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Sidcot School

United Kingdom, Bristol

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The school at a glance
Instructs in English
Fees £11,610 - 56,700
Ages 3 - 18 years
Pupil numbers 616
Type Co-educational, Co-educational (boarding)
Opened 1699
Bus Service No
Availability Not shared by this school
Academic offering
Curriculum Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A Levels, BTEC Qualification, IB (DP)
Taught languages French, German, Spanish, Mandarin, Russian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Indonesian, Thai, Japanese
Strengths Outdoor Education, Languages, Academic Enrichment
Clubs Academic and Intellectual, Arts and Creative, Cultural and Language
Stages Early Years, Preschool, Primary School, Secondary School, Sixth Form
Introduction

Sidcot School is an independent, co‑educational day and boarding school on 150 acres of Somerset countryside. Founded in 1699 as a Quaker institution, it is rooted in community values and offers a modern, international curriculum. The school offers Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A Levels, BTEC qualifications and the IB Diploma, catering for ages 3 to 18. In the Junior School, Reception to Year 6 study French, Spanish and German, with additional language introductions during International Week of Languages. The Foundation Stage begins in Nursery, prioritising early literacy and numeracy. Sidcot combines strong academics with facilities including an Equine Centre, a 25‑metre pool, science labs, an Arts Centre and Drama studio, plus a Sixth Form Centre. The campus supports field trips, international exchanges and more than 100 extracurricular activities. Notable features include Forest School and Duke of Edinburgh's Award. About 500 pupils, including around 160 from over 30 countries, study here today.

www.sidcot.org.uk

Sidcot School, Oakridge Lane, Winscombe, North Somerset, BS25 1PD

Vibes and Culture
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The Essentials

Sidcot School has 616 pupils, instruction in English.

Location
Oakridge Lane, Winscombe, North Somerset, BS25 1PD, England. The campus sits on a 150‑acre rural site in the Mendip Hills, with Bristol, Bath and London within easy reach. It is located on the A38, just south of Bristol International Airport, and is accessible via the M4/M5 networks.

Stages
Junior School (Pre‑School to Year 6, ages 3–11) and Senior School (Year 7 to Year 11) with Sixth Form (Year 12–13).

Type
Independent, co‑ed, day and boarding school.

Pupil Nationality Mix
Around 30 nationalities are represented in the international community.

Additional learning support
Learning Support is available; EAL support is provided and specialist tuition can be arranged.

Religious affiliation
Quaker

School day structure
Pre‑School morning 08:45–11:45; afternoon 12:45–15:45. Breakfast Club 07:45–08:30. After School Care offered with the first hour free until 16:30 and charges from 16:30–18:00. Senior Day includes supper if staying after school for activities and prep.

Bus service
The School operates 13 minibus routes across Bristol and Somerset; Year 3 and above may use the school buses, and junior pupils are escorted by bus drivers on arrival. Full bus routes and details are published; spaces are limited and interest should be registered with the school bus team.
Diving Deeper
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Fees

Annual tuition at Sidcot School ranges from GBP 11,610 to GBP 56,700 for 2026/27.

Application, registration and deposits

- Registration (application) fee: £200 (Junior School and Pre‑School registration fee: £105). All registration fees are non‑refundable.
- Deposit to accept a place:
- Pre‑School, Junior and Senior day places: £1,000 (non‑refundable if a child leaves before the end of Reception).
- International boarding places: £5,000 to secure a place (or £1,000 where the student is staying for one term).
- Deposits are in addition to the termly fee and are refunded when the student finally leaves the school, once all fees and extras have been settled (subject to the non‑refund condition above).

Tuition fees — termly and annual (2026/27 academic year)

Note: the school publishes separate boarding rates for UK/Non‑Visa and Non‑UK/Child‑Visa students where indicated; some Sixth Form rates show a lower figure in brackets which reflects a loyalty discount for students who took the two‑year GCSE course at Sidcot and continue into Sixth Form. The figures below are inclusive of VAT and exclude lunch unless otherwise stated.

- Pre‑School (per day session): Total £70 per day broken down as:
- 08:45–11:45: £33.00
- Lunch: £4.00
- 12:45–15:45: £33.00.

- Junior School (Reception to Year 6):
- Reception to Year 2: £3,870 per term — £11,610 per year.
- Year 3 to Year 4: £4,870 per term — £14,610 per year.
- Year 5 to Year 6: £5,920 per term — £17,760 per year.

