Boarding schools have been an integral part of the British education system for centuries. With their unrivalled opportunities for an enriching learning experience, extra-curricular engagement and personal development, places at English boarding schools continue to be highly sought after, widely over-subscribed, and intensely competitive.

London is certainly not lacking in choice when it comes to excellent independent schools – but the vast majority of these are day-only. While there are hundreds of boarding schools in the UK, there are only a couple of dozen in London. For parents based in the capital, who want their child to access the benefits of a boarding education without disappearing hundreds of miles into the countryside, the choice can seem very difficult.

At Simply Learning Tuition, our team of education consultants know the British independent sector better than anyone. Every year, we help hundreds of families find the right school and secure a place at it. To aid your search, we are pleased to present our list of the best boarding schools near London.

SLT’s Top 10 Boarding Schools near London

A large day and boarding school, with around 1200 pupils, (an even mix of girls and boys), the pastoral care at Sevenoaks is a particular point of pride, as is the diversity of the student body. Students in the lower school do not board; however, over 40% of their students aged 13-18 do. As well as its high academic standards, the school’s sports teams also perform strongly in national competitions.

In 2025 their 245 IB students achieved an average of 39.4 points- this is 10 points above the world average, and more than half the cohort earned 40 points or more. Their GCSE results were equally strong, with all students taking 10 or more and 90% of all exams were graded 9-7s.

Winchester College

Boys, ages 3-18, co-educational sixth form
Winchester, Hampshire

Founded in 1382, and just an hour away from London by train, Winchester College is a leading boarding school for boys aged 3 to 18, with a co-educational sixth form.

Full boarding is offered for boys in years 9 to 13, with day and boarding places also available for sixth form students. Their full boarding provision is centred around their students, ‘gaining another place to belong, about learning to be part of something bigger than one’s self.’

From September 2026, the school will welcome sixth form girl boarders for the first time, with the new boarding houses featuring en suite singles and double rooms, co-ed study spaces, a common room, a spacious courtyard and a dining hall. The new houses are also located next to the Sports Centre.

Set in 250 acres of Hampshire countryside, Winchester College’s facilities are strong, and the school is fortunate to have beautiful historic buildings and surroundings. The school maintains a vast number of Grade I and II listed buildings, many of which hold national importance and form the school today. Winchester College are proud that such buildings represent over 6 centuries of continuous development.

The school boasts strong exam results. In 2025, 39 Oxbridge offers were awarded, alongside 47 US university offers – 9 of which were Ivy League and 13 were other top US universities. 92% of students further received A*-B grades in their A levels. GCSE results were also strong in 2025, with 93% of GCSE grades being 9-7s.

St Swithun’s

Girls, ages 4-18, co-educational pre school
Winchester, Hampshire

Another leading boarding school, set in the heart of Winchester is St Swithun’s School. It is an all-girls school which offers day, weekly and full boarding for girls in years 7 to 13. The school ensures that weekends are filled with a broad array of activities to cater for all interests. These involve new experiences such as mountain biking, London visits and golf, alongside ‘downtime’ activities such as movie nights and art workshops.

St Swithun’s encourages their girls to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway.’ The girls are therefore equipped to be honest, quietly self-confident and kind individuals. As Tatler’s School Guide claims, “A school is only as good as its culture and that is where St Swithun’s thrives.”

Their academic enrichment programme is strong, and they further offer a weekly Enterprise club that encourages entrepreneurial thinking, and allows students to compete in national championships.

Inside the classroom the girls excel, and in 2025, a record of breaking fifth year in a row for over 10% of St Swithun’s pupils receiving offers at Oxford and Cambridge, was achieved. GCSE results saw 56% of the cohort earning six or more 9/8s. Their A level results were also strong, with The Sunday Times Parent Power League ranking St Swithun’s 2^nd for UK girls’ boarding schools for A level results and 2^nd in Hampshire for GCSE and A levels combined.

