This guide is for international families considering Charterhouse Square School（查特豪斯广场学校）, a co-educational preparatory school in the heart of the City of London. It brings together the school’s published information on its programs, what entry involves for overseas applicants, the 2026/27 fee structure and the support available around enrolment, so that a family abroad can understand the whole picture before making contact. Every fact below comes from the school’s official website, charterhousesquareschool.co.uk, as accessed on August 5, 2026. Fees, dates and requirements change every year, and the figures quoted are the versions the school was publishing on that date.
About Charterhouse Square School
Charterhouse Square Schoolis a day prep school for pupils aged 3 to 11, located at 33-40 Charterhouse Square in the Barbican area of the City of London, two minutes from Barbican tube and Farringdon Elizabeth line. It is part of the Cognita group of schools. The school describes itself as a family atmosphere with no school uniforms and first-name relationships between teachers and pupils, housed in a terrace of seven interlinked buildings along one side of Charterhouse Square with views over the garden and the historic Charterhouse. The headteacher is Tushi Gorasia. The school was shortlisted for Independent Prep School of the Year 2024 and holds Allergy School accreditation from the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation. Pupils make regular use of the City location, with sport at Coram’s Fields, rooftop lessons, and frequent visits to London’s museums, galleries and theatres.
Programs for Ages 3 to 11
Charterhouse Square Schoolorganises learning into three stages. Early Years covers ages 3 to 5 and follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, with each half term built around a theme such as transport, animals, celebrations or space, and maths taught through the White Rose Maths scheme. Lower House covers ages 5 to 8, where the school says core subjects are taught a year ahead of the National Curriculum; the curriculum includes literacy, numeracy, science, art, music, dance, drama, Spanish, geography, history, computing, RE and PE, with swimming from Year 2 and a weekly sports session at Coram’s Fields. Upper House covers ages 8 to 11, the exam-preparation years: in the first term of Year 6 pupils practise past papers and interview skills and move towards independent learning, while specialist teaching continues in Spanish, music, dance and drama. The school states its curriculum is designed to keep pupils a year ahead of expectations, with 11+ preparation integrated from the early years rather than left to the final year. Progress is tracked with annual national standardised tests in English and maths (PTE and PTM), and the school says pupils consistently score significantly above the national average of 100. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 also act as buddies mentoring Nursery children, and Year 6 finishes with a four-day residential trip.
Entry Requirements for International Students
Charterhouse Square Schoolcharges the same fees to British, EU and international students regardless of nationality or immigration status; international students are defined on the school’s website as those with nationalities other than UK or Irish who are subject to immigration control. Non-native English speakers are asked to meet online with a member of Cognita’s international team for an informal assessment of their English level, and the team advises the school whether the student would benefit from additional English support before enrolment or during the first year. Students needing English as an Additional Language support may be referred to Ardmore, Cognita’s English language school with over 35 years of experience, which can schedule online English lessons outside the standard school day in the months before term starts and during the first few terms. On the visa side, Cognita holds a licence to sponsor Child Student visas; families seeking sponsorship are asked to settle the academic year’s fees in full and pay a £600 administration fee for each Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) in advance. Cognita’s international team also supports parents of students aged 4 to 11 who wish to join their children under the Parent of a Child Student visa route, and the school welcomes students who are dependents of investor, skilled worker and diplomatic visa holders.
Costs for the 2026/27 Academic Year
Charterhouse Square Schoolpublishes its fees for September 2026 to August 2027 on its website. Nursery fees are £8,437 per term and remain exempt from VAT. Reception through Year 6 are charged a uniform termly fee of £9,576, inclusive of VAT at 20% (lunch fees are exempt from VAT). The annual fee is split into three termly instalments, fees are reviewed each year around April, and the following year’s rates are published during the Summer Term. The termly fee covers books, stationery, personal one-to-one devices from Year 3, day trips, hot lunches, SEN support, counselling and mental health support, and all sports including swimming from Year 2. Not included are before- and after-school clubs, Year 6 residential trips, individual drama, singing and music lessons, and wraparound care. A sibling discount applies from September 2024: the youngest child receives 5% off, and where there is more than one sibling, the youngest receives 10% and the next youngest 5%. Fees are due by direct debit on or before the first day of each term, with a 1.5% per month surcharge for late payment, and monthly payments are possible through School Fee Plan. A non-refundable registration fee of £180 applies at application, and international students pay a deposit of one term’s fees when accepting an offer, refunded at the end of their time at the school once notice has been given and fees settled.
Application Steps and Support
The main entry point to Charterhouse Square Schoolis Nursery at age three: children must turn three before 1 September of their admission year, registration runs from birth until 30 April of the year before entry, and the school offers 52 Nursery places each year with a ballot held when applications exceed places (for September 2027 entry the draw took place on 6 May 2026, after the 5 May application deadline, with acceptance deposits due by 20 May). Registered siblings automatically receive a place. For other year groups, where occasional places arise, the process is a six-step one: get in touch, visit the school on a personal tour or open event, apply with the online form and the £180 registration fee, join an informal taster session alongside a review of school reports and a meeting with the headteacher, receive an offer, and accept with the acceptance form and deposit. For international families, the Cognita international team is the single point of contact for the English assessment, visa sponsorship and any pre-arrival language preparation, and the school’s wraparound care (8am to 6pm in term time, plus a holiday club during most school holidays) is available to all year groups.
Term Dates and Planning Ahead
Charterhouse Square Schoolpublishes term dates through to summer 2027. For the 2026/27 academic year: Autumn term runs from 3 September to 11 December 2026 with half term from 19 to 30 October; Spring term runs from 5 January to 24 March 2027 with half term from 15 to 19 February; Summer term runs from 14 April to 8 July 2027 with half term from 31 May to 4 June. Families joining for a September start should plan the application roughly a year ahead, since the Nursery application deadline falls in early May of the year before entry. Open events take place once a term for Reception to Year 6 entry, and Nursery viewing days and personal tours can be booked through the admissions pages, with personal tours prioritised for families considering an immediate start or the Nursery 2027 ballot.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age range does Charterhouse Square Schooltake? Pupils aged 3 to 11, across Early Years (3-5), Lower House (5-8) and Upper House (8-11); it is a day school only. Are international students charged more? No — the school states British, EU and international students are charged the same fees. What English support is available? Non-native speakers have an online informal assessment with Cognita’s international team, and may be referred to Ardmore for online English lessons before and during the first terms. How do visas work? Cognita holds a Child Student visa sponsorship licence; sponsorship requires the year’s fees settled in full plus a £600 administration fee per CAS, and support for parents of children aged 4 to 11 is available under the Parent of a Child Student visa route. What is the deposit? International students pay one term’s fees as a deposit on accepting an offer, returned at the end of their studies once fees are settled.
Summary
Charterhouse Square Schooloffers international families a clearly documented route into a central London prep education: three staged programs from age 3 to 11 with 11+ preparation built in, a single transparent fee schedule in which international students pay the same as local families (£8,437 per term for Nursery, £9,576 per term for Reception to Year 6 in 2026/27), and a support chain running from the Cognita English assessment through visa sponsorship to Ardmore language preparation. Nursery entry is the main point and runs on a ballot with fixed deadlines, so starting the process a year ahead matters. Because fees, dates and entry details move each year, treat everything above as the school’s August 2026 published version and check the latest official pages before deciding. If you would like help matching a child’s age, English level and target entry point against the school’s current published requirements, our advisers here can walk you through the official information and the application steps.