ASSOCIATION OF JUNIOR INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS: FOSTERING COMPETITION AND CAMARADERIE BETWEEN PRIVATE PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND

The Association of Junior Independent Schools (AJIS) is a network of leading private primary-level schools in the independent sector in Northwest England. Members regularly meet to compete against one another in inter scholastic sports, debate, quiz and other academic and artistic endeavours.

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ABOUT

AJIS member schools include a number of the most prestigious private schools in the north of the country who share a similar educational philosophy and offer a similar range of sports and extracurricular activities. They came together to institute a formal competitive association to ensure representative teams could participate at an interscholastic level against their peers. The association also works together to further and deepen ties between the member schools and to develop the suite of opportunities on offer to their respective pupils.

The association was founded in 1987 at the behest of the head of the junior school at Birkenhead School, bringing together the heads of a some fourteen local private primary schools with whom an informal networking association was effectively already in place. From the outset, networking was a primary function of the organisation and the association convenes regular conferences and events for school staff today. This includes a number of training and development programmes and casual meeting opportunities. The network has expanded to include thirty-two schools since from across the Northwestern region, encompassing the counties of Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside, Staffordshire and West Yorkshire and the major cities and conurbations within, including Blackburn, Blackpool, Bolton, Bury, Chester, Halifax, Liverpool, Manchester, Oldham, Preston and Stockport.

These counties and their immediate neighbours represent the third most populous region of the United Kingdom with approximately 7.5 million people calling the area home. This corner of England also boasts 3,440 schools from primary to upper secondary level (Sixth Form), with 165 recognised independent schools – schools that are in good standing with one of the constituent member associations of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), representing just over 4% of educational providers. Such schools are known as “Association Schools” of which just over a half of all independent schools in the United Kingdom are characterised as (the associations being listed further below). The region also is home to a substantial number of “non-Association Schools” which are typically independent faith schools catering to the large Jewish and Muslim communities in the area, in addition to various Christian, special educational needs and alternative provision schools which are also in the independent sector.

The region presents some of the highest ranked schools in the country. Withington Girls’ School having consistently placed the top 25 schools in England for A-level results and The Manchester Grammar School being within the top 30 for Oxbridge places (admissions to the Universities of Cambridge or Oxford – widely regarded as the most prestigious and selective universities in the country and, indeed, the world). The Northwest region also plays home to a number of renowned performing arts, choir and music schools, such as the prestigious Chetham’s School of Music. The State schools’ inspector, the Office for Standards in Education (“Ofsted”), which is tasked with supervising publicly-funded schools (i.e. non-independent schools), reports that this region of England has the highest proportion of pupils attending a primary level school that is rated as good or better and the highest number of colleges rated as good or outstanding in the entire country. The standard of education, as a consequence, is high and schools in the independent sector are given strong competition by their state-sponsored peers.

The education sector is further complimented by some outstanding universities and colleges being home to the University of Liverpool and The University of Manchester of the prestigious Russell Group, with the University of Leeds and The University of Sheffield being located immediately outside of the region to the east. Both are also members of the Russell Group alongside the aforementioned Universities of Cambridge and Oxford. The region’s reputation as an artistic and cultural epicentre is further enhanced by the presence of the Royal Northern College of Music, a renowned conservatoire in Manchester, and the Northern Ballet School, also in Manchester.

The various cities in the Northwest of England have a long history as trading hubs for the British Isles dating back to the early expansion of the Viking settlements, through the era of the Hanseatic League and, more especially, the age of the British Empire and the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Curiously, these cities did not attract the religious communities that established cathedrals and abbeys in other parts of England and, as such, did not see the foundation of the early classical schools which had begun to emerge in other parts of the country and in other parts of Europe. These early schools were established to instruct young men in classics and matters of faith in order to prepare them for a life in the church. The region’s oldest school is Stockport Grammar School which is the 66^th oldest school in the United Kingdom that is still in operation. It was founded in the late 15^th Century.

