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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 Fettes College
Nominated Guardian for Fettes College. Boarding school guardianship for international students.
Are you looking for a Nominated Guardian for Fettes College? 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 Fettes College 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 Fettes College 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 Fettes College, 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 Fettes College, from choosing the right year of entry through to an offer and enrolment, with Child Student visa guidance and guardianship arranged alongside.
Learn More →Fettes College Overview
Fettes College is an independent, co-educational day and boarding school in Edinburgh, educating pupils aged 5 to 18 on a 100-acre campus in the north of the city, within walking distance of the centre. Founded in 1870 through a bequest from Sir William Fettes, the school has a Prep School for ages 5 to 13 on the same grounds.
Pupils in Third to Fifth Form take GCSEs and IGCSEs alongside the school's own Middle School Diploma, and the Sixth Form offers a choice between A Levels and the International Baccalaureate Diploma.
Boarding at Fettes College
More than 400 pupils board, and around a quarter of students come from outside the UK. Fettes offers full boarding only, in both the Prep and Senior Schools. Around 70 per cent of Senior School pupils are full boarders, rising to more than 80 per cent in the Sixth Form.
Boarding Houses and Accommodation
The Senior School has nine houses. Girls board in Arniston, College East, College West and Dalmeny, and boys in Carrington, Glencorse, Kimmerghame and Moredun, while Upper Sixth pupils move together into Craigleith, a co-educational house offering greater independence. Each house is led by a Houseparent with an Assistant Houseparent, matron and visiting tutors, and every member of the teaching staff spends one evening a week in a house. Prep boarders, from age 7, live in Arran for boys and Iona for girls, each with a Houseparent, Assistant Houseparent and Evening Matron.
Boarding Life
Lessons run on Saturday mornings, followed by sports fixtures or house competitions in the afternoon and whole-school barbecues or ceilidhs in the evening, where pupils learn Scottish country dancing. Sundays start with a late brunch, with optional hill-walking in the Pentland Hills, Munro bagging, sailing, kayaking and day trips to the Highlands, while older pupils can visit Edinburgh. Each school day includes Quiet Study Time in house.
Academic and Pastoral Support
Every pupil has a tutor who meets them weekly to follow their academic progress and welfare. The Support for Learning department helps pupils with dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties through Study Support lessons in Third Form and individual sessions on organisation, revision and exam technique. Pupils are assessed for exam access arrangements from Year 9.
Every international boarder at Fettes College must have a UK guardian. British Guardianship provides AEGIS accredited boarding school guardianship for international students at UK boarding schools.
Facilities & Activities at Fettes College
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 Fettes College website.
Information for International Students and Parents
Fettes College accepts international boarders into the Prep School from age 7 and at the main Senior School entry points of Third Form (age 13), Fourth Form (age 14) and Lower Sixth (age 16). Overseas students are expected to complete a full course, either GCSEs through to the end of Fifth Form or A Levels or the IB Diploma across the Sixth Form. Most students join in September. British Guardianship supports international families through every stage of the application with our boarding school admissions service.
English Language Requirements
Fettes expects international students to be fluent in English so they can manage the academic and social demands of the school, and applicants will normally have studied in English-medium education for at least three years. English is assessed as part of the application, and Sixth Form applicants whose first language is not English sit an additional English paper. British Guardianship confirms the level required for each year of entry during placement.
Child Student Visa
Students coming from overseas will usually need a Child Student visa. Fettes College is a licensed Child Student sponsor on the UKVI register and generally sponsors boarders, issuing the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies once a place has been accepted. Students moving from Fifth Form into the Sixth Form must renew their visa. The visa application itself is submitted by parents. Our Child Student visa guide explains the process, and families holding a British National (Overseas) visa can contact us for guidance on the BN(O) route.
UK Guardian Requirement
Fettes requires parents who live overseas to name a UK guardian, whatever the age of the student. The guardian may be a relative, a family friend or an agency-appointed guardian, and the school recommends that guardians are at least 25. It refers families to the BSA Certified Guardian Scheme and AEGIS for accredited providers, and guardians in Scotland who care for under-16s for payment must be registered as childminders.
British Guardianship is AEGIS accredited and a BSA Certified Guardian, and can act as the nominated UK guardian for Fettes College boarders. Our boarding school guardianship service covers regular contact with the school, travel coordination through Edinburgh Airport and safe accommodation with vetted host families during half terms, exeats and holidays.
To discuss UK guardianship for Fettes College, 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 Fettes College'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 Fettes College, 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 Fettes College 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. Fettes College 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 Fettes College, 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 Fettes College 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 Fettes College. 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.
