The content of this website is based on the well-established Guide to Independent Schools, also edited by Jenny Lees-Spalding and Klaus Boehm.

The 18th edition of the book was recently published as the Telegraph Guide to Independent Schools 2010. Nearly 800 pages long, it includes -

• Profiles of over 520 independent secondary schools, arranged alphabetically within regions. There are many different sorts. Like the website, the book includes all the schools affiliated to the HMC, GSA and SHMIS in the UK. It also includes a handful in continental Europe, all of which teach the British curriculum and/or the International Baccalaureate Diploma in English. One London school, the Lycée, is owned by the French government and teaches both the French and the British curriculum. All the schools take pupils through to 18; most have sixth forms, from which the overwhelming majority of students naturally progress to university. A few offer specialist teaching (eg the performing arts) or provide for specific disabilities (eg blind pupils).
• Parents' resources. A section explaining common terms, structures and financial help available - streaming, SHMIS, sex education, scholarships etc, to help parents navigate their way around the independent school system.