Edited sentence: For many years independent schools like Sherborne have been critisised for perpetuating a class system which has allowed the hegemony of an elite, moneyed and aristocratic class.It has been argued that this is far removed from the intentions of either St Aldhelm or Edward VI.It is a matter of particular controversy that Sherborne and other independent schools are considered to be charities and allowed charitable status in English law, despite repeated commitments by the UK's Labour Party for reform.It is also exempt from many of the requirements about curriculum imposed by the State on ordinary UK schools, although with such a long history it can claim many illustrious old boys.Today the school is a very expensive one, costing many thousands of pounds to send a child there each year