This guide is written for international families considering Prior Park College（普赖尔帕克学院）. Everything below comes from the school’s official website, priorparkcollege.com, accessed on 6 August 2026 — the admissions pages, international students page, curriculum pages, the published fee schedule, boarding pages and FAQ. Where the official site does not publish a figure, that is stated plainly rather than filled in from memory.
Prior Park College at a Glance
Prior Park College is an independent day and boarding school in Bath, England, for pupils aged 11 to 18. Its homepage describes it as an “Independent Day and Boarding School in Bath”, set on a 57-acre site on the hillside overlooking the UNESCO World Heritage City of Bath. The school is part of the Prior Park Schools family, which also includes The Paragon School (ages 3–11) and Prior Park School Gibraltar; the College’s address is Ralph Allen Drive, Bath, BA2 5AH.
The school’s history dates to 1830: the mansion at its core was designed by John Wood the Elder and completed in 1741 for the postal reformer Ralph Allen, and was bought in 1829 by Bishop Augustine Baines, who opened Prior Park College as a school the following year. Originally a Catholic boys’ school, it became co-educational in 1983 and has been under lay management since 1981. The College Chapel was built in the 1870s, and the mansion was restored after major fires in 1836 and 1991 — the latter restoration took four years and cost £6 million. The school’s stated values are Curiosity, Generosity and Courage, and the Headmaster is Ben Horan. International pupils make up approximately 18% of the roll, drawn from around 25 countries, according to the school’s international pages.
Academic Programmes: 11+, GCSE and Sixth Form
Entry at Prior Park College starts at 11+. In Years 7 and 8, pupils follow a broad curriculum built around Mathematics, English, Religious Education and Science, with additional teaching in the humanities, ancient and modern languages, ICT and product design, and the visual and performing arts, plus PSHE. The school also runs an “Accelerated Reader” programme in the library, and residential trips to Skern Lodge in Devon (Year 7) and the Eden Project in Cornwall (Year 8).
At GCSE, the school’s curriculum page says most students take nine GCSEs, with nearly 70% of those being the students’ own choices. The core essentials are English Language and English Literature for British students — or English as an Additional Language (EAL) for international students — plus Mathematics, with Games, PSHE and Core RE taken as non-examined subjects. Students then select six optional subjects from a menu of more than 22, including Art, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Classical Civilisation, Combined Science, Computer Science, Design & Technology, Drama, French, Further Maths, Geography, History, Latin, Mandarin, Music, Photography, Physical Education, Physics, Religion & Philosophