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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 Whitgift School
Nominated Guardian for Whitgift School. Boarding school guardianship for international students.
Are you looking for a Nominated Guardian for Whitgift 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 Whitgift 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 Whitgift 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 Whitgift 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 Whitgift 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 →Whitgift School Overview
Whitgift School is an independent day and boarding school for boys aged 10 to 18 at Haling Park in South Croydon, around 25 minutes from central London by train. Founded in 1596 by John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury, the school has occupied its parkland site of more than 40 acres since 1931 and is part of the John Whitgift Foundation, which also runs other Croydon schools.
Boys take GCSEs and then choose between A Levels, the International Baccalaureate Diploma and BTEC courses in the Sixth Form, which has its own purpose-built centre. Facilities include a 25-metre swimming pool, a sports hall and a music school.
Boarding at Whitgift School
More than 100 boys board, from Year 9 to Year 13. Boarding was introduced in 1992, and families can choose full or weekly boarding, although international students who need visa sponsorship must be full boarders. Full boarders stay in school at weekends, apart from exeat weekends, when all boarders leave the house.
Boarding Houses and Accommodation
All boarders live in Founder's House, a modern boarding house opened in 2013 at the centre of the school grounds. Boys share rooms of two or three, each with an en-suite shower room. The house has a common room with a kitchen for communal cooking, a study area, a games room with pool and table tennis, and a reception staffed around the clock. A Senior Boarding Housemaster leads a team of housemasters, resident tutors, matrons and boarding assistants.
Boarding Life
After school activities, boys in Years 9 to 11 complete a 90-minute prep session before dinner, while sixth formers have two prep sessions, followed by house activities and free time. At weekends the swimming pool, gym, courts and music school stay open, and Sunday trips take boarders to London museums and theatres, go-karting, climbing and mini golf.
Academic and Pastoral Support
Each boarder has a house tutor who holds fortnightly one-to-one meetings, and boys belong to vertical house groups called Families. The SENCo coordinates support for specific learning difficulties and other needs, with in-class help from learning support assistants and exam access arrangements, and students with English as an additional language can receive help with spoken and written English.
International boarders at Whitgift 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 Whitgift 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 Whitgift School website.
Information for International Students and Parents
Whitgift School accepts international boarders at two main entry points, Year 9 at 13+ and the Sixth Form at 16+, and offers visa sponsorship from Year 9 to Year 13 for full boarders only. Most students join in September; entry in other year groups is considered individually. British Guardianship supports international families through every stage of the application with our boarding school admissions service.
English Language Requirements
Whitgift School sets minimum English levels for international boarders, based on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR):
- Year 9 (age 13): the lower end of CEFR B2, or on the border between B1 and B2
- Sixth Form (age 16): the middle of CEFR B2, ideally upper B2 or low C1
English is assessed for applicants whose first language is not English, under the guidance of the Head of EAL, and students with English as an additional language can receive support with their spoken and written English once they join.
Child Student Visa
Students coming to the UK from overseas will usually need a Child Student visa. Whitgift School is a licensed Child Student sponsor on the UKVI register and sponsors full boarders from Year 9 to the Sixth Form, but does not sponsor weekly boarders or day pupils. 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. At Whitgift, all boarders leave Founder's House on exeat weekends and at the end of each term, and the matron team helps arrange airport transfers.
British Guardianship is AEGIS accredited and a BSA Certified Guardian, and can act as the nominated UK guardian for Whitgift 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 Whitgift 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 Whitgift 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 Whitgift 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 Whitgift 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. Whitgift 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 Whitgift 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 Whitgift 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 Whitgift 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. ADHD: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder affects concentration, attention, impulse control and activity levels.
