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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 Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate
Nominated Guardian for Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate. Boarding school guardianship for international students.
Are you looking for a Nominated Guardian for Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate? 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 Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate 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 Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate 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 Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate, 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 Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate, from choosing the right year of entry through to an offer and enrolment, with Child Student visa guidance and guardianship arranged alongside.
Learn More →Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate Overview
Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate is an independent, co-educational day and boarding school on the Thorpe Underwood estate near Little Ouseburn, North Yorkshire, between York and Harrogate. It educates children from 3 months to 18 years on one campus, organised as Explorers Nursery, Chapter House for Reception to Year 5, King's Magna for Years 6 to 9 and The College for Years 10 to 13. Founded in Harrogate in 1912 as a girls' school, it moved to Thorpe Underwood in 1991 and is now fully co-educational.
Students take GCSEs, then A Levels, BTEC courses or a combination of both in the Sixth Form, and a Performance Sports Programme offers specialist training in football, cricket, basketball, rugby and netball.
Boarding at Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate
More than 650 pupils board, around 60 per cent of the school, from Year 3 upwards. Roughly four in ten boarders come from overseas, from around 30 countries, with the largest groups from China and Hong Kong. Full and weekly boarding are offered, and the Holidays at QE programme allows boarders to stay on campus between terms.
Boarding Houses and Accommodation
Boarders from Year 3 to Year 9 live in a modern apartment building, sharing en-suite rooms with two or three friends. Older students have en-suite rooms in residences with kitchens, common rooms and laundry facilities, and Sixth Formers have private bedrooms around a dedicated hub with dining and social space. House Parents and a specialist boarding team look after each residence.
Boarding Life
Each evening, House Parents lead a revision session known as Power Hour. Boarders use the sports village, with its gym, swimming pool and triple-court sports hall, and an activity centre with a cinema, climbing wall and cafe. Weekend trips include shopping in Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle and activity days at theme parks and trampoline centres, while older students may spend a day in York.
Academic and Pastoral Support
Pupils with mild to moderate needs, most often cognition and learning difficulties followed by social and emotional needs, are supported mainly through in-class teaching assistants and extra help during prep. An on-site medical centre run by qualified nurses works alongside the wellbeing team, and the QE Futures programme provides careers and university guidance.
International boarders at Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate 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 Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate
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 Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate website.
Information for International Students and Parents
Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate accepts international boarders from Year 3 through to the Sixth Form. King's Magna admits students into Years 6 to 9 at the start of the academic year, while The College takes international students into Years 10, 11 and 12, with entry in September or January. Courses are matched to each student's age and English level, including intensive English preparation pathways of two to five years. British Guardianship supports international families through every stage of the application with our boarding school admissions service.
English Language Requirements
The school sets minimum IELTS levels, or an equivalent qualification, for each stage of entry:
- Years 6 and 7 (ages 10 and 11): IELTS 3.5
- Year 8 (age 12): IELTS 4.0
- Year 9 (age 13): IELTS 4.5
- Intensive English courses in Years 10 to 12: IELTS 4.0 to 5.0
- Two-year GCSE course (age 14): IELTS 5.0 to 5.5
- Two-year A Level or BTEC course (age 16): IELTS 6.0
Chapter House runs an EAL programme for younger children, and King's Magna offers EAL classes in Year 7 and an intensive English course in Years 8 and 9. Sixth Form courses include IELTS and EAL lessons.
Child Student Visa
Students coming to the UK from overseas will usually need a Child Student visa. Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate is a licensed Child Student sponsor on the UKVI register, 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. Boarders can stay on campus between terms through Holidays at QE, but a guardian remains important for travel and emergencies.
British Guardianship is AEGIS accredited and a BSA Certified Guardian, and can act as the nominated UK guardian for Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate 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.
To discuss UK guardianship for Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate, 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 Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate'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 Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate, 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 Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate 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. Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate 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 Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate, 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 Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate 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 Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate. 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.
