North Bridge House Schools is a private school group that has educated students in North London for more than 80 years and sits within the Cognita family of schools. Anyone researching it from abroad will quickly notice that the group is mid-restructure: the official website, as checked on August 5, 2026, explains that the Regent’s Park campus became Alleyn’s Regent’s Park in September 2025, that the Hampstead campuses transition to Alleyn’s Hampstead in September 2026, and that North Bridge House Canonbury now operates as the Senior School and Sixth Form for ages 11 to 18 in Islington. This guide works through what that means for an international family: which programs are on offer, how entry is assessed, what it costs, and how the school and its parent company support overseas students.
North Bridge House: The Current School Structure
The official homepage lays out the structure plainly. North Bridge House Schools has three branches today. Alleyn’s Regent’s Park — formerly North Bridge House Regent’s Park — is a co-educational prep school for ages 4 to 11 that joined the Alleyn’s Schools Group in September 2025. Alleyn’s Hampstead is the name the Hampstead campuses (Nursery, Pre-Prep, Senior and Sixth Form) take from September 2026, when they become an all-through school for ages 2 to 18. North Bridge House Canonbury remains the senior and sixth form provision under the North Bridge House name, set in Islington and serving students aged 11 to 18, with the Sixth Form housed in a historic Tudor building minutes from Upper Street.
For an international family this matters at the planning stage. Families looking at the 4 to 11 age range are now directed toward the Alleyn’s Schools Group; families looking at secondary and sixth form education are applying to North Bridge House Canonbury. The Hampstead site still accepts in-year enquiries during the transition, and the official pages should be treated as the current source of truth for anything that changes month to month.
North Bridge House: Programs and Curriculum
The curriculum at North Bridge House Schools’ Canonbury campus runs in three stages. In Years 7 to 9 students follow a broad programme across English, Mathematics, Sciences, Humanities and Languages, with specialist subjects such as Design & Technology, Computer Science and the Arts; the school describes the ethos as high support, low pressure. In Years 10 and 11 students specialise into GCSE subject combinations while continuing enrichment, PSHE and personal development alongside academic study.
The Sixth Form at North Bridge House Canonbury is a bespoke A Level pathway. Students in Years 12 and 13 (ages 16 to 18) typically study three A Level subjects, with a fourth possible depending on GCSE results and ambition, chosen from a broad selection spanning the sciences, humanities, creative arts and modern languages, taught in small classes. All Year 12 students are encouraged to take the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) with dedicated research and presentation support. University guidance is built in: Oxbridge applicants visit Oxford or Cambridge in the final term of Year 12 and attend lectures and personal-statement workshops, then receive a mentor at the start of Year 13; students aiming at health sciences degrees get similar mentoring and interview preparation. Beyond the classroom, the enrichment programme includes the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (up to Gold) and LAMDA, alongside clubs and student leadership roles.
North Bridge House: Entry Requirements and Assessment
The application process at North Bridge House Schools’ Canonbury campus runs in five steps. First, families make an enquiry, and the admissions team typically responds within 48 hours. Second, they attend an open event or private tour; open days and guided tours run throughout the academic year. Third, they submit an online application — the deadline for September 2027 entry is Monday 16 November 2026, while occasional in-year or immediate places are considered as vacancies arise; the form takes up to 20 minutes and the application fee is £180. Fourth, candidates attend an interview and assessment day: a small group interview with a member of the senior leadership team followed by an online adaptive assessment covering English, Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning, scheduled for mid-November 2026. Fifth, offers are made — Year 7 offers are released in early February with acceptance due by the end of February, and Sixth Form places are conditional on five grade 6s at GCSE including English or Maths.
For international applicants the assessment is adapted to geography. Non-native English speakers may be asked to meet online with a member of Cognita’s international team for an informal assessment of English level, which informs whether additional support is needed before or during the first year. Entrance assessments are arranged wherever in the world the pupil is; ideally they are sat at the pupil’s current school under exam conditions with a teacher invigilating, and the school says it will agree alternatives where that is not possible. The final stage is an interview with the Head of School. Supporting documents are official transcripts (translated into English if necessary), a recent report from the current or previous school, a copy of an in-date passport, and proof of immigration status — a share code, or the parent’s passport and status evidence if the pupil is a dependent.
