Bedstone College

Bedstone College, an independent boarding and day school founded in 1948, was purchased in 2017 by London & Oxford Group, an asset management and investment banking firm specializing in introduction of Chinese investment to the UK Education sector. LOG has reportedly made little or no governance changes to the school and "giving its full support to the current management team at Bedstone."

Educating around 220 day and boarding students, the College is not selective and does not require pupils to sit an entrance exam. It offers a broad curriculum from reception through to A Level. Physical education and extra-curricular activities are an integral part of the school week, which includes Saturday-morning lessons and five afternoons set aside for sports and a choice of activities.

There are four boarding houses:

• Bedstone House - for junior girls
• Wilson House - for senior girls
• Rutter House - for junior boys
• Pearson House - for senior boys

How to Apply

In the first instance, please contact the marketing and admissions team – Graeme and Anne – by email admissions@bedstone.org or by telephone on 0044 1547 530961. The admissions office is open throughout the year and there is no cut-off date for applications. If applying from outside the EU/EEA (European Economic Area) you should allow three months before your start time as visa applications can take this long to process.

Bedstone College is not a selective school. You therefore do not need to sit entrance exams, unless applying for a scholarship. They will test your English language level to ensure they can cater to your needs and see what level of EAL support you are likely to need. This is not a pass or fail test, but rather a gauge of each student’s baseline level. They will also need to see:

• your latest school reports
• a copy of your passport information page
• your name, address and date of birth
• some details about you – what year of entry you are looking for, your hobbies, motivation for studying abroad, subjects you wish to study (or favourites/least favourites) and a little about your family. If this can be a handwritten statement created solely by you and without the use of a computer – it also helps them gauge your English level
• Any other supporting documentation that would be useful to them – testimonials, certificates, educational psychologists and/or medical reports.

Once these are received, they will check whether they have a place available. They may ask for more information and a Skype interview if there is further detail needed to assess your application. Skype is also useful if you are based a long way from the UK and would like to discuss matters with the Head, Head of Admissions, Houseparents or Director of Studies. It is a chance to ask them your full list of questions. They always recommend a visit to get the real feel of a school, or your shortlist of schools. They offer a free taster for a couple of days, to truly understand the ethos and atmosphere of Bedstone College.

EAL (English as an Additional Language) Support

They expect a reasonable level of English but also offer significant EAL support. Those joining them for A Levels typically have the equivalent of IELTS level 5.0 or above. In the lower years they offer a great deal of extra language support to their international students. They have a full induction programme, with concentrated English at first, to ensure a smooth transition to life at Bedstone. They realise it can be quite a culture shock at first and so spend several days with new international boarders, before the other students arrive, getting used to the campus, food and rules – and getting over jetlag!

Visa Support

Every young person looking to enter Bedstone College from outside of the EU will need a visa, unless they have a British or EU passport. For those aged eight to 17 this is called a Tier 4 (Child) student visa. For more information, visit the government pages here. Bedstone’s admissions team are here to help and, upon receipt of the appropriate acceptance and registration forms and fees,  issue the CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) that you will need to produce when applying for your visa.