- Senior School (Day fees):
- Year 7 to Year 9 (day): £8,170 per term — £24,510 per year.
- Year 10 to Year 11 (day): £8,480 per term — £25,440 per year.

- Senior School (Boarding fees — termly and annual):
- Year 7 to Year 9 (UK / Non‑Visa): £14,390 per term — £43,170 per year.
- Year 7 to Year 9 (Non‑UK / Child‑Visa): £14,800 per term — £44,400 per year.
- Pre‑GCSE Pathway (Year 8–9) (UK / Non‑Visa): £16,350 per term — £49,050 per year.
- Pre‑GCSE Pathway (Year 8–9) (Non‑UK / Child‑Visa): £16,740 per term — £50,220 per year.
- Year 10 to Year 11 (UK / Non‑Visa): £15,660 per term — £46,980 per year.
- Year 10 to Year 11 (Non‑UK / Child‑Visa): £16,070 per term — £48,210 per year.
- Year 11 Pathway (UK / Non‑Visa): £18,510 per term — £55,530 per year.
- Year 11 Pathway (Non‑UK / Child‑Visa): £18,900 per term — £56,700 per year.

- Sixth Form (Years 12 & 13):
- Day (termly): £9,010 per term (bracketed figure £8,480 indicates the loyalty discounted rate where applicable) — annual: £27,030 (bracket £25,440).
- Boarding (termly): UK / Non‑Visa students: £17,260 per term — annual £51,780. Non‑UK / Child‑Visa students: £17,680 per term — annual £53,040. (Bracketed lower boarding figures shown in the fee sheet reflect the loyalty discount where applicable).

Meals, wraparound care and small routine charges

- Lunch is charged separately at £252 per term (Junior, Senior and Boarding arrangements list lunch as excluded from the standard fee and charged per term).
- After School Care (Junior School): free for the first hour until 16:30; thereafter charged at £2.60 per half hour until 18:00. Supper in the Refectory is available at £2.60. Breakfast Club costs £3.90 per session (07:45–08:30).
- Parental permission is sought for any trip or activity that incurs a charge of more than £25; smaller trip charges may be applied as invoiced extras.

Additional charges and optional services

- Specialist tuition (music, drama, sports, EAL, learning support): individual lesson rate £47.00 per 50‑minute lesson; group lesson rate £27.00 per hour (or per group session as shown). Charges for lessons are billed in arrears; missed lessons not notified will not be rescheduled.
- Flexi boarding: £64 per night (flexi/weekly boarding options are available subject to availability). Full boarding includes laundry, healthcare and most extracurricular activities; lunch remains charged separately.
- Examination charges: external exam board charges are passed to parents and billed as incurred; International Baccalaureate examination charges are approximately £750. University application fees are passed on where the school pays them on behalf of the student.
- A voluntary £10 donation to the Sidcot Community Parent and Teacher Association (SCPTA) is added to the Spring Term Extras invoice each year.

Discounts, notice and refund conditions

- Sibling discount: 10% discount applied where a family has one full fee‑paying sibling; the discount is deducted from the lowest fee at that time.
- Loyalty discount: where a pupil has taken the two‑year GCSE course at Sidcot and continues into Sixth Form, the Year 10/11 rate may continue to apply (the fee sheet shows the discounted figures in brackets where this applies).
- Notice and refunds:
- A full term's written notice, or a term's fee in lieu, is required before removal of a student other than at the end of the Upper Sixth Form year.
- No reduction in fees can be made for absence through illness. Insurance that covers fees is available to parents who wish to protect themselves against this eventuality.
- Deposits are refunded when the student finally leaves the school once all fees and extras have been settled, except where the deposit is stated as non‑refundable (for example if a child leaves before the end of Reception). Registration fees are non‑refundable.

Billing schedule and payment terms

- The annual fee is split into three equal payments (one per term). Termly payments are payable one month in advance of the first day of each term. A full term's notice in writing, or a term's payment in lieu, is required for withdrawal except at the end of Upper Sixth.
- Monthly direct debit option: UK bank account holders may elect to pay by 10 monthly instalments by direct debit. Direct debit payments start on 1 August and continue on the first of each month until 1 May. The direct debit application deadline is 30 June; extras are invoiced separately and are payable in full.
- Overdue accounts: interest or a charge for debt collection may be added to overdue accounts. Acceptance of a place carries parental responsibility for payment of school fees for the period the student remains at the school (unless another party accepts that responsibility in writing).