North Bridge House: Costs and Deposits
North Bridge House Schools’ Canonbury campus publishes termly fees for the 2026/27 academic year: £10,817 per term for Years 7, 8 and 9; £10,891 per term for Years 10 and 11; and £10,933 per term for Years 12 and 13. These figures are inclusive of VAT (in effect since 1 January 2025) and of lunch, which is exempt from VAT. Every student also receives a 1-to-1 school device and access to after-school clubs within the fee. The annual fee is split into three termly instalments, reviewed each April with new rates published during the Summer Term. Fees fall due on or before the first day of term, with a late payment charge of 1.5% per month, and withdrawal requires a full term’s written notice.
Deposits differ by status. UK-based families pay a £2,000 deposit to secure a place, returned when the pupil leaves. International students pay a £6,000 deposit, also returned at the end of studies provided notice is given and fees settled. Sibling discounts are incremental: 5% for one sibling, 10% for an additional sibling and 15% for any further siblings. Families who want monthly payments can use the School Fee Plan, arranged through Premium Credit Limited. For context, the Hampstead site published 2025/26 rates of £10,912 per term for Years 7 to 11 and £10,943 for Sixth Form, but that campus transitions to Alleyn’s Hampstead from September 2026, so its forward fees should be checked against the new school’s own publications.
North Bridge House: Visa Sponsorship and International Support
Visa sponsorship for North Bridge House Schools runs through the parent company. Cognita Schools Ltd holds a licence to sponsor international pupils on the Child Student and Student immigration routes, and families should flag at registration that they wish to be considered for sponsorship. The £6,000 international deposit must be settled before Cognita can begin preparing the visa application. For each Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), families are asked to pay the academic year’s fees in full plus a £600 administration fee in advance of sponsorship. Parents of pupils aged 4 to 11 can also explore the Parent of a Child Student route if they wish to join their child in the UK, and families whose parents remain abroad can be introduced to reputable homestay and guardianship companies that arrange accommodation with British families near the school.
English language support is handled through Ardmore, an English language school owned by Cognita with more than 40 years of experience. International pupils who need support before enrolment or during the first year may be referred there; Ardmore X, an online platform, supports both teacher-led and independent learning, and lessons can be scheduled outside the standard school day. The official pages do not publish visa processing times or the full detail of sponsorship conditions, so those steps should be checked against the latest official guidance rather than treated as fixed from this guide.
North Bridge House: Term Dates and Application Planning
North Bridge House Schools’ Canonbury term dates for 2026–27 are: Autumn Term from Tuesday 8 September 2026 (new pupils and Year 12 arrive Monday 7 September) with half term 19 to 30 October and the term ending Thursday 10 December; Spring Term from Wednesday 6 January 2027 with half term 15 to 19 February and the term ending Thursday 25 March; and Summer Term from Tuesday 20 April 2027 with half term 31 May to 4 June and the term ending Thursday 8 July. Practical arrangements for an enrolling family cover uniform, school lunches and transport, each with its own page on the site, and open events plus private tours run through the year for families who join late or seek an immediate place.
The transition is the biggest planning variable. Families who were looking at the Hampstead campuses should follow the Alleyn’s Hampstead channels from September 2026, while the Cognita-based international support — sponsorship, the CAS process, Ardmore English support and homestay introductions — continues to apply to students at North Bridge House Canonbury.
Planning Checklist for International Families
For an overseas family, the checklist at North Bridge House Canonbury is: confirm the target age range and the current campus structure (secondary and sixth form means Canonbury); book an open event or private tour; submit the online application before 16 November 2026 for September 2027 entry and budget for the £180 application fee; prepare for the group interview and the adaptive assessment in English, Maths and Non-Verbal Reasoning; assemble transcripts, school reports, passport and immigration status documents, and arrange the informal English assessment if invited; build the budget from the 2026/27 termly fees (£10,817 to £10,933 per term) and plan for the £6,000 international deposit plus full-year fees and the £600 CAS administration fee if sponsorship is needed; and confirm the offer by the deadline, then line up uniform, transport and term dates.
All facts in this guide come from the North Bridge House Schools official website as of August 5, 2026 — the international students page, the Canonbury admissions process, fees, curriculum and term dates pages, and the group homepage. The school’s own claims describe the school itself and are not used here for rankings or cross-school comparisons. If you would like to map North Bridge House’s programs, entry requirements and costs against your child’s age and current grade, the advisers on this site can work through the application planning with you.