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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 Mary's School, Cambridge
Nominated Guardian for St Mary's School, Cambridge. Boarding school guardianship for international students.
Are you looking for a Nominated Guardian for St Mary's School, Cambridge? 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 Mary's School, Cambridge 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 Mary's School, Cambridge 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 Mary's School, Cambridge, 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 Mary's School, Cambridge, from choosing the right year of entry through to an offer and enrolment, with Child Student visa guidance and guardianship arranged alongside.
Learn More →St Mary's School, Cambridge Overview
St Mary's School, Cambridge is an independent day and boarding school for girls aged 3 to 18 on Bateman Street in Cambridge, within a 15-minute walk of the city centre and five minutes on foot from Cambridge railway station. Founded in 1898 and inspired by Mary Ward, a pioneer of girls' education, it has around 500 pupils across the Junior School, Senior School and Sixth Form.
Girls follow Key Stage 3 and then GCSE and IGCSE courses in the Senior School, before taking A Levels in the Sixth Form, where the Extended Project Qualification and a Level 3 professional cookery certificate from Leiths are also offered.
Boarding at St Mary's School, Cambridge
Boarding is available from Year 5 (age 9) to the Upper Sixth. Around 50 girls board, most of them full time, and boarders are largely international; across the school, around a fifth of pupils come from more than 30 countries. Full, weekly and flexi boarding are offered. There are no exeat weekends, so full boarders can remain in school throughout term.
Boarding Houses and Accommodation
All boarders live in Mary Ward House, on the far side of the Botanic Garden, about five minutes' walk from school. Younger girls share dormitories, Years 10 to 12 share with one other student, and Year 13 have single rooms. A Head of Boarding, a Housemistress and Boarding Matrons run the house.
Boarding Life
On weekdays, Years 7 to 9 have supervised prep before dinner, older girls work from 7pm to 9pm, and lights out is set by age. Weekends begin with optional brunch, followed by activities such as punting, Evensong at King's College and visits to the Fitzwilliam Museum and Ely Cathedral, with trips to London museums and West End shows. Boarders also have free use of a nearby fitness centre.
Academic and Pastoral Support
Learning support is offered in small groups and can continue as a timetabled option at GCSE. The Good Schools Guide notes help mainly for mild to moderate difficulties such as dyslexia and dyscalculia, and records provision for autism. Nurses staff the Medical Centre during the school day, and girls can also see a part-time counsellor, a lay chaplain or an independent listener.
Every international boarder at St Mary's School, Cambridge must have a UK guardian. British Guardianship provides AEGIS accredited boarding school guardianship for international students at UK boarding schools.
Facilities & Activities at St Mary's School, Cambridge
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 Mary's School, Cambridge website.
Information for International Students and Parents
St Mary's School, Cambridge accepts international boarders into every year group from Year 5, except Years 11 and 13, and some girls join a year below their age group to reflect their level of English. Applications are considered throughout the year, and most boarders start in September. British Guardianship supports international families through every stage of the application with our boarding school admissions service.
English Language Requirements
English is assessed during the application, and no formal English qualification is required. The school sets approximate minimum levels based on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR):
- Years 7 and 8 (ages 11 and 12): CEFR B1.1
- Year 9 (age 13): CEFR B1.2
- Year 10 (age 14): CEFR B2.1
- Year 12 (age 16): CEFR B2.2
Year 9 applicants below this level may be considered for the Year 9 Accelerator Programme, which replaces a modern foreign language with extra English. English as an Additional Language tuition is included in the fees.
Child Student Visa
Students coming to the UK from overseas will usually need a Child Student visa. St Mary's School, Cambridge is a licensed Child Student sponsor on the UKVI register and sponsors full boarders from age 9; students needing a visa must be under 18 on the first day of the school year in which they start. 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
The school requires a UK-based guardian for every student without a family member living in the UK, and a place is not confirmed until a guardian is appointed. The guardian must live within 50 miles of the school and host the student in holidays and in exceptional circumstances such as illness. The school refers families to AEGIS.
British Guardianship is AEGIS accredited and a BSA Certified Guardian, and can act as the nominated UK guardian for St Mary's School, Cambridge 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 St Mary's School, Cambridge, 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 Mary's School, Cambridge'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 Mary's School, Cambridge, 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 Mary's School, Cambridge 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 Mary's School, Cambridge 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 Mary's School, Cambridge, 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 Mary's School, Cambridge 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 Mary's School, Cambridge. 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. ASD: autism spectrum disorder affects how a student communicates, interacts with others and experiences the world around them.
