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 ranked 6th among British universities; in the 20th century, its rector was British Prime Minister Sir
Foreign students wishing to get a bachelor's degree must pay 23.5 thousand dollars a year for 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.
The British Museum was founded in 1753. At that time it was the first and only public museum in the world. From January 15, 1759, "sedulous and curious people" could visit it free of charge. The number of visitors has grown from five thousand a year in the eighteenth century to six million in the twenty-first. 
The British Museum was created on the basis of the collection of the doctor, naturalist and collector, Hans Sloan (1660-1753). Sloan collected more than 71 thousand items. In order to keep the collection intact, he bequeathed it to King George II in exchange for a payment of twenty thousand pounds to his heirs. The king agreed to accept the bequest, and on June 7, 1753, the British Museum was created by an act of parliament, in which the entire legacy of Sloan was placed.
Gallery at the British Museum His collection mainly consisted of old books, manuscripts, coins, medals, engravings and drawings. Four years later, the museum was replenished with a gift from King George II. He donated the old royal library to the museum.
Montagu Mansion The British Museum was housed in a seventeenth-century mansion, Montagu House, in Bloomsbury on Russell Street, on the same site as it is today.
In the first half of the 19th century, the British Museum acquired many important historical artifacts, among them the Rosetta Stone (1802), the Towneley collection of classical sculptures (1805), and the sculptures of the Parthenon (1816). The Montagu building was too small to display all the exhibits, so it was decided to create a new large room for them.
The project was designed by Robert Smork (1780-1867). The huge square building was built in 1823-1847. But there was still not enough space for all the exhibits of the rapidly growing museum. In 1857, the departments devoted to the history of the Earth (zoological, mineralogical, botanical) were transferred to a new department in South Kensington. From these developed the Museum of Natural History. Museum staff participated in numerous archaeological expeditions around the world.
Roman emperor Hadrian and his lover Antinous They brought new interesting exhibits to the museum, which made it possible to solve many historical mysteries. For example, the study of Assyrian artifacts from the collection of the British Museum gave impetus to the understanding of cuneiform, and the Rosetta Stone made it possible to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphic writing.
Medieval French ivory polyptych In the second half of the 19th century, the museum's collection began to replenish with exhibits related to British history, as well as ethnographic and archaeological materials from different parts of the British Empire.
ancient egyptian mummies The increased number of visitors demanded attention from the museum administration. In 1903, the first guide to the museum was published, in 1911, the first guide was introduced to the staff. In 1939-1962, a special Duveen gallery was equipped at the museum for public funds to house the ancient Greek collection of sculptures.
Library and Reading Room of the British Museum
The museum library was located in the courtyard of the building. According to the project of Robert Smork, a winter garden was supposed to be located here, but in 1857 a round building was built instead of it, in which a reading room was opened, shelves with books filled all the free space.
After the formation of the British Library organization, the museum library became part of it. The books remained in the museum until 1997 and then moved to a new building in the area. The vacated space has been transformed into the largest glass-roofed public square in Europe, called Queen Elizabeth II's Great Courtyard.
Great Court of Queen Elizabeth II Collections of the British Museum
Now the collection of the British Museum has more than seven million items, two million years of world history and culture.
Spartan girl Its collections span archaeology, world cultures, sciences, decorative arts, and prints and drawings.
After the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the British Museum's collection of Egyptian antiquities is the most complete in the world, covering some eleven centuries of history. The Ancient Egypt Gallery features an unparalleled collection of mummies and tombs.
ancient egyptian mummies The large collection of ancient Greek and Roman artifacts covers the period from the Greek Bronze Age to the 4th century AD. The main attractions are from the Parthenon sculpture, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus.
Saxon treasure helmet The Anglo-Saxon hoard Sutton Hoo is one of the most important finds in British archeology.
Ancient Saxon helmet Recently, more attention has been paid to new expositions representing various geographically distant cultural areas of the world.
Isis and Osiris The galleries of Africa show a collection of bronzes from Benin. Separate galleries are dedicated to the applied arts of China and Japan. The collection of Islamic art, including paintings, ceramics and glassware, is one of the largest in the world. The Near East Gallery has an extensive collection of Mesopotamian artefacts.
Japanese engraving The collections of prints and drawings of the British Museum cover the period from the 14th century to the present day, and include works by all major European and British artists.
The museum is open daily from 10:00 to 17:30, except for Christmas holidays (December 24-26) and January 1. 
The British Museum is located on Great Russell Street next to Russell Square. Nearest stations: Tottenham Court Road (500 m), Holborn (500 m).
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 cash 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 had to be hidden; in 1994, £185 million. 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 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 true 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 I had to get rid of it somehow… That's what they usually call a current loss of £3m, well, £5m. But I've crossed that milestone so long ago that I've 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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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 relationship 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.
