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Local Coordinator Close to your School
Your local coordinator visits your child, attends parents' evenings on your behalf and stays in touch throughout your guardianship programme.
British Guardianship at Downe House
Nominated Guardian for Downe House. Boarding school guardianship for international students.
Are you looking for a Nominated Guardian for Downe House? UK boarding schools generally require international students under 18 to have an accredited UK guardian in place throughout their studies. British Guardianship provides a fully accredited boarding school guardianship service for Downe House students, including a dedicated local coordinator, safe accommodation with vetted host families during half terms, exeats and holidays, attendance at parents' evenings on your behalf, and 24-hour emergency support.
Guardianship Fees
Our UK boarding school guardianship services for Downe House start from £350 per term.
Dedicated Guardianship Manager
As soon as your application is received, a dedicated member of our guardianship team becomes your main contact, managing every aspect of your nominated guardian arrangements.
Local Vetted Host Family
We work with a network of vetted host families across the UK. For exeats and half terms, we aim to place your child with a local host family matched to your preferences, so weekends away from school feel settled and safe.
Our Services
UK Boarding School Guardianship
An accredited nominated guardian for international boarders at Downe House, with a dedicated local coordinator, vetted host families for half terms, exeats and holidays, and 24-hour emergency support.
Learn More →Boarding School Placement
Our admissions team supports international families through the application to Downe House, from choosing the right year of entry through to an offer and enrolment, with Child Student visa guidance and guardianship arranged alongside.
Learn More →Downe House Overview
Downe House is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 at Cold Ash, near Thatcham and Newbury in Berkshire. Founded in 1907, the school occupies a 110-acre campus in rural countryside, with six lacrosse pitches and 17 tennis courts, and the great majority of its pupils board.
Girls take GCSEs and then A Levels in the Sixth Form, where the Extended Project Qualification is also offered. The school is organised in three stages, Lower School for Years 7 and 8, Upper School for Years 9 to 11 and the Sixth Form, and an Exploring Europe programme takes younger girls to four European countries over four terms.
Boarding at Downe House
More than 500 girls board, well over 90 per cent of the school, and the intake is drawn in roughly equal thirds from London, the rest of the UK and overseas, with more than 28 nationalities represented. Girls can be full or flexi boarders, and a small number attend as day pupils. The first and last weekends of each term are closed weekends, when all boarders stay in school.
Boarding Houses and Accommodation
Girls change house at each stage. Years 7 and 8 live together in Darwin, Hermitage and Hill, newly built or refurbished Lower School houses where dormitories usually sleep four. From Year 9 girls join one of five mixed-age Upper School houses, Aisholt, AGN, AGS, Holcombe and Tedworth, until GCSEs. Sixth Formers then move to York or Willis for both years, with more independence. Each house is run by a resident Housemistress supported by house staff and tutors.
Boarding Life
Weekend trips include theatre and cinema visits, trampolining, ice skating, go-karting, indoor skydiving and outings to Windsor Castle. House evenings bring baking, book clubs, film nights and family dinners, and the Murray Centre offers staffed study space into the late evening. The Finding Balance programme adds yoga and mindfulness.
Academic and Pastoral Support
The Learning Skills department supports girls with dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism and ADHD through one-to-one or small-group lessons built into the timetable. On-site counsellors and psychologists form a mental health and wellbeing team, every girl meets her academic tutor weekly, and the Medical Centre is staffed 24 hours a day during term.
Every international boarder at Downe House must have a UK guardian. British Guardianship provides AEGIS accredited boarding school guardianship for international students at UK boarding schools.
Facilities & Activities at Downe House
Every accredited UK boarding school offers a range of sport, arts and academic facilities for international students, together with an extended programme of activities in the evenings and at weekends. For full details of the facilities and activities available, please visit the official Downe House website.
