Oakham School（奥克汉学校）is a co-educational boarding and day school in the market town of Oakham, Rutland, England, taking pupils from age 11 to 18. This guide is written for international families who are weighing up an overseas move, and every fact below is taken from the school’s own website as accessed on August 5, 2026. We cover the programmes on offer, the four main entry points, what the entrance assessments look like, the 2026/27 fee schedule, and the support that wraps around an international enrolment.
Oakham School at a glance
Oakham Schooldescribes itself on its homepage as an outstanding co-educational boarding and day school for pupils aged 11-18, located in the heart of rural England. Its About page adds that the school sits on a 70-acre campus close to Rutland Water, that the community is split roughly 50:50 between boarding and day pupils and 50:50 between girls and boys, and that it offers GCSEs, A-levels, the IB Diploma and BTECs. The school’s strategy page speaks of 440 years of experience and names four core values: Care, Courage, Contribution and Connection. Around 20% of the student body are international pupils, drawn from 35 countries, and every pupil — boarding or day — belongs to one of the school’s Houses, each led by a Housemaster or Housemistress with a team of tutors. These are the school’s own descriptions of itself; they are not ranking or comparison claims.
Academic programmes at Oakham School
Oakham Schoolorganises its teaching around a Connected Curriculum that links academic learning, co-curricular learning and pastoral learning. The school is structured into a Lower School (Years 7-8), a Middle School (Years 9-11) and an Upper School (Sixth Form, Years 12-13). The Middle School runs the GCSE pathway, and pupils entering at 14 (Year 10) join that GCSE route directly. In the Sixth Form, students choose between two academic pathways: A-levels and BTECs, or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). The academic overview page emphasises strong facilities, experienced teachers — including examiners and coursebook authors — small classes and a support-for-learning system that spans every year group. For pupils whose first language is not English, the school has dedicated English as an Additional Language (EAL) teachers who get to know each applicant during the admissions process and then provide tailored support.
Entry points and entrance assessments at Oakham School
Oakham Schoollists four main entry points: age 11 (Year 7), age 13 (Year 9), age 14 (Year 10) and age 16 (Year 12), and welcomes pupils at other stages whenever spaces are available. The application process has five steps: register, sit the entrance assessments, consider a scholarship, accept an offer, and join the community. Registration is done online with a non-refundable fee of £180. Registration deadlines are the end of November in the academic year before joining for 11+, 13+ and 14+ entry, and mid-October in the calendar year before joining for 16+ entry; late registrations are accepted when spaces remain, but scholarship and bursary applications close at those dates. The assessments combine age-appropriate academic tests with an interview, and the school also asks the applicant’s current school for a confidential reference. For 11+ and 14+ entry, assessments and interviews take place in the January before a September start, and the day includes an online CAT4 reasoning test, written papers in Maths and English (or an EAL paper for pupils whose first language is not English) and a friendly interview. For 13+ entry from a prep school, the application opens in the autumn term of Year 7 with an online pre-test covering verbal and non-verbal reasoning, English, maths and a piece of creative writing; offers made after the pre-test are conditional on a Common Entrance Exam average pass mark of 55% at the end of Year 8. For 16+ entry, the CAT4 assessment and interview take place online in November and December before the September start, and the school requests a confidential reference with predicted GCSE/IGCSE or equivalent grades. Offers for 16+ candidates are conditional on achieving at least three Grade 6s and four Grade 5s at GCSE. The school says offers are typically made within two weeks of the assessments being completed.
Applying to Oakham School from overseas
International families apply through the same five-step process, but Oakham Schoolpublishes a dedicated page for overseas pupils. Applications are welcome throughout the year whenever spaces are available. Assessments can be taken in person at the school or at a British Council office, among other locations, and interviews can be held over a video call — for older pupils the interview includes a discussion of subject options. Applicants are asked for two recent reports from their current school. New pupils join an online Familiarisation Day in June and an in-person Induction Day in September before term starts. Boarders live in Houses alongside UK pupils, with weekend activities within the House and across the whole community; pupils may stay in House during short and long leave-out weekends, sometimes for a small charge, and make their own arrangements during holidays. Families living overseas must nominate a UK-based guardian: a relative or close family friend over 25 years old who does not live in student accommodation, and non-relatives must be accredited by AEGIS or the BSA. Pupils without a British passport need a Child Student visa, and Oakham School can act as sponsor for full boarders; visa eligibility itself is set by the UK government rather than the school.
Fees for the 2026/27 academic year
Oakham Schoolpublishes its termly fees for the 2026/27 academic year on its fees page, all including VAT at 20%. For the Middle and Upper School (Years 9-13), full boarding is £19,482 per term, weekly boarding £16,992, and day attendance £11,508; Year 9 flexible boarding ranges from £12,468 for two nights to £13,524 for four nights per week. For the Lower School (Years 7-8), full boarding is £14,796 per term, weekly boarding (six nights) £13,830, flexible boarding from £11,316 for two nights to £13,656 for five nights, and day attendance £9,438. The published fees include tuition, textbooks, most activity options, all meals (for day pupils from Monday morning to Saturday lunchtime and for boarders throughout term), access to the Medical and Pastoral Centre, Sports Centre and library, and boarding and laundry charges for full and weekly boarders. Trips and expeditions, external examination fees, individual learning support and individual music or drama lessons are charged separately. Fees are payable on the first day of term by bank transfer or cheque, and UK account holders can spread each term’s fees over four monthly instalments by direct debit. Scholarships typically carry a 10% discount off the day fee, and there are means-tested bursaries, a forces bursary linked to the CEA allowance, and a 10% day-fee discount for the third and subsequent child in a family. All figures are as published on August 5, 2026, and the latest version of the website is the authority.
Building your application timeline
For families who are ready to plan, Oakham Schoolpublishes its term dates well in advance: the 2026 winter term runs from Monday 7 September to Friday 11 December, the 2027 spring term begins on Tuesday 5 January, and the 2027 summer term runs from Monday 19 April to Saturday 3 July. Working backwards from a September start, the registration deadline for most entry points falls in November of the previous year, assessments follow in January (or November-December for 16+ entry), and offers land within about two weeks of the assessments. The school also runs termly open mornings and welcomes family visits, which is worth doing before committing to an application. Every family’s circumstances differ — the child’s current year group, English level and budget all change which entry point and fee tier applies — so if you would like to weigh your own situation against Oakham School’s requirements, our advisers can walk through the registration timeline, assessment content and fee planning with you.