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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 Pilgrims' School
Nominated Guardian for The Pilgrims' School. Boarding school guardianship for international students.
Are you looking for a Nominated Guardian for The Pilgrims' 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 Pilgrims' 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 Pilgrims' 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 Pilgrims' 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 Pilgrims' 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 Pilgrims' School Overview
The Pilgrims' School is an independent day and boarding school for boys aged 4 to 13 in the Cathedral Close in Winchester, Hampshire, and the current school opened in 1931. It is the choir school for both Winchester Cathedral and Winchester College Chapel, educating the Cathedral Choristers and the College Quiristers alongside other boys, and since September 2025 it has been part of Winchester College, its neighbour across the road.
Specialist teachers cover English, mathematics, science, humanities, French and Latin, together with music, sport, art and drama. Boys are prepared for entry at 13 to a range of senior schools through Common Entrance and scholarship routes, and close to half of leavers move on to Winchester College.
Boarding at The Pilgrims' School
Boarding is open to boys from Year 4, with places for around 100 boarders in two houses, and roughly a third of pupils board. About a fifth of boarders come from overseas, mainly from Europe and Asia. Full and weekly boarding are both offered, and boarders can either stay at school after Saturday matches or go home until Monday morning.
Boarding Houses and Accommodation
Main School, on the upper floors of the main building, is home to the Choristers, the junior Quiristers and many boys from every year group. Older boarders live in Q School, a red brick house next to Winchester College, a short walk away. Boys sleep in themed dormitories with adjoining showers and bathrooms. Each house has live-in house parents, supported by matrons, nurses and gap-year students, so care is available around the clock.
Boarding Life
Evening prep is supervised, and from Year 8 boarders work in individual study cubicles in a shared study room. In free time boys use the outdoor pool, cricket nets, floodlit pitches, adventure playground, library, art studio and games room. Sunday outings include cycling in the New Forest, beach days and visits to Portsmouth's historic dockyard or Twickenham.
Academic and Pastoral Support
The SEND and EAL department meets most needs within lessons, adding one-to-one sessions, small-group work or referrals to outside specialists where appropriate. Needs supported include dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, ADHD and autism. House parents, matrons and nurses watch closely over boarders' wellbeing.
Every international boarder at The Pilgrims' School must have a UK guardian. British Guardianship provides AEGIS accredited boarding school guardianship for international students at UK boarding schools.
Facilities & Activities at The Pilgrims' 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 Pilgrims' School website.
Information for International Students and Parents
The Pilgrims' School accepts international boarders from Year 4 through to Year 8, with a limited number of Child Student visa places each year. Boys can join in any year group when a place is available, with most starting in September. Winchester station is within walking distance, with direct trains to London Waterloo in under an hour, while Southampton Airport is about 15 minutes away and Heathrow usually under an hour. British Guardianship supports international families through every stage of the application with our boarding school admissions service.
English Language Requirements
The school does not publish a minimum CEFR or IELTS level. International applicants need a good standard of spoken and written English, as teaching is fast-paced with a strong emphasis on written work. English is assessed as part of the application, and the SEND and EAL department provides tailored support for boys learning English as an additional language.
Child Student Visa
Students coming to the UK from overseas will usually need a Child Student visa. The Pilgrims' School is a licensed Child Student sponsor on the UKVI register and sponsors visas for boarding places only, with the process administered for the school by the Boarding Schools' Association. The visa application itself is submitted by parents, and a nominated guardian must be in place at that point. 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 Pilgrims' School requires each boarder on a Child Student visa to have a nominated UK guardian who can reach the school within 90 minutes at all times. Parents must confirm where their son will stay for every exeat, half term and holiday. The school does not appoint or recommend guardians and refers families to AEGIS and to the Boarding Schools' Association's list of certified guardians.
British Guardianship is AEGIS accredited and a BSA Certified Guardian, and can act as the nominated UK guardian for The Pilgrims' 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 Pilgrims' 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 Pilgrims' 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 Pilgrims' 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 Pilgrims' 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 Pilgrims' 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 Pilgrims' 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 Pilgrims' 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 Pilgrims' 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.
