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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 Shiplake College
Nominated Guardian for Shiplake College. Boarding school guardianship for international students.
Are you looking for a Nominated Guardian for Shiplake 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 Shiplake 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 Shiplake 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 Shiplake 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 Shiplake 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 →Shiplake College Overview
Shiplake College is an independent, co-educational day and boarding school for pupils aged 11 to 18, set on 47 acres beside the River Thames at Shiplake, just outside Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. The school opened in 1959 at Shiplake Court, a Victorian riverside house. Girls joined the Sixth Form in 1998 and Year 7 in 2023, and the College is becoming fully co-educational.
Pupils take GCSEs in Years 10 and 11, followed by A Levels in the Sixth Form, where students normally study three subjects and can add the Extended Project Qualification. Rowing, watersports and outdoor education are based at the Davies Centre on the riverbank.
Boarding at Shiplake College
Around 150 pupils board, and roughly 5 per cent of pupils come from overseas, including British families living abroad. Boarding starts in Year 9, and families can choose full boarding of seven nights, weekly boarding of up to six nights, part boarding from Monday to Thursday, or flexi boarding of two nights a week.
Boarding Houses and Accommodation
Boys in Years 9 to 11 board in Burr, and girls in Years 9 to 11 on the refurbished top floor of the Everett Building. In the Sixth Form, boys move to the College Building and girls to Gilson. Younger boarders usually share rooms of three or four, while most Sixth Formers have their own room. Each house is led by a Housemaster or Housemistress with resident tutors and a House Pastoral Lead.
Boarding Life
Weekday evenings include a set prep period supervised by academic staff, followed by free time and activities. After Saturday fixtures weekly boarders can go home, while full boarders, usually around 20 at weekends, join a programme run by a Boarding Activities Co-ordinator, with trips such as trampoline parks, karting, bowling and paddleboarding. Houses close for five exeat weekends a year and at half term.
Academic and Pastoral Support
The Learning Development department supports pupils with specific learning difficulties, principally dyslexia, through small group lessons team-taught by specialist teachers. Lessons replace a modern foreign language or a GCSE option, with opt-in study support in the Sixth Form. Pastoral care is led by house teams and tutors, supported by a Chaplain, the Medical Wing and independent listeners.
Every international boarder at Shiplake College must have a UK guardian. British Guardianship provides AEGIS accredited boarding school guardianship for international students at UK boarding schools.
Facilities & Activities at Shiplake 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 Shiplake College website.
Information for International Students and Parents
Shiplake College considers international applications for all year groups, although most overseas pupils join in Year 9 at 13+, Year 10 at 14+ or Year 12 at 16+. Most international students join in September. Before arrival, new international pupils follow a 12-week online course on school life, boarding, culture and English. British Guardianship supports international families through every stage of the application with our boarding school admissions service.
English Language Requirements
Shiplake College sets English expectations by stage of entry:
- Years 7 to 10 (ages 11 to 14): enough English to follow the curriculum
- Sixth Form (age 16): advanced fluency, equivalent to at least IELTS 5.5
Every applicant whose first language is not English is assessed before entry and on arrival. Specialist EAL lessons, one-to-one or in small groups, take place at least once a week at an extra charge and prepare students for the IGCSE in English as a Second Language, IELTS and Cambridge KET and PET.
Child Student Visa
Students coming to the UK from overseas will usually need a Child Student visa. Shiplake College is a licensed Child Student sponsor on the UKVI register and issues the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, 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
Shiplake College requires every pupil whose parents live abroad to have a UK guardian aged at least 25 who lives within about an hour's drive of the College. The guardian acts in loco parentis, is the school's main emergency contact and usually hosts the pupil during exeats and half terms, when the houses close. The College is a member of AEGIS and asks families using a guardianship organisation to choose one with full AEGIS accreditation. Airport travel is booked through the College's recommended taxi providers.
British Guardianship is AEGIS accredited and a BSA Certified Guardian, and can act as the nominated UK guardian for Shiplake College 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 Shiplake 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 Shiplake 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 Shiplake 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 Shiplake 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. Shiplake 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 Shiplake 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 Shiplake 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 Shiplake 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. ADHD: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder affects concentration, attention, impulse control and activity levels.
