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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 St John's School
Nominated Guardian for St John's School. Boarding school guardianship for international students.
Are you looking for a Nominated Guardian for St John's 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 St John's 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 St John's 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 St John's 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 St John's 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 →Student Exchange Programme
St John's School accepts students for short-term boarding. Our exchange programme and short stay guardianship let students experience British boarding before committing to a full placement.
Learn More →St John's School Overview
St John's School is an independent, co-educational day and boarding school in Sidmouth, Devon, for pupils aged 2 to 16. It occupies a former convent site on a hill above the town, overlooking the sea on the Jurassic Coast, and is non-denominational. The school is part of International Education Systems (IES), a group of international schools, and has also been known as St John's International School.
Classes usually have 10 to 20 pupils. Boarding runs from Year 7 to Year 11, and the Senior School follows a GCSE programme, so international pupils either complete full GCSE courses or join an immersive language and cultural programme.
Boarding at St John's School
St John's School offers full boarding for pupils aged 11 to 16, many of them from overseas, including pupils from schools across the IES group. Alongside boarders who stay for their GCSE years, the school runs one-term and one-year boarding programmes for international students. Current boarder numbers are available on request.
Boarding Houses and Accommodation
The boarding house occupies the upper two floors of the historic main building, with separate corridors and common areas for boys and girls. Pupils in Years 7 to 9 sleep in dormitories, while Year 10 and 11 boarders have single or twin rooms. Resident house parents and graduate resident assistants make up the boarding team, and staff sleep in every night.
Boarding Life
Silent, supervised prep runs for an hour after supper from Sunday to Thursday, and phones are handed in at night. Every Saturday brings an excursion, including trips to major cities, Friday and Saturday evenings feature activities such as pizza and film nights, and Sundays offer activities on site. Boarders can also join school clubs, music lessons and local sports clubs, and use the swimming pool, sports fields and tennis courts.
Academic and Pastoral Support
Timetabled EAL support from experienced staff helps pupils access lessons, build confidence in spoken and written English and settle into school and boarding routines. The school supports pupils with additional learning needs, although it does not routinely carry out formal diagnostic testing. Boarders can turn to the matron, two independent listeners from outside the school or boarding prefects, and a boarders' council gives pupils a voice.
Every international boarder at St John's School must have a UK guardian. British Guardianship provides AEGIS accredited boarding school guardianship for international students at UK boarding schools.
Facilities & Activities at St John's 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 St John's School website.
Information for International Students and Parents
St John's School accepts international boarders from Year 7 to Year 11, for full GCSE courses or for one-term and one-year programmes. Pupils can start in any term, although entry in the second or third term of Year 11 is not normally possible. British Guardianship supports international families through every stage of the application with our boarding school admissions service.
English Language Requirements
English is assessed as part of the application, and British Guardianship confirms the level required for each year of entry during placement. The school does not publish minimum CEFR or IELTS levels by year group. EAL lessons are timetabled where needed, and the one-term and one-year programmes use daily immersion in lessons and boarding life to build fluency.
Child Student Visa
Students coming to the UK from overseas will usually need a Child Student visa. St John's School is a licensed Child Student sponsor on the UKVI register and issues the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies once its requirements are met, 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
St John's School makes suitable guardianship a condition of an offer for pupils whose parents live overseas. The educational guardian takes responsibility for decisions affecting the pupil while boarding, arranges travel and half-term care, supports practical arrangements whenever the pupil is away from school and must be available in an emergency.
British Guardianship is AEGIS accredited and a BSA Certified Guardian, and can act as the nominated UK guardian for St John's 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.
Short-Term Stays and Exchange Placements
St John's School runs one-term and one-year boarding programmes for international pupils aged 11 to 16, who live in the boarding house alongside long-stay boarders and take part in lessons, weekly cultural excursions and weekend boarding life. Families considering a shorter placement can explore our Student Exchange Programme and short stay guardianship.
To discuss UK guardianship for St John's 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 St John's 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 St John's 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 St John's 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. St John's 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 St John's 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 St John's 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 St John's School. School information is provided as a general guide and may change.
