International Pupils

We are proud of our diverse community of pupils, welcoming children of all ages from nearly 40 different countries. Around 19% of Oakham pupils are international students and we celebrate the different perspectives they bring to enrich our community.

We know that it can be a bit daunting to arrive at a new school in a different county, so we will do all we can to help you settle in, make friends and feel at home. You’ll join a Boarding House with pupils from the UK and other countries, and there’s plenty of support if English isn’t your first language (please ask about this when you enquire).

Pupils from overseas can apply to the School directly or may come to us via an agent. We would strongly encourage families to visit the School in person at an Open Event or individual visit. You can also take a virtual tour of the campus. Read more about how to apply.
All pupils who would like to join Oakham School will sit entrance assessments and have an interview. They consist of online CAT4 verbal reasoning tests and written papers in Maths and English (or English as an Additional Language (EAL) for candidates whose first language is not English). Visit our Entrance Assessments page for full details of assessments for each age entry point.

We will also request a confidential reference from the Headteacher of your child’s current school, which is taken into account.

If you are unable to sit the entrance assessments at Oakham School, we can arrange for candidates to sit the assessments abroad at an approved testing centre (such as the child’s current school or the British Council Office) and have an online interview.
A condition of entry to Oakham School is that all pupils coming from overseas have a Guardian based in the UK. This may be a relative or close family friend, but must be someone of more than 25 years of age, not living in student accommodation.

If you do not have a relative or close family friend who can fulfil this role, then you can find a list of accredited Guardians on the Association for the Education and Guardianship of International Students (AEGIS) website – www.aegisuk.net or the Boarding Schools Association (BSA) website – www.boarding.org.uk. All Guardians who are not relatives must be AEGIS or BSA accredited.
Oakham School now has an Alternative Collection Location Code (ACL), which means that the BRP can be sent direct to the School for collection on your arrival when term commences if you have used this code on your visa application form.

The ACL code to have the BRP delivered to Oakham School is 3SC682.

Information for agents

Below is some useful information for agents when advising families about Oakham School.

If an applicant is using an agent to apply to the School, we would request the following information in the first instance:
- An agent summary form of the applicant, their personal details and a brief summary of the child and their interests and hobbies (attach the form).
- Copy of last two school reports – translated into English if necessary.
- Results of any pre-testing (if available).
- If we do wish to progress with the application, we will email the agent and ask for you to organise for the student to be registered with us and the registration fee paid. We will also need a copy of the student’s passport.
Once the online registration form is complete, we will then organise for the papers to be sent out to the British Council or an approved testing centre for these to be carried out under exam conditions.

We ask for scanned copies of the papers to be forwarded to us once the student has sat the papers and the original scripts to be returned to us. We will also request a reference from the student’s current school and will want to arrange an online interview if the student has not visited Oakham School in person.

We will notify the agent as to whether we wish to offer a place to the student as quickly as possible after all parts of the assessment process are complete.

Commission will be paid to agents once we have received the first set of fees from the parent as a one-off payment.

Further details of our agent agreement and commission payable can be requested from the Admissions Office.

Agents wishing to introduce a student to us are asked to forward the information to admissions@oakham.rutland.sch.uk