The site offers independent information for international students and their families considering a move to UK to study.
We cover:
How have we selected the Boarding Schools featured on the site?
There are over 1,000 Boarding schools in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Most have a specific focus on pupils who have English as a first language, already live in the UK and are familiar with the UK education system and British culture.
We have therefore pre-selected schools against the following criteria that reflect a significant focus on international students and an international approach to education & culture. Schools must meet all the criteria below to be featured on the site.
Offer full time Boarding options many schools not featured on the site recruit mainly ‘weekly’ boarders who go home at the weekends. For international students, this can mean that the school is quite empty at the weekend and this can be challenging socially for some pupils and make settling in much harder.
Minimum number of Boarders We look for schools that have at least 10% of all pupils as Full time Boarders, so there is a real boarding school ‘community’.
Accept international students from outside of the EU some schools only recruit international students from within the European Union, so they are not featured on the site. We aim to only feature schools with a minimum of 10% international students to ensure there is a focus on the needs of international students, not least the quality provision of EAL teaching (see below).
All offer a range of dietary options for Boarding pupils all schools featured offer vegetarian and vegan options and many also offer halal and kosher meals.
Offer structured EAL (English as an additional language) support and/or have an International study centre. Some schools are of interest to international parents because they have low international student numbers, but this has to be balanced with a clear commitment to EAL, as this, in almost all cases, except where English is a pupil’s first language, will be needed to ensure all international students achieve their academic potential.
(We also feature schools that are established in the UK, but also have international campuses).
How can you find the right school for your child?
There are filters on the Boarding school home page to help you find the right school.
Location There is an interactive map to see where schools are located. We also highlight how far each school is from a major international airport.
Fees* To allow for reasonable fee comparison, we have focused on published, annual international fees for Years 10-11 (GCSE years) unless otherwise stated.
Type of school We also split schools into 3 categories and highlight each type of school by use of icons.
International schools highlighted on the Boarding school profile page with a ‘globe’ icon, always include a level of EAL provision in the cost shown, recognising that pupils at these schools will almost certainly need additional EAL support.
Mainstream schools highlighted with a ‘book’ icon are schools for British students that also take international pupils who have already attained an English language competency equivalent to at least IELTS 5 (fluent speakers and highly competent in written English).
Special schools highlighted with a ‘star’ icon that have added capacity to support those children and young people with additional learning and/or physical needs.
*Please note, whilst we have made every reasonable effort to make the fees fair and comparable, some schools do ask for additional payment for ‘extras’ such as; music, sports tuition and EAL (English as an Additional Language) provision.
Our information is impartial and all basic profiles of schools, universities and pathway providers cover the same, comparable information from reputable, objective sources.
Our aim is to help you and your children make a really well informed decision about the right time to enter the UK Education system and to provide excellent information to help you decide on the right institutions to partner with along the way…
We also cover:
English Language Exams Offering a direct comparison of qualifications between the UK Government’s 2 approved examination Boards
Pathway Providers – providing a bridge from school to university
Moocs from FutureLearn-the UK’s leading provider of Massive Open Online Courses and credit bearing qualifications from leading global Universities.
