Can you apply to both?
Yes, and many families do.
There's no rule against applying to grammar and independent schools simultaneously. The applications go through entirely different channels – grammar school choices through your local council, independent applications directly to each school. They don't interfere with each other.
The main practical consideration is cost. Independent schools charge a non-refundable registration fee for each application, so it's worth being realistic about which schools genuinely suit your child, rather than applying broadly and speculatively.
How the 2025 VAT change affects the decision
Since January 2025, independent school fees are subject to 20% VAT. For families already stretching to afford private education, this has been a real shift.
Pupil numbers at ISC member schools dropped by around 13,000 in a year – more than double the government's original estimate. Some of those families will be weighing up grammar school entry seriously for the first time.
The result is more competition for grammar school places, not less. If you're considering the 11+, start early.
A word on exam preparation
For the 11+, preparation genuinely matters. The exam tests Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning – and while some of that material overlaps with the Year 5 and 6 curriculum, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning in particular are not taught explicitly in primary schools.
For independent schools, the picture depends on the exam your target school uses. ISEB and Quest cover similar ground to the 11+, but in a computer-based, adaptive format. It's worth understanding exactly which exam your target school uses before starting preparation.
The most effective preparation tends to be regular and consistent – a bit every day, rather than intense cramming in the final weeks. Children who understand the material do better than those who have simply practised a lot of papers.
Which is right for your child?
There's no universal answer. It depends on where you live, what your child is like as a learner, what matters to your family, and – of course – what you can afford.
If you're in a grammar school area and your child is academically strong, it's hard to argue against trying. The results at the top grammar schools are excellent, the education is free, and the experience is often indistinguishable from a good independent school.
If you're not in a grammar school area, or your child's strengths don't map well onto a high-stakes single exam, independent schools offer a different kind of selection – one that leaves more room for the full picture of who your child is.
Many families end up applying to both and making the final call once the offers arrive. That's a perfectly sensible approach.
If your child is heading towards either the 11+ or an independent school entrance exam, HeyKitsu covers all four subjects – English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning – in a format that actually holds children's attention. The first three levels of every collection are permanently free. No credit card, no trial period.
If you'd like to see how your child is getting on before committing to a preparation plan, the diagnostic assessment in the app is a good place to start. It's free and takes about 30 minutes.
Written by
HeyKitsu Team