INTERNATIONAL ADMISSIONS

The Royal Hospital School is an independent co-educational boarding and day school for 11-18 year olds, providing an outstanding, full and broad education set in 200 acres of Suffolk countryside overlooking the River Stour. We currently have pupils from 28 different countries at the school and we welcome our International pupils for a fully immersive experience of English education. We are renowned for our excellent pastoral care, broad range of A Level subjects available and a rich array of opportunities outside of the classroom.

International Admissions Office
+44 (0) 1473 326179
admissions@royalhospitalschool.org

View Our International Admissions Prospectus

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Admissions Process

Applications from international pupils should be made to the International Admissions Office at eallinson@royalhospitalschool.org or +44 (0) 1473 326179 in the first instance. Whether you are applying direct or through an education agent, we will guide you carefully through the process.

When making an initial enquiry please provide as much information as possible about your child's academic achievements, interests and aspirations as well as his or her date of birth, first language and current school. We will need to see copies of your child's two most recent reports together with a scan of his or her passport.

On the basis of this information we will advise you or your educational agent on whether we would be able to consider your child and if you should proceed with the completion of a Registration Form.

Applying for a Place

Applying for a Place

The Registration Form should be sent to admissions@royalhospitalschool.org together with a copy of the passport and payment of the Registration Fee. International payments can be made via https://royalhospitalschool.flywire.com

All pupils for whom English is not their first language are required to take our English as an Additional Language (EAL) test and an age-specific mathematics test, which may be taken in their home country, subject to prior arrangement. If your child's first language is English or if he or she is currently at a English-speaking school, we may recommend that he or she takes the same assessment tests as our domestic applicants.

All candidates are required to have an interview with a senior member of staff either during your visit to the School or, if this is not possible, by Skype.

Places are normally offered to successful candidates within two weeks of sitting our assessment tests and having the interview. Places should be accepted within four weeks of receipt of an offer. After that time, the School reserves the right to offer places to candidates on the waiting list. On acceptance of a place, parents are required to sign a contract which sets out clearly the basis on which an offer is being made and accepted, and return it together with the Acceptance Deposit.

As a guide the following levels of English would, in most cases, mean that English language support is unnecessary:

Entry Years 7-9 (11+) PET grade C or above
Entry Year 10 (14+) FCE grade C or above
Entry Year 12 (16+) IELTS 6.5

REGISTRATION FORM

CHILD STUDENT VISAS

Student Visas
CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies)

Student Visas

Short-term Study

If you are applying to study at RHS for no longer than 6 months you can come to the UK as a Standard Visitor and will not need to apply for a visa.

EU Settlement Scheme

EU, EEA and Swiss students who were already resident in the UK by 31 December 2020 were eligible to apply to the free EU Settlement Scheme. The deadline to apply was 30 June 2021. After this date if you arrive in the UK you will be required to apply for a Child Student Visa.

Child Student Visa

If you are applying to study at RHS for longer than 6 months you will need to apply for a Child Student Visa.

Our visa application process is entirely managed by Newland Chase Education (NCE). Once you have accepted an unconditional offer to study at RHS, NCE will assist with the following:

Completion and submission of visa application forms
Checking of all supporting documents
Issue of CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies)

Visa applications to come to the UK can be made up to 6 months in advance of the course start date.

CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies)

Guardians

At the Royal Hospital School, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every boarding pupil. Therefore, we require the parents of all boarding pupils (including those over the age of 18) who do not live in the United Kingdom to appoint a guardian (or guardianship organisation) to act on their behalf.

While we are responsible for each pupil's welfare during term time, and will therefore undertake parentally designated responsibilities, there may be times (for example leave out weekends, ends of term or if a pupil is externally suspended) when we must be able to hand over responsibility for the pupil to another adult. This would normally be the pupil's parent. However, where parents live overseas, it will be the nominated guardian.

Appointing a Guardian
Expectations for Guardians

Appointing a Guardian

We do not appoint guardians on behalf of parents. It is your responsibility to nominate a guardian (or guardianship organisation) for your son or daughter. The guardian (or representative of the guardianship organisation) must meet all the following requirements:

be over 25 years of age
be a permanent resident of the United Kingdom
reside within four hours' travelling time from the School, either by car or public transport
be a 24-hour point of contact for pupil, parents and the School
not be a member of staff at the School
be prepared to act with delegated parental authority in case of emergency or in other matters as required
provide appropriate overnight accommodation, if required, including at the start and end of terms and half-terms.

Expectations for Guardians

Guardians are expected to respect the rights, religion and customs of a child and adhere to best practice in their guardianship. This should include signing an agreement with the pupil's parents, confirming the responsibilities of the guardian. If, at any time, a nominated guardian does not meet the requirements of our Guardianship Policy, we will require the parent to appoint a guardianship organisation accredited by the Association of Educational Guardians for International Students to make appropriate guardianship arrangements.

The Association of Educational Guardians for International Students (AEGIS) is a national association which monitors and regulates the welfare of international students, and provides accreditation for guardianship organisations in line with the National Minimum Standards for Boarding. For more details, please visit www.aegisuk.net

All guardians are welcome to attend School events, parent meetings, concerts and sports matches. We also encourage them to make regular contact with the pupil's Housemaster or Housemistress.

In the case of pupils who are in receipt of Child Student Visa and for whom we have issued a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), we are responsible to the UK Border Agency for the pupil at all times during the Child Student sponsorship. We are legally required to retain accurate records of the pupil's whereabouts, whether or not he/she is in the UK. Parents must, therefore, undertake to ensure that we are provided with relevant details and contact information for all periods when the pupil is not resident at School.

To appoint a guardian for your son or daughter, you should complete and return our Guardian Nomination Form, which must be signed by you and the nominated guardian or a representative of the nominated guardianship organisation.

Weekends

On Saturday evenings there are always a number of different activities and social events on offer for boarders, including discos, film nights, House entertainment and barbecues.

Sundays are normally quieter when brunch allows for a little longer in bed, and social and recreational activities tend to be house-based. Some will make use of the sports facilities and there are also regular excursions such as trips to the beach, shopping, roller-skating, ice-skating, sailing or dry skiing.

There are some events held on weekends that are compulsory for all pupils. These may include Sports Day, Remembrance Service, Carol Service, Speech Day and other whole school events.

Midway through each half term there are ‘Quiet Weekends’ when fewer commitments are in the calendar and boarding pupils can go on leave-out. The houses do, however, stay open for remaining pupils. These weekends are extended to include all of Saturday for pupils in Years 7 and 8. There is one non-compulsary full exeat weekend in the Michaelmas Term. Full details on timings can be found on the Term Dates page.