Tonbridge

Boys, ages 13-18
Tonbridge, Kent

The Sunday Times placed Tonbridge as the top boys’ boarding school in 2024. Situated in West Kent, Tonbridge is a boarding and day school, that upholds a strong sense of house spirit and pastoral care. There are 12 houses in total, with 5 for day boys and 7 for boarding pupils. Each house caters for 65 to 70 pupils and is ran by a Housemaster.

Tonbridge boasts impressive co-curricular offerings and clubs. They also offer a ‘Super Curriculum Club’, an opportunity for GCSE and A level pupils to go beyond the curriculum and become involved in a series of talks (delivered by the boys), participate in Olympiad competitions, or publish a collection of poetry or essays. Their ‘Super Curriculum’, fits nicely with their academic ethos in, ‘developing fine minds and good hearts by making connections- between ideas, interests, and people.’

Their academic results are also strong, with 77% of all GCSE grades awarded being 9-8 in 2025. 24 of their 2025 leavers secured places at Oxbridge, with 92% of all grades awarded at A level being A*, A or B.

Wellington College

Co-educational, ages 13-18
Crowthorne, Berkshire

With the belief to ‘realise your potential’, Wellington College is a leading co-educational boarding and day school, where students are well-equipped to flourish in any department desired, inside and outside the classroom. Wellington is roughly an hour drive from London, situated between the M3 and M4. In 2006, they were the first school in the UK to introduce a course in happiness and wellbeing into their curriculum.

Set within 400 acres, Wellington houses excellent facilities in all fields, from its Sports Centre to their Annenberg Performing Arts Centre- a theatre which Talk Education claims can put many West End theatres to shame! Sport is central to school life, and Wellington also host fantastic academic enrichment societies, such as; Art History society, Sociedad Hispánica and Model United Nations society. These enrichment clubs allow pupils from all year groups to mix.

Wellington offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), alongside A levels. Around 50% of their sixth form students take on the IB every year, with a strong set of results consistently achieved. In 2025 the average score achieved by the 123 IB students was 39.1 points. Their A level results were also highly successful with 58.7% of all grades being A* or As. In 2025, grade 9 was also the most commonly awarded GCSE grade.

Their exam results are stellar, and in 2026, 27 boys received early offers from renowned US universities, including Yale, UPenn, Harvard, Dartmouth and University of Chicago. With over 15% of their leavers typically applying to the US, they have fantastic support from the school’s US Universities Advisor.

Eton provides an exciting, stimulating and caring environment designed to bring out the best in each boy. A place at Eton is therefore highly prized. If you are considering Eton for your son, you may find our detailed guide to the Eton College Entrance Exams helpful.

Wycombe Abbey

Girls, ages 11-18
High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

Wycombe Abbey is an all-girls school for pupils aged 11-18, only 35 miles west of London. It has the atmosphere of a traditional English girls’ boarding school, reinforced by the centuries-old buildings, the 170 acres of parkland, and the fact that of the 650 girls who attend, almost all are boarders. They have adopted a unique boarding approach, with mixed aged dorms and a ‘House Daughter’ and ‘House Mother’ system – an approach the school are especially proud of.

The ‘abbey’ in question was originally a 17^th century manor house, converted into a school building in the 1890s. Nowadays, this boarding school is one of the leading girls’ senior schools – academically competitive, it receives some of the best public exam results in the country. In 2025, 97% of all exams were graded 7-9 and 76.2% of all A level exams taken resulted in A*/As. The academic strength is complemented by the impressive range of extra-curriculars on offer. With its approach to personal development underpinned by the school’s unintrusive but definite Christian ethos, Wycombe Abbey produces impressive young women who leave every year for some of the world’s leading universities.

Epsom College

Co-educational, ages 11-18
Epsom Downs, Surrey

Kindness, ambition and integrity are at the forefront of Epsom’s College’s values. Situated in Surrey and only 15 miles away from Central London, Epsom is a strong co-educational option, offering both boarding and day provision. Around 40% of their students board, and when Epsom pupils start year 9, they are part of one of the 13 houses on site.