Fee payment methods and bank details

- Payment methods accepted and options referenced in the fee documents include:
- Direct debit (monthly instalments for UK bank account holders),
- Debit card payments,
- Bank transfer (school bank details are provided in writing to parents and may be used for fee payments). Extras are invoiced separately from any direct debit arrangement. The school will notify in writing if bank details change. For administration or to set up direct debit the school's fees office should be contacted as indicated in the fee documents.

Key practical points for parents

- Lunch is charged per term at £252 and is not included in the standard day or boarding termly tuition fee. After‑school care and breakfast carry small per‑session charges as above. Flexi boarding is priced per night. Specialist lessons, exam charges and certain trips are invoiced as extras. All of the above are itemised in termly extras invoices.
Academics

Sidcot School teaches Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A Levels, BTEC Qualification, IB (DP) for students aged 3 to 18.

Curriculum
The Junior School curriculum includes the formal requirements of the National Curriculum and a broad programme of enrichment activities. It is SATs-free; statutory SATS tests are not used. Reception to Year 6 learn French with specialist teachers, and Junior School pupils study three languages in total: French, Spanish and German, with additional introductions to Italian, Chinese and Russian during the International Week of Languages. ICT is used as a cross-curricular tool and there is a Forest School and environmental learning on Sidcot's campus. The Foundation Stage (Nursery to Reception) forms the start of the curriculum and emphasises early reading, writing and numeracy within the EYFS framework. The Junior School curriculum is designed to develop literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology, and creative and citizenship education, in line with Sidcot's values.

Student Teacher Ratio
Sidcot maintains small class sizes with a strong emphasis on personalised teaching and small staff-to-pupil ratios.

Exam Results
GCSE results for 2025 show 29% of grades were A to A and 89% were A to C; 72% of grades were grade 5 and above. Year 13 results for 2025 across GCSE, A Levels, BTEC and IB were A-A 31.5%, A-B 54.6% and A-C 75%; 100% of the IB Diploma was passed and the top IB score was 43/45. One student was accepted at the University of Cambridge and 21% of leavers joined international universities, with 95% heading to UK institutions and 49% to Russell Group universities.

Higher Education Progression
Leavers' destinations for 2025 show 95% secured a place at UK institutions, with 49% choosing Russell Group universities and 21% studying at international universities. Destinations include a wide range of universities in the UK and abroad, such as Bath Spa University, Cardiff University, Loughborough University, University of Bristol, University of Cambridge, University of York and the University of Amsterdam, among others. One student was accepted at Cambridge, illustrating the breadth of pathways pursued by Sidcot graduates.

Gifted and Talented
The Gifted and Talented programme selects students who excel academically in particular subjects and provides differentiated in-lesson work, enrichment tasks, and leadership opportunities in lessons. The school also offers tailored Scholarships with enrichment activities and specialist support in the awarded subject.
Wellbeing
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Parent Experience
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Facilities
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Extra-Curricular Activities
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Languages
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Reputation
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Admissions

Admissions
1. The school invites prospective parents to contact the Admissions Team to ask questions and arrange a visit. The team welcomes inquiries and will guide applicants through the application process. A visit provides an opportunity to see the campus and meet staff and pupils. 2. The school does not use Common Entrance Examinations to admit pupils. From Year 7 upwards, applicants sit a Maths and English assessment to gauge current ability; these assessments are not pass or fail. The results help determine suitability for admission and inform the next steps in the process. 3. International applicants follow a slightly different process. An assessment in English and Maths is required before joining the school. An international agent may register interest with the Admissions Team, and reports from the pupil's most recent school are used to inform decisions. 4. Most pupils join at the start of the school year in September. The school can admit pupils throughout the year if there are places available in the relevant year group. 5. After assessment, offers are made where appropriate. Families complete the admissions process before joining the School, following the Joining Information guidance on next steps for enrollment.

Scholarships
Sidcot Scholarships are available for new students and entitle recipients to a 10% reduction in tuition fees. Scholarship students engage in tailored enrichment activities and receive extra support in their awarded subject, with staff who are experts in their field supporting their development. Scholarship students are ambassadors of Sidcot who share enthusiasm for their subject and encourage fellow pupils to participate. For September 2027, Scholarship applications are invited; deadlines are 15 October 2026 for Sixth Form entrants (Year 12) and 7 December 2026 for Senior School entrants (Years 7, 9 and 10).
School Events
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