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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 Westbourne School
Nominated Guardian for Westbourne School. Boarding school guardianship for international students.
Are you looking for a Nominated Guardian for Westbourne 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 Westbourne 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 Westbourne 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 Westbourne 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 Westbourne 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 →Student Exchange Programme
Westbourne School accepts students for short-term boarding. Our exchange programme and short stay guardianship let students experience British boarding before committing to a full placement.
Learn More →Westbourne School Overview
Westbourne School is an independent, co-educational day and boarding school in Penarth, a seaside town in the Vale of Glamorgan just outside Cardiff, for pupils aged 3 to 18. The school has separate Prep and Senior sites, and Cardiff city centre is around 12 minutes away by train. Founded in 1896, the school is part of Westbourne International, a group of IB schools with sister campuses in Singapore and Sydney.
Pupils move from the Prep School through a Middle Years stage to GCSEs in Years 9 to 11. Sixth formers choose between the International Baccalaureate Diploma, taught since 2008, and A Levels, and international students aged 15 to 17 can first take a Pre-IB year.
Boarding at Westbourne School
Around 40 students board, within a school community of more than 20 nationalities. Boarders stay in school throughout the term, with no exeat weekends, and the boarding house stays open over half terms. Flexi boarding is available to day pupils, and students aged 16 and over may live with vetted local host families instead.
Boarding Houses and Accommodation
The Boarding House is a purpose-built modern building for around 40 students, two minutes' walk from the Senior School and Sixth Form. It is co-educational, with separate floors for boys and girls and shared spaces for meals and relaxation. Students share rooms with others in the same or a similar year group, and second-year IB Diploma students have a further option, No.5, next to the school. A Head of Boarding and house parents lead the boarding team.
Boarding Life
Weekdays begin with breakfast in the boarding house. Evenings combine a home-cooked supper and homework time with optional activities such as quiz nights, games, film nights, external sports clubs and the gym. Weekends are for rest, homework and socialising, with an optional Saturday sports club, top-up ESL lessons and trips each term, from the Bath Christmas markets to a hike up Pen y Fan.
Academic and Pastoral Support
Specialist ESL teachers provide extra English tuition where needed. House parents oversee boarders' wellbeing, supported by an independent listener, and sixth formers receive guidance on Oxford, Cambridge and Russell Group applications. Learning support and pastoral care are provided; families should discuss individual needs with British Guardianship.
Every international boarder at Westbourne School must have a UK guardian. British Guardianship provides AEGIS accredited boarding school guardianship for international students at UK boarding schools.
Facilities & Activities at Westbourne 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 Westbourne School website.
Information for International Students and Parents
Westbourne School accepts international boarders from age 12, joining the GCSE years, the Pre-IB course from age 15, or the IB Diploma or A Levels in the Sixth Form. Admissions are rolling, but most students join in September. British Guardianship supports international families through every stage of the application with our boarding school admissions service.
English Language Requirements
An IELTS certificate is not required for students under 18; English is assessed as part of the application. Pre-IB students study English as a first or second language according to their level, with intensive ESL tuition where needed, and students aged 16 who need further academic English may receive a conditional IB Diploma offer based on completing the Pre-IB year.
Child Student Visa
Students coming to the UK from overseas will usually need a Child Student visa. Westbourne School is a licensed Child Student sponsor on the UKVI register and issues the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies around three months before the course begins, 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
Westbourne School requires every international student to have a UK-based guardian. As a school in Wales, it is able to act as guardian itself and offers a guardianship service for all international boarders, with the boarding house open at half terms. Parents may instead appoint an independent guardian.
British Guardianship is AEGIS accredited and a BSA Certified Guardian, and can act as the nominated UK guardian for Westbourne School boarders. Our boarding school guardianship service covers regular contact with the school, travel coordination and safe accommodation with vetted host families during holidays and whenever a student needs to stay away from school.
Short-Term Stays and Exchange Placements
International students aged 15 to 17 can join the Pre-IB programme as boarders for a single term or longer, and the school also offers one or two-term immersion places for international students, subject to availability. IB Diploma students can also join exchanges with the sister campuses in Singapore and Sydney. Families considering a shorter placement can explore our Student Exchange Programme and short stay guardianship.
To discuss UK guardianship for Westbourne 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 Westbourne 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 Westbourne 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 Westbourne 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. Westbourne 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 Westbourne 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 Westbourne 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 Westbourne School. School information is provided as a general guide and may change.