It was the Industrial Revolution that brought about a massive explosion in the region’s population with the areas manufacturing industries and trade dominance increasing substantially. Liverpool became a significant hub port for the British Empire and, particularly, trade with colonies in the Americas. Manchester and neighbouring cities became major textiles and the city of Stoke and its surrounds becoming known for pottery. Nearby Sheffield emerged as a major steel producer.

Thus, whilst the region maintains some ancient medieval schools, it was the Industrial Revolution that triggered the first remarkable wave of new schools being established to educate capable young men to serve the administrative needs of the expanding Empire and the businesses that supported it through trade. The newly moneyed merchant classes wanted their sons to benefit from a good education, heretofore the preserve of the wealthy through their private tutors or the priesthood through their cathedral schools. Similarly, their old money financiers were increasingly choosing to send their children to boarding schools (the Public Schools) for a robust education that would prepare them for greatness in the military, diplomatic service or in business.

The Victorian era, which coincides with the later part of the Industrial Revolution, saw many new schools opening across the United Kingdom and the wider British Empire. These schools predate universal education and, as such, they were independent schools with varying degrees of support for pupils of lesser means. Many of these schools followed the model set before them by the endowed grammar schools which were, ostensibly, founded to provide education to pupils from poor backgrounds. To support the masters of those schools, typically, their foundations allowed for the admission of a small number of pupils from wealthier backgrounds who would pay fees. This model had come to be heavily corrupted such that many of the ancient schools, by this time, had few pupils entering on the scholarship basis for which the schools were founded.

Many of the schools in the region were boarding schools which, primarily, catered to young men and prepared them for entry into the great universities or for entry into the civil or imperial service.

The region experienced a significant economic decline in the later decades of the 20^th Century, with manufacturing failing to pick up in the post-war period and, latterly, with production increasingly being moved offshore to cheaper cost centres. Less manufacturing meant less freight traffic through the region’s port cities and slow decline threatened to become terminal. This decline peaked under the Thatcher administration with support for declining industries being substantially revoked and leaving many communities in disarray with little prospect of investment or employment.

Since the 1960s, a number of previously successful schools in the fee-paying sector in Northwest England found that they could no longer sustain themselves as their communities faced increasing financial pressures. This would be compounded by the proliferation of State-supported schools that were opened as part of the expansion of universal education. Following the Fleming Report and the Education Act 1944, many of the region’s independent schools began to move into the State sector with many more becoming comprehensive schools with the education reforms of the 1960s. Many more would move into the state sector in the 1990s when further reforms were made to grammar schools and grant-funded independent schools. Relinquishing their independent status would require them to open their admissions policies, accept the State prescribed curriculum and approach and being subject to inspection and oversight by the government. These schools would be financially supported by local authorities and the national government as opposed to fees charged to pupils’ families.

Nonetheless, the Northwest of England region has seen substantial economic growth and prosperity growth in recent decades, with significant investment into Liverpool and Manchester, further boosted by the British government’s Northern Powerhouse initiative. Some of the most affluent communities in the country are located in the Northwest of England, the “Golden Triangle” area being the best-known example. The Golden Triangle is an informal nickname applied to the Northern Cheshire towns of Alderley Edge, Prestbury and Wilmslow, located just to the south of the city of Manchester. This region is also sometimes referred to as the “Footballer’s Belt” owing to the high numbers of internationally celebrated Premier League football players who reside here and whose wealth has increased exponentially in recent years. Indeed, the Northwest of England has garnered a particular reputation as a footballing heartland with the likes of Manchester United FC, Manchester City FC, Liverpool FC and Everton FC having global followings. Other noteworthy professional teams in the region include Accrington Stanley FC, Blackburn Rovers FC, Blackpool FC, Bolton Wanderers FC, Burnley FC, Oldham Athletic AFC, Preston North End FC, Sheffield United FC, Sheffield Wednesday FC, Stockport County FC, Stoke City FC, Tranmere Rovers FC, and Wigan Athletic FC. It is no surprise that many of the best-known independent schools in the region are located too in and around the Golden Triangle.

