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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 Paul's School
Nominated Guardian for St Paul's School. Boarding school guardianship for international students.
Are you looking for a Nominated Guardian for St Paul'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 Paul'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 Paul'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 Paul'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 Paul'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 →St Paul's School Overview
St Paul's School is an independent, academically selective school for boys aged 7 to 18, with around 1,500 pupils on a 43-acre site beside the River Thames at Barnes in south-west London, where the Prep School shares the campus with the Senior School and Sixth Form. Founded in 1509 by John Colet, Dean of St Paul's Cathedral, the school moved to Barnes in 1968.
St Paul's is primarily a day school with a small boarding community from Year 9. Pupils take IGCSEs or GCSEs and then A Levels, with the Extended Project Qualification offered in the Sixth Form.
Boarding at St Paul's School
Around 30 boys board, mainly senior boys who join as full boarders at 16 for A Level study, many from overseas, and a small number of places may be available in Year 9. Families can choose full boarding, weekly boarding from Sunday evening to Friday afternoon, or flexi boarding for one to four nights a week when space allows.
Boarding Houses and Accommodation
Full and weekly boarders live in School House, a small community led by a Housemaster with a Matron and House Tutors who work closely with each boy's academic tutor; its common room has a pool table and space for films. Flexi boarders have their own rooms in West House, opened in 2021, with a common room overlooking the Thames. Room allocation in School House is confirmed by the school on entry.
Boarding Life
Weekday evenings follow a set routine of meals in the dining room and structured prep, and boarders can use the gym and music school. At weekends boarders take part in organised outings across London, such as cookery classes, meals out, tours of St Paul's Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament, go-karting, indoor skydiving and paintballing.
Academic and Pastoral Support
Every pupil has a personal tutor for their whole time at the school, backed by counsellors, a Chaplain, the Medical Centre and a Deputy Head for mental health and wellbeing. Two specialist teachers run one-to-one lessons and a weekly study skills clinic for pupils with dyslexia, dyspraxia and other specific learning difficulties, and also support pupils with ADHD, autism or English as an additional language.
Every international boarder at St Paul'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 Paul'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 Paul's School website.
Information for International Students and Parents
St Paul's School considers overseas candidates at two entry points: 13+ for Year 9 and 16+ for the Sixth Form, both with a September start. Overseas applicants follow the same entry requirements and deadlines as UK candidates. Full boarding is the usual choice for international students joining at 16+, while only a small number of boarding places may be available at 13+. British Guardianship supports international families through every stage of the application with our boarding school admissions service.
English Language Requirements
Teaching at St Paul's moves at a brisk pace, and the school expects fluent written and spoken English from every applicant. Published requirements are:
- Year 9 (age 13): fluent written and spoken English expected, with no minimum IELTS score published
- Sixth Form (age 16): IELTS Academic with a minimum overall score of 7.5 for applicants whose first language is not English
IELTS results are valid for two years, so some students may need to retake the test for university applications. The learning support department offers English as an additional language support where needed.
Child Student Visa
Students coming to the UK from overseas will usually need a Child Student visa. St Paul's School is a licensed Child Student sponsor on the UKVI register and sponsors pupils joining Year 9 and above in the Senior School, all of whom must be full boarders. Our Child Student visa guide explains the requirements and process, and the visa application itself is submitted by parents. Families holding a British National (Overseas) visa can contact us for guidance on the BN(O) route.
UK Guardian Requirement
St Paul's School requires every sponsored pupil to have an educational guardian in the UK who is a British citizen or holds Indefinite Leave to Remain. No distance or minimum age rule is published, and British Guardianship confirms the school's detailed requirements as part of placement.
British Guardianship is AEGIS accredited and a BSA Certified Guardian, and can act as the nominated UK guardian for St Paul'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.
To discuss UK guardianship for St Paul'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 Paul'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 Paul'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 Paul'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 Paul'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 Paul'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 Paul'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 Paul's School. 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. SEMH: social, emotional and mental health needs include anxiety, low mood and difficulty managing emotions or behaviour. ADHD: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder affects concentration, attention, impulse control and activity levels.
