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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 Dragon School
Nominated Guardian for Dragon School. Boarding school guardianship for international students.
Are you looking for a Nominated Guardian for Dragon School? 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 Dragon School 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 Dragon School 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 Dragon School, 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 Dragon School, from choosing the right year of entry through to an offer and enrolment, with Child Student visa guidance and guardianship arranged alongside.
Learn More →Dragon School Overview
Dragon School is an independent, co-educational day and boarding preparatory school in North Oxford for children aged 4 to 13. The Prep School stands on Bardwell Road, with playing fields running down to the River Cherwell, and the Pre-Prep is based nearby in Summertown. Founded in 1877 by a group of Oxford academics as the Oxford Preparatory School, it later became the Dragon School and was led for many years by the Lynam family.
Boarding runs from Year 4, at age 8, to the end of Year 8. Classes average around 16 pupils, and children are prepared for 13+ entry to more than 30 senior schools, including Harrow, Rugby, Wellington College and Brighton College.
Boarding at Dragon School
More than 200 children board, around 150 of them as full boarders, and the day and boarding community includes about 30 nationalities. Families can choose full or weekly boarding, flexi boarding of one to three nights a week, or occasional nights booked as needed, and a Dragon bus brings weekly boarders back from London.
Boarding Houses and Accommodation
Boarders live in nine family-style boarding homes, each run by houseparents who live in with their own families and pets. Children in Years 4 and 5 share combined junior houses, and from Year 6 each house holds a single year group, so pupils move house each year after their first two years. Most houses are single-sex. Boarding in Years 7 and 8 is designed to prepare pupils for senior school boarding. Room allocation is confirmed by the school on entry.
Boarding Life
House evenings follow family routines, with shared meals, baking, board games, films, reading and gardening, and walks to University Parks. On Saturday mornings the Dragon QUEST enrichment programme offers farm visits, film making, first aid, debating, astronomy and orienteering. Sunday outings range from Oxford city centre to theme parks, paintballing, laser tag, theatre trips and rugby internationals at Twickenham.
Academic and Pastoral Support
The learning support team, whose staff hold specialist qualifications in specific learning difficulties, helps pupils with dyslexia and dyspraxia, and speech and language therapists are available. An EAL team gives individual and group English lessons. Houseparents and their families are at the centre of pastoral care for boarders.
International boarders at Dragon School are generally expected to have a UK guardian. British Guardianship provides AEGIS accredited boarding school guardianship for international students at UK boarding schools.
Facilities & Activities at Dragon School
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 Dragon School website.
Information for International Students and Parents
Dragon School admits international boarders from Year 4, when boarding begins, through to Year 8, and overseas families follow the school's Overseas Pathway, which can include an experience day with an optional overnight stay in a boarding house. Most international students join in September; entry in other year groups is considered individually. Boarding in Years 7 and 8 is designed as preparation for senior school boarding. British Guardianship supports international families through every stage of the application with our boarding school admissions service.
English Language Requirements
International applicants need sufficient fluency in English to follow the curriculum. The school recommends at least two years in an international school or a CEFR level of B1, and English is assessed as part of the application. The EAL team offers individual and group lessons for pupils who need extra support, which may carry an additional charge.
Child Student Visa
Students coming to the UK from overseas will usually need a Child Student visa. Dragon School is a licensed Child Student sponsor on the UKVI register and works with a specialist immigration firm that prepares the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies and guides families through the process, 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
UK boarding schools generally require international boarders under 18 to have a UK guardian, and British Guardianship confirms each school's specific requirements as part of placement. Dragon School sets out its guardianship requirements for overseas families in a separate policy.
British Guardianship is AEGIS accredited and a BSA Certified Guardian, and can act as the nominated UK guardian for Dragon School 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 Dragon School, 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 Dragon School'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 Dragon School, 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 Dragon School 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. Dragon School 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 Dragon School, 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 Dragon School 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 Dragon School. 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. MLD: moderate learning difficulties mean a student finds most areas of learning harder than their peers and benefits from adapted teaching and additional support. SLCN: speech, language and communication needs affect how a student understands language, expresses themselves or communicates with others.