The Association of Junior Independent Schools (not to be confused with the similarly established Association of Independent Junior Schools (AIJS) in Ireland) is primarily a sporting competition with football forming a core sport in conference fixtures. Their competition and event meets follow a regular schedule which complements existing member commitments under various Independent Schools Association (ISA) or Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS) events (with most schools being members of one or both of those organisations too) and external sports conferences such as the Independent Schools Football Association (ISFA) (which is for secondary-level schools but includes Under 13s teams).

All of the AJIS member schools operate within the primary school sector, however some also continue to secondary level but do not compete in AJIS competition at these ages.

The schools in the Association of Junior Independent Schools offer a range of options including various faith schools (particularly in the Catholic and Anglican traditions) and some single-sex schools or segregated co-ordinated schools under the same institution. Some of the member schools are amongst the oldest in England and are widely recognised as amongst the most prestigious, attracting admissions from across the world. 

The schools offer an academically rigorous programmes with successful track records of preparing students for entry into the country’s highest ranked secondary schools and, ultimately, the top universities.

Stockport Grammar School is the oldest of the AJIS schools,  with a foundation dating back to 1487, The King’s School in Macclesfield was first endowed in 1502, The Manchester Grammar School was established in 1515, Bolton School was founded in 1516, The King’s School, Chester dates back to 1541, Kirkham Grammar School was first opened shortly thereafter in 1549, Bury Grammar School traces its origins back to 1570, Newcastle Under Lyme School was founded in 1602, Hulme Grammar School was founded in 1611 and the Merchant Taylors’ guild opened The Merchant Taylors’ School, Crosby in 1620.

Historically, most of the older schools, including those founded in the 1800s, offered boarding options, however, as is the trend across the British Isles, the vast majority have been phased out. Nonetheless, many AJIS schools continue to offer boarding programmes, including at the junior boarding level (ages 8 and up) in the preparatory school tradition. Rossall School being a prime example, one of the few international schools recognised by the Parents League of New York City (PLNY). The majority of AJIS schools offer the English state-approved curriculum with some also offering the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.

All of the member schools are in good standing with an accredited and recognised independent school body that comprises the membership of the Independent Schools Council (ISC) and, as such, are subject to inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI). These schools are those referred to as “Association Schools”. Such associations include the Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools (AGBIS), the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA), the Heads’ Conference (HMC), the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS), the Independent Schools’ Bursars Association (ISBA), the Independent Schools Association (ISA), and The Society of Heads (SOH / SHHIS). Many are also members of the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA). Some of the schools are also members of the Independent Schools Modern Languages Association (ISMLA), a select group of leading private schools, or the Schools’ Enterprise Association (SEA), which helps member schools unlock value and revenue from their facilities and methodologies. Others are aligned with faith-based schools organisations including the Catholic Independent Schools Conference (CISC) and The Independent Schools Christian Alliance (TISCA). A select few are also members of other schools associations and organisations, including the celebrated Round Square movement (a global network of elite schools that subscribe to the ethos of the famous educator, Kurt Hahn), and the prestigious International Boys’ Schools Coalition (IBSC).

Membership of the association varies with the schools below being confirmed recent members of the network. The secretariat function for the association rotates amongst its member schools. To find out more, we would suggest that you might get in contact with one of the verified member schools as listed below.

If you’d like to share any stories of your time attending or teaching at an Association of Junior Independent Schools member, please feel free to do so in the comments section. We’d especially like to hear any details you might have of competitions or events organised by the AJIS.

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MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES

CHOOSE LIST VIEW FOR A SIMPLE LIST OF ALL LISTED SCHOOLS. ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN SELECT SCHOOLS USING THE MAP BELOW.

FORMER OR LAPSED MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES

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