Felsted School at a Glance
Felsted School is an independent co-educational boarding and day school in the village of Felsted, Essex, England. According to its own website it was founded in 1564 as a grammar school by Richard Lord Riche, and the school says it celebrated its 460th anniversary in 2024. Its 90-acre campus combines historic buildings with modern facilities, including its own music school, theatre, performing arts studio, sports hall and indoor swimming pool. The school describes its location as about an hour from both London and Cambridge and 20 minutes from Stansted Airport.
Felsted School educates pupils from age three to 18: the Prep School covers Pre-Reception through Year 8, and the Senior School covers Years 9 to 13 including the Sixth Form. Day and boarding options are available, and the school states that around 20% of its pupils come from outside the UK, with international families listed on its admissions pages including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Germany, France, the United States and many other countries. All figures in this guide are taken from Felsted School’s own official pages, accessed on August 5, 2026.
Academic Programmes at Felsted School
Felsted School’s academic route runs through four broad stages. In the Prep School, Early Years and Key Stage 1 (Pre-Reception to Year 2, ages 3 to 7) lead into Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6, ages 7 to 11) and then Key Stage 3 (Years 7 and 8, ages 11 to 13). From September 2027, Years 7 and 8 move into a new dedicated Year 7 and 8 Centre with greater access to Senior School facilities.
In the Senior School, pupils in Years 10 and 11 study GCSEs, and Felsted School’s final entry point is Year 12 (Lower Sixth), where students take a two-year course of A Levels, the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, or BTEC/AAQ qualifications. The school describes its Sixth Form as its most popular entry point for overseas students. Beyond the classroom, the school runs an academic extension programme and offers scholarship and award pathways in six disciplines: Academic, Art, Design, Technology and Engineering (DTE), Drama, Music, and Sport (cricket, hockey, netball, rugby, tennis and squash). Felsted School also runs an International Summer School for ages 8 to 17 (in 2026 running 12 July to 9 August) and three-month Short-Term Stays for ages 10 to 14, both aimed at international families.
Entry Requirements for International Students
Felsted School accepts applications from overseas full boarders from Year 7, as well as relocating families with younger children. Entry tests cover Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning; the school says the online assessments are adaptive and require no advance preparation or tutoring. For overseas candidates, testing can be taken remotely at the pupil’s current school, a lawyer’s office or a British Council office.
By entry point: Prep School entry at Year 3 (age 7+) involves registration, a recent school report, a reference from the current school and a taster day with informal assessment. Year 7 (age 11+) candidates sit the entrance assessments and interview with the Head or Deputy Head, and places are offered on test results, the most recent school report and a satisfactory confidential reference. Year 9 (age 13+) offers three testing points — pre-testing in Year 6 or Year 7, or entry testing in the autumn term of Year 8 — and Year 10 entry is possible by application. For Sixth Form entry, Felsted School expects a minimum of 32 points across a candidate’s best six GCSE subjects (or equivalent), grade 6 in subjects to be studied at A Level or at Higher Level in the IB Diploma, and at least grade 7 in Maths and Science subjects where applicable. Pupils who need English support can take EAL lessons, including an IGCSE English as a Second Language option in Years 10-11, which the school states carries no extra charge.
Fees, Boarding and Other Costs
Felsted School publishes per-term fees including VAT. Under the new fee structure from September 2026, Senior School fees are £12,558 per term for a day pupil, £15,537 for Contemporary boarding (3 nights), £17,807 for Weekly boarding (5 nights) and £19,225 for Traditional full boarding (7 nights). For comparison, the school’s 2025/26 senior fee for traditional boarding was £18,702 per term.
Prep School day fees from September 2026 are £4,945 per term for Years R, 1 and 2, £6,995 for Years 3 and 4, £7,495 for Years 5 and 6, and £9,604 for Years 7 and 8. Prep boarding (Years 5 to 8) costs £13,070 per term for traditional 7-night boarding or £12,311 for weekly 5-night boarding, with flexi boarding priced per night from £86 (1 night) to £191 (4 nights) per week. Pre-Reception fees start at £4,121 per term for five days a week (not subject to VAT). Extra charges may apply for Sixth Form books, examination fees, certain minority sports, instrumental tuition (the school quotes £415.85 for a full term of normally 10 half-hour lessons in 2026/27) and some societies, outings and shop purchases.
How to Apply and Key Dates
The overseas admissions process at Felsted School runs: an enquiry to the school, completion of a pupil information form with supporting documents (most recent school reports, predicted GCSE grades where applicable, a personal statement, and other supporting documents such as language certificates), registration with the registration fee, entry testing, and a visit or online meeting. The school says it aims to make a decision within one week during term time once all steps are complete.
New overseas pupils join about six days before the start of term for LEAP Week, an induction with lessons, activities and cultural trips; the 2026 LEAP Week starts Wednesday 26 August. For September 2027 Sixth Form entry, applications open in September 2026, the closing date is Friday 16 October 2026, entry testing and interviews take place in November 2026, offers go out in December 2026, and places are secured by 31 January 2027. Term dates for 2026/27: the autumn term runs 1/2 September to 11 December 2026, the spring term 5 January to 19 March 2027, and the summer term from 12 April 2027; Felsted School notes these are provisional and subject to change.
Boarding Life and International Support
Boarding is central to life at Felsted School. The Senior School has seven boarding houses — four for boys (Deacon’s, Elwyn’s, Gepp’s and Windsor’s, the last dedicated to Upper Sixth) and three for girls (Follyfield, Stocks’s and Garnetts) — each run by a housemaster or housemistress with a team of assistants, tutors and matrons. Prep pupils can board from Year 5 in Hamilton House, which the school says has capacity for 60 boarders, with flexi, weekly and full options. The school describes its pastoral care as available 24 hours a day, and it holds ‘Sleep Champion’ accreditation from the Boarding Schools’ Association.
International pupils receive English as an Additional Language (EAL) support: in Year 9, group EAL lessons carry no charge, and pupils can work towards a Cambridge English ‘First for Schools’ qualification; in Years 10-11, EAL can be chosen as a GCSE option and the IGCSE English as a Second Language course is provided at no extra charge. Felsted School states that it was named Boarding School of the Year by the Times Educational Supplement in June 2023 — the school’s own claim, offered here for context rather than as an independent verdict.
Fees, dates and course details change, so Felsted School’s latest official pages are the final word. If you would like to weigh your own academic background, English level and goals against these entry points and costs, our advisers can walk you through programme choice, timeline and the document list for your specific situation.