Their 72-acre grounds house great facilities including an athletics track, 6 squash courts, 33 tennis courts and a 25-metre swimming pool. Such high-class facilities are reflected in their sporting results, with Hockey being a particularly popular sport for the girls in the autumn. In 2024, three of their teams reached the semi-finals, and their U14s won the nationals title. In January 2026, they were also crowned, for the second year in a row, ‘top co-ed school for sport in South- East England.’

In 2025, 91% of A level grades were A*-B and half of their GCSE pupils were awarded straight 9-7s. Epsom’s dedicated Sixth Form team efficiently prepares students with one-to-one mentoring for US, international and UK universities. In 2025, 90% of their students got into their first choice of university. The school further has strong specialist support for budding Oxbridge and Medics candidates.

St Mary’s Ascot

Girls, ages 11-18
Ascot, Berkshire

St Mary’s Ascot is a leading Catholic full boarding school. Located a 45-minute drive away from London, their campus is set in 55 acres of beautiful grounds. The Chapel is central to school life, with the strong belief in the important sense of service to the community.

The school ensures that weekends are filled with fun activities for the girls. Sports fixtures and house competitions regularly take place, with different programmes to follow such as a roller disco, jewellery making, designing t-shirts, pizza making and baking. Sixth Form students have their own boarding courtyard, with the lower sixth in the Mary Ward Courtyard, and the upper sixth in the Mary Breen Courtyard.

St Mary’s Ascot is a small school with only 380 pupils. Their small size enables the girls to benefit from excellent facilities and strong specialist teaching. The girls receive stellar academic results, going on to leading UK Russell group universities, alongside renowned overseas universities; IE Madrid, Bocconi, Columbia, and Trinity College Dublin. In 2025, 63% of A level grades were A*-As, and their GCSE results were also strong, with 94% of grades awarded being 9-7s.

Cheltenham Ladies College

Girls, ages 11-18
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

For nearly 175 years, Cheltenham Ladies College (CLC) has been a pioneer in all-girls education. Situated in the heart of Cheltenham, the school is a day and boarding school for girls aged 11 to 18. The school has both junior and senior boarding houses, allowing the sixth formers, ‘a balance of independence and guidance.’

With a fantastic array of co-curricular offerings, it is no surprise that their facilities align. Their health and fitness centre houses 2 sports halls, a multi-purpose studio, a dance studio, a 25-metre swimming, a 58-station fitness gym and more! They also have the Princess Hall where they host morning assemblies and conferences, alongside an arts centre, which houses dressing rooms and a large theatre and dance studio. Their art and technology block is further equipped with world-class equipment. CLC are also excited to announce the opening of their Sixth Form centre for the next academic year – a fantastic space that they hope will foster wellbeing and academic excellence for girls in the top year.

In 2025, half of all GCSE results awarded were the top grade, (grade 9). Their A level cohort also excelled with over half of the girls securing 3 or 4 straight A*A grades. CLC are also proud to have been ranked the top girls boarding school in the world for the IB, in 2025. This title is reflected in their strong performance with over half of their girls scoring 40 points or higher.

CLC’s efficient IB offerings has resulted in their 2025 cohort securing places at top universities and colleges globally such as; St Andrews, University of Southern California and the University of Chicago.

How SLT can help find the right boarding school for your child

• At SLT, our school placement service is comprehensive and personal. We meet with you and your child, learn about you and what you’re looking for, and use our in-depth knowledge of boarding schools throughout the UK to find the perfect school for you.
• No ‘best-of’ list or school search tool, no matter how comprehensive, can get to know you and your child. If you would like personal advice on which boarding school is right for your child, please contact our expert team of school admissions consultants.
• If you are applying for a place at boarding school, we work with entrance exam specialist tutors who know schools’ requirements inside-out and can make all the difference to a successful application. Make an enquiry if you would like to book in a session with an entrance exam tutor.

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