* Read Country Life's Autumn 2013 School Life supplement in full
We know all about Eton, Ludgrove and Downe House, but what about those schools that offer an equally excellent education on less eye-watering fees? Catherine Austen lists the schools you should know about but probably don't.
Stamford School, Lincolnshire 01780 750300
All-boys (11-18), but very strongly linked with Stamford High, which is all-girls. Highly successful, it has recently drawn away Lincolnshire pupils who might traditionally have been sent to Uppingham or Oundle. Has a small number of boarders, but is mostly day.
Beeston Hall, Norfolk 01263 837324
Really good co-ed prep school on the north Norfolk coast-half a mile from the sea- which still encourages full boarding. Gets plenty of scholarships to the likes of Oundle and Uppingham. Activities include ‘Come Dine with Us' evenings, reeling, fly-tying and sailing-the school has its own fleet of ‘toppers' on Wrexham Broads.
Thetford Grammar School, East Anglia 01842 752840
A school that can (just about) trace its origins back to ad631 and has been co-ed since 1975. Now offers independent edu- cation from age 3 to 18. Small, strong academically and close-knit, it's long been a good-value option in East Anglia..
* See the best schools in the South of England
* See the best schools in the North of England
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Tuning in with the past: Monk music will ring out for the first time since the Dissolution after medieval manuscript is rediscoveredBuckland Abbey once thronged with monks who sang for hours every day. Now, some of their newly rediscovered medieval music will ring out once more.