Information for International Students and Parents
Downe House admits international girls at each stage of the school: the Lower School at 11+ and 12+, the Upper School at 13+ and the Sixth Form at 16+. Most girls join in September. New pupils are paired with a fellow student buddy, younger girls also receive academic and house buddies, and current overseas pupils act as Global Ambassadors for new arrivals. British Guardianship supports international families through every stage of the application with our boarding school admissions service.
English Language Requirements
The school does not publish minimum English scores but expects international applicants to have a high degree of fluency, and English is assessed as part of the application. An EAL department supports multilingual pupils for whom English is not a first language, with specialist teachers available for extra help alongside mainstream lessons.
Child Student Visa
Students coming to the UK from overseas will usually need a Child Student visa. Downe House is a licensed Child Student sponsor on the UKVI register and works with a specialist UK immigration law firm that supports families with Child Student visa applications and renewals, while the visa application itself is submitted by parents. Our Child Student visa guide explains the requirements and process, and families holding a British National (Overseas) visa can contact us for guidance on the BN(O) route.
UK Guardian Requirement
Every international girl at Downe House has a UK guardian, who looks after her during short exeats when travelling home is not practical. The school asks that guardians are over 25, resident in the UK and ideally living within 60 miles of the school, and it works with AEGIS registered guardianship organisations. The school is close to Heathrow, and airport transfers are usually shared with other girls flying the same day.
British Guardianship is AEGIS accredited and a BSA Certified Guardian, and can act as the nominated UK guardian for Downe House boarders. Our boarding school guardianship service covers regular contact with the school, travel coordination and safe accommodation with vetted host families during half terms, exeats and holidays, giving parents a single, reliable educational guardian in the UK.
To discuss UK guardianship for Downe House, book a free online consultation or apply for a nominated guardian.
Frequently Asked Questions
UK boarding schools generally require international students under 18 to have a UK-based guardian, and British Guardianship confirms Downe House's specific requirements as part of your application. The guardian acts on behalf of parents in the UK, is the school's point of contact in an emergency and looks after the student whenever they cannot be at school. We provide this as an AEGIS accredited boarding school guardianship service.
Whenever your child cannot stay at Downe House, for example during half terms, exeats or holidays when boarding houses close, they stay with one of our vetted host families. Every host family is visited in their home, provides professional and personal references and holds an Enhanced DBS check for all household members aged 16 and over. British Guardianship remains your child's educational guardian throughout every stay.
We have guardians available and ready to be assigned. The overall timeframe depends on how quickly the required paperwork is completed and communication with Downe House is finalised. As every case is different, timelines can vary, but we aim to make the process as smooth and efficient as possible.
Boarding school guardianship is charged per term and starts from £350, with host family stays, travel arrangements and other services added as your child needs them. Full details are on our guardianship fees page.
A UK student guardian must be a responsible adult, usually aged 25 or over, who lives permanently in the UK, speaks fluent English and is close enough to the school to respond quickly in an emergency; many boarding schools set a maximum travel time. The guardian must be contactable 24 hours a day and hold an Enhanced DBS check where they or their household host the student. Downe House may also ask for the guardian's details before the start of term and set additional requirements of its own. As an AEGIS accredited guardianship provider, British Guardianship meets these requirements on your behalf, with vetted guardians, Enhanced DBS checked host families and 24-hour emergency support.
Yes. Our boarding school admissions service supports international families through the application to Downe House, from choosing the right year of entry through to an offer and enrolment, with Child Student visa guidance and guardianship arranged alongside.
Disclaimer: Logo, images and videos are shown courtesy of Downe House and remain the property of their respective owners. British Guardianship is an independent AEGIS-accredited guardianship provider, and this page is not published or endorsed by Downe House. School information is provided as a general guide and may change.
SEN Support Explained: SpLD: specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia, affect particular areas of learning such as reading, spelling, coordination or working with numbers, without affecting overall ability. ASD: autism spectrum disorder affects how a student communicates, interacts with others and experiences the world around them. SEMH: social, emotional and mental health needs include anxiety, low mood and difficulty managing emotions or behaviour. ADHD: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder affects concentration, attention, impulse control and activity levels.
