The Origins of Public Schools
Some public schools are very old, such as Westminster (started by Benedictine monks in 1179), Eton (founded by Henry VI in 1440), St Paul's (1509), Sherborne (1550), Bedford (1552), Shrewsbury School (1552), Rugby (1567), Harrow (1572), Uppingham (1584), Charterhouse (1611) and Winchester (1382), which has maintained the longest unbroken history of any school in England. These schools were often established as charitable institutions for male scholars from poor or disadvantaged backgrounds. Although the scholars’ education was free, the schools sometimes charged for lodging or clothing and, in due course, they came to offer fee paying places for other pupils who were not being supported by the charity, so becoming “public” schools because they were open to those who could afford to pay.
Most public schools, however, developed during the 18th and 19th centuries, and came to play an important role in the development of the Victorian social elite. Under a number of forward-looking headmasters, leading public schools created a curriculum based heavily on classics and physical activity for boys and young men of the upper and upper middle classes. 19th century educational reforms were particularly important under Dr Thomas Arnold at Rugby, and Samuel Butler and later Benjamin Hall Kennedy at Shrewsbury, emphasizing the importance of scholarship and competitive examinations as well as teamwork. The Reverend Edward Thring, head of Uppingham School, is credited with founding the Headmasters’ Conference and was a great reformer. He emphasised not only the importance of the individual and of competitive spirit, but he also recognised and promoted the value of an all-round curriculum incorporating sport and the arts along with academic studies.
In the early years, public schools always had clergymen as headmasters but, by 1924, Winchester, Rugby, Marlborough and Charterhouse had all appointed laymen as head.
Public schools were the backbone of the gentlemanly elite of Victorian politics, armed forces and colonial government. Successful businessmen would often send their sons to public school as a mark of participation in the elite. Much of the discipline was (and still is) in the hands of senior pupils, usually known as prefects, not just as a means to reduce staffing costs, but such responsibility also formed vital preparation for those pupils' later roles as leaders in public or military service.
To an extent, the public school system influenced the school systems of the whole British empire, and schools modelled on “public” schools can be found in many Commonwealth countries. Many prep schools in the United States (such as Groton School) are also recognisably “public” in the British sense.