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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 The Oratory Prep School
Nominated Guardian for The Oratory Prep School. Boarding school guardianship for international students.
Are you looking for a Nominated Guardian for The Oratory Prep 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 The Oratory Prep 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 The Oratory Prep 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 The Oratory Prep 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 The Oratory Prep 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 →The Oratory Prep School Overview
The Oratory Prep School is an independent, co-educational Catholic day and boarding preparatory school at Goring Heath in South Oxfordshire, north of Reading, for children aged 2 to 13. Around 300 pupils are educated on a 65-acre site around Great Oaks, a Tudor-style house completed in 1911. Founded in 1925 as the preparatory school of The Oratory School, it moved to its present site in 1968 and now runs independently. The school is part of Bellevue Education, a family of independent schools.
Boarding is offered from Year 3. In the Prep, pupils are taught by subject specialists, and leavers move on at 11+ or 13+ to senior schools such as The Oratory School, Abingdon, Pangbourne College, Bradfield College, Radley and Wellington College. Daily prayers and weekly Mass reflect the school's Roman Catholic foundation, and families of all faiths are welcome.
Boarding at The Oratory Prep School
The boarding house has space for up to 50 pupils, and full boarders form the largest group. Full boarders live at school during term, with weekend activities and regular breaks to visit guardians or relatives; weekly and flexi boarding are also offered. The school has a long history of welcoming international boarders, many of them Spanish speakers.
Boarding Houses and Accommodation
Boarders live on the upper floor of the main building at the heart of the school, with separate areas for boys and girls. Rooms sleep from three to eight children. The boarding team includes a Head of Boarding, a Deputy Head of Boarding, a Matron, gap students and the School Nurse.
Boarding Life
After lessons, boarders can join activities such as swimming, tennis, cookery and coding, and evenings bring supper together, prep, games and time to unwind. Saturdays offer staff-led activities on site, including the 25-metre pool, while Sundays feature trips such as ice skating and outward bound days.
Academic and Pastoral Support
The Learning Support Department, led by the SENCo with a team of specialist teachers, supports pupils with specific learning difficulties through individual learning plans, in-class assistance, small-group sessions and one-to-one lessons, and can support mild to moderate dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and autism. An independent listener is available to boarders who want someone to talk to.
International boarders at The Oratory Prep School are generally expected to have a UK guardian. British Guardianship provides AEGIS accredited boarding school guardianship for international students at UK boarding schools.
Facilities & Activities at The Oratory Prep 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 The Oratory Prep School website.
Information for International Students and Parents
The Oratory Prep School accepts boarders from Year 3 to Year 8, and international boarders most often join in Year 8, the final year before senior school. Most international students join in September; entry in other year groups is considered individually. International full boarders take part in weekend trips with the boarding community and spend some weekends with host families. 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 provides English language support for children who need it, including weekly specialist EAL lessons aimed mainly at international boarders. Daily boarding life, shared meals and a wide programme of after-school activities give international pupils regular practice in English outside the classroom.
Child Student Visa
Students coming to the UK from overseas will usually need a Child Student visa. The Oratory Prep School is a licensed Child Student sponsor on the UKVI register, and its admissions team helps families with visa support and documentation, 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
UK boarding schools generally require international boarders under 18 to have a UK guardian, and British Guardianship confirms each school's specific requirements as part of placement. Full boarders at The Oratory Prep School have regular breaks during term to visit guardians or relatives, so a dependable UK guardian is central to a prep school placement.
British Guardianship is AEGIS accredited and a BSA Certified Guardian, and can act as the nominated UK guardian for The Oratory Prep 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 The Oratory Prep 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 The Oratory Prep 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 The Oratory Prep 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 The Oratory Prep 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. The Oratory Prep 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 The Oratory Prep 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 The Oratory Prep 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 The Oratory Prep 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.
