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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 Edmund's College
Nominated Guardian for St Edmund's College. Boarding school guardianship for international students.
Are you looking for a Nominated Guardian for St Edmund's 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 St Edmund's 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 St Edmund's 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 St Edmund's 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 St Edmund's 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 →St Edmund's College Overview
St Edmund's College is an independent, co-educational Catholic day and boarding school at Old Hall Green, near Ware in Hertfordshire. Together with St Edmund's Prep School it educates pupils from nursery age to 18 on a rural campus of around 440 acres. The college traces its origins to the English College founded at Douai in Flanders in 1568 and became fully co-educational in 1986.
Boarding starts at age 11. Boarders follow the day timetable through Years 7 to 11 to GCSEs, then join the Sixth Form, traditionally known as Rhetoric, for A Levels or the Cambridge Technical (CTEC) vocational route. Facilities include an indoor swimming pool, sports hall, gym and tennis courts.
Boarding at St Edmund's College
Boarders come from across the UK and from more than 20 countries. Families can choose full boarding, weekly boarding from Monday to Friday, or flexi boarding by the night. Full boarders stay in school at weekends for the complete activity programme, the usual choice for families based overseas, and every new boarder joins an induction programme and weekend.
Boarding Houses and Accommodation
Boys board in Allen Hall, named after the founder, Cardinal William Allen, and girls in Garvey's, with a shared common room for all boarders in the evenings. Pupils in Years 7 to 11 share twin rooms, while Sixth Form boarders have single rooms for private study. Every room has a desk and wardrobe, and each floor has its own showers and common room.
Boarding Life
The day combines morning and evening prayers, lessons, games and prep, with evening and weekend study supervised by the boarding team. Evenings bring sports coaching, music, drama and student-led cultural events. At weekends boarders visit London, Cambridge, Oxford and Windsor, go to the theatre, cinema or shops, and attend Mass on Sundays.
Academic and Pastoral Support
The Learning Support Department works through in-class support and study sessions rather than withdrawal from lessons. The Good Schools Guide lists provision for dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, autism, ADHD and hearing impairment, and the college is CReSTeD registered for dyslexia. Boarders meet fortnightly in mentor groups of about five, and a boarders' PSHE programme covers mental health, online safety and budgeting.
Every international boarder at St Edmund's College must have a UK guardian. British Guardianship provides AEGIS accredited boarding school guardianship for international students at UK boarding schools.
Facilities & Activities at St Edmund's 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 St Edmund's College website.
Information for International Students and Parents
St Edmund's College accepts international boarders from age 11, with entry into Years 7, 8 and 9, at the start of the GCSE course in Year 10 and into the Sixth Form in Year 12. Students join the year group that matches their age, and admission is selective. Most international students join in September. British Guardianship supports international families through every stage of the application with our boarding school admissions service.
English Language Requirements
Every applicant takes an English assessment, and the college publishes minimum levels for each year of entry on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR):
- Year 7 (age 11): CEFR A2 to lower B1
- Year 8 (age 12): CEFR lower B1
- Year 9 (age 13): CEFR upper B1
- Years 10 and 11 (ages 14 and 15): CEFR lower B2
- Year 12 (age 16): CEFR upper B2
English language support is available for international students who need it, and the Good Schools Guide also records EAL provision.
Child Student Visa
Students coming to the UK from overseas will usually need a Child Student visa. St Edmund's College is a licensed Child Student sponsor on the UKVI register and works with a specialist immigration firm that helps families through the visa process, 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 Edmund's College requires students whose parents live outside the UK to have a responsible adult living in the UK who acts as their guardian. No distance or minimum age rule is published, so British Guardianship confirms the school's expectations as part of placement.
British Guardianship is AEGIS accredited and a BSA Certified Guardian, and can act as the nominated UK guardian for St Edmund's 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 St Edmund's 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 St Edmund's 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 St Edmund's 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 St Edmund's 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. St Edmund's 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 St Edmund's 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 St Edmund's 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 St Edmund's 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. ASD: autism spectrum disorder affects how a student communicates, interacts with others and experiences the world around them. ADHD: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder affects concentration, attention, impulse control and activity levels.
