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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 Hatherop Castle School
Nominated Guardian for Hatherop Castle School. Boarding school guardianship for international students.
Are you looking for a Nominated Guardian for Hatherop Castle 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 Hatherop Castle 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 Hatherop Castle 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 Hatherop Castle 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 Hatherop Castle 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 →Hatherop Castle School Overview
Hatherop Castle School is an independent, co-educational day and boarding prep school in the village of Hatherop, near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, for children aged 2 to 13. The Nursery, Pre-Prep, Middle School and Upper School share one site, a historic castle set in 22 acres of Cotswold countryside. The school has been part of Wishford Education, a group of independent schools and nurseries, since 2014.
Pupils are prepared for senior school entry at 11 and 13, and Prep 7 and 8 follow a two-year Common Entrance programme alongside a termly electives course on topics from countryside skills to politics. Leavers move on to a wide range of senior schools, including Dean Close, Cheltenham College, Marlborough College and Millfield.
Boarding at Hatherop Castle School
Boarding is offered from Prep 3, at age 7, to Prep 8, with beds for around 40 boarders. Families can choose full, weekly, flexi or occasional boarding. Most boarders are weekly boarders from families living nearby, while a smaller group boards full time, and international pupils come from more than a dozen countries.
Boarding Houses and Accommodation
Boarders live together on the top floor of the castle, in a boarding house named after Lord De Mauley, who restored the building after a fire in 1850. The house sits at the heart of the campus and is run on family lines, and pupils share dormitories, which helps international children settle and practise their English with UK boarders.
Boarding Life
After lessons, boarders can join clubs such as robotics, cookery and sport, and the wider co-curricular programme covers music, drama, art and games from football and hockey to fencing and golf. At weekends, boarders go on trips to historic sites around Britain.
Academic and Pastoral Support
Overseas pupils receive specialist English as an Additional Language support in and out of the classroom, with three EAL lessons a week included for overseas boarders. Pastoral care runs through form teachers up to Prep 4 and individual tutors from Prep 5, supported by trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistants, a nurture team of Mental Health First Aiders and access to counselling. The school does not publish details of its support for specific learning difficulties; families should discuss individual needs with British Guardianship.
International boarders at Hatherop Castle 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 Hatherop Castle 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 Hatherop Castle School website.
Information for International Students and Parents
Hatherop Castle School accepts international pupils from Prep 3, at age 7, through to Prep 8, giving overseas families a route into British education before the move to senior school at 11 or 13. International pupils study and board alongside UK children, which prepares them for a British senior school and introduces them to life and culture in the UK. Most international students join in September; entry in other year groups is considered individually. 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 CEFR or IELTS levels. English is assessed as part of the application, and British Guardianship confirms the level required for each year of entry during placement. Once at Hatherop, international pupils have bespoke English as an Additional Language lessons and specialist support in class, and sharing dormitories with English-speaking boarders gives them daily practice outside lessons.
Child Student Visa
Students coming to the UK from overseas will usually need a Child Student visa. Hatherop Castle School is a licensed Child Student sponsor on the UKVI register through Wishford Education, and 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
Hatherop Castle joined AEGIS, the accrediting body for UK guardianship organisations, as a member school in 2024, and it arranges airport transfers for overseas boarders on set travel days. The school does not publish its own guardian rule. 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.
British Guardianship is AEGIS accredited and a BSA Certified Guardian, and can act as the nominated UK guardian for Hatherop Castle 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, which matters especially for younger boarders.
To discuss UK guardianship for Hatherop Castle 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 Hatherop Castle 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 Hatherop Castle 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 Hatherop Castle 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. Hatherop Castle 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 Hatherop Castle 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 Hatherop Castle 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 Hatherop Castle School. School information is provided as a general guide and may change.
