This guide is for international families considering Cobham Hall School（科巴姆霍尔学校）, an independent, non-selective day and boarding school in Kent, England, for girls and boys aged 11-19. The school has been taking international boarders in Years 7-13 for over 60 years and now describes itself as fully co-educational. Everything below comes from the school’s official website as seen on 5 August 2026; the school’s own statements are used only to describe the school itself, not as rankings or comparisons.
Cobham Hall School at a glance
Cobham Hall Schoolstands at Brewers Road, Cobham, Kent DA12 3BL, on 150 acres of grounds, and is part of the Mill Hill Education Group. Founded as a girls’ school in 1962, it introduced a co-educational Sixth Form in 2023 and is now co-educational across all year groups. The school is a member of the international Round Square network, whose IDEALS — Internationalism, Democracy, Environmentalism, Adventure, Leadership and Service — frame its values, and its motto is ‘There’s more in you than you think’. The site also introduces Bligh House, a SEND centre for students aged 11 to 16 run in partnership with The Chiltern Way Academy Trust on the same grounds. The current head is Mrs Wendy Barrett, with a new head, Mr Brown, announced to take over from September 2026. Around 25 nationalities are represented in the boarding community, which the school describes as lively and close-knit.
Programs and curriculum
Cobham Hall School organises its teaching around a skills-based Perspectives framework rather than results alone. In Lower School (Years 7-9) students take ‘Personal Perspectives’; in Years 10-11 they take ‘Global Perspectives’, a compulsory skills-based GCSE course in which students evaluate global issues from multiple viewpoints; and in the Sixth Form ‘Future Perspectives’ covers leadership, life planning and practical skills. Lower School subjects include English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, French, Spanish, Computer Science, Art, Drama, Music, Physical Education and PSHE, with Science split into Biology, Chemistry and Physics from Year 9 and one language chosen between French and Spanish. At GCSE level the school describes small classes and individual attention. In the Sixth Form, students typically take three A Levels plus the EPQ (Extended Project Qualification, worth half an A Level); the 2026-27 A Level options listed include Art Craft and Design, Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Computer Studies, Drama and Theatre Studies, Economics, English Literature, Further Mathematics, Geography, History, Mathematics, Music, Music Technology, Photography, Physics, Politics, Psychology and PE (A Level or BTEC), with subjects running subject to sufficient demand. For students whose first language is not English, the English as an Additional Language (EAL) team provides support, and the school also offers an NCUK International Art and Design Foundation Programme from September 2026 for international students planning creative degrees. The school states that almost all of its students go on to university.
International admissions: the six-step journey
Cobham Hall School’s international admissions page sets out a clear journey. Step one is visiting: international families are welcome to tour when in the UK, and otherwise are encouraged to contact the admissions team directly. Step two is registration: families complete a registration form, pay a £240 (non-refundable) international registration fee via Flywire, and send a copy of the child’s passport, the latest two school reports and any support or diagnosis documentation. Step three is assessment: prospective students sit a CAT4 online cognitive ability assessment (about 90 minutes), an online English placement test (the Oxford Placement Test, 40-80 minutes) for students whose first language is not English, and a 40-minute English writing assessment; assessments can be invigilated by the child’s current school or the admissions team, and applications via UKiSET are also accepted. The school is explicit that it is not academically selective — the assessments are used to understand how each child learns and whether their English level supports integration into the year group. Interviews follow, with the Head of EAL where English is not the first language and with the Headmistress or a member of the Leadership Team. Step four is the offer, with an Acceptance Form and Acceptance Deposit due by the date in the offer letter; step five covers scholarships; step six is welcome and joining information. Applications are welcome year-round, including mid-year entry.
Visa sponsorship, guardianship and entry points
Cobham Hall School holds a Child Student Visa Sponsor Licence and states that it sponsors students who need a visa, complete the application process and are offered a place; its admissions team and visa specialists assist families once a place is offered. For all boarding students, having an Educational Guardian is mandatory — the guardian must be over 25 years old, based in the UK and within a suitable distance of the school. Entry is open at any year group from Year 7 to Year 13; the usual entry points named are Year 7, Years 8-11 and the Sixth Form, with occasional places in other year groups considered. The site also lists short stays and immersion courses of less than half a term for families who want a shorter experience before committing. For applicants who cannot visit, the school points to direct contact with the admissions team rather than a substitute requirement, and the whole process can be completed from overseas with online assessments and interviews.
Fees and what they cover
Cobham Hall School publishes its 2026/27 fees including VAT and school lunches, billed per term with three terms per year. Day fees are £9,986 per term for Years 7-9 and £10,486 per term for Years 10-11 and the Sixth Form; boarding fees are £16,496 per term for Years 7-9, £17,366 per term for Years 10-11 and £18,426 per term for the Sixth Form. Deposits are £750 for day students, £1,500 for British boarders, and a term’s fees for international boarders. Fees include basic tuition, compulsory non-residential academic trips, in-school activities, stationery and meals; residential geography field trips, theatre trips and external examination fees are charged in addition, as is the school’s chosen digital device for Years 7-12 from September 2024. EAL tuition costs £1,070 per term (standard two hours per week) and Student Support Department tuition £1,128 per term (1.5 hours per week one-to-one). Scholarships in Art, Music, Sports or Drama for Years 7-10, and academic or arts scholarships for Year 12, carry a 20% reduction in fees, with auditions and interviews available online; bursaries are only available to UK residents. International fees are payable through Flywire.
Boarding life and practical planning
Cobham Hall School offers full, weekly and flexi-boarding across two houses, Harriet House and Stuart House, each with a housemistress. The school describes a boarding community in which British and international students share evening and weekend activities, and notes that houses remain open until 3.00pm the day after each half term so long-haul travellers are not rushed. For 2026-27 the school year starts 7 September 2026, with half term 16 October to 1 November and the autumn term ending 11 December; the spring term runs 5 January to 25 March 2027 and the summer term starts 19 April 2027. International families planning a September start should work back from these dates, build in visa processing after an offer is accepted, and confirm fees and deposits against the latest version of the school’s fees page before committing.
Everything in this guide comes from the official website of Cobham Hall School, accessed 5 August 2026; fees, requirements and term dates change with each academic year, so the official site is the reference for current information. If you would like to work through how the school’s programmes, entry steps and costs apply to your child’s own background and timeline, our advisers can help you map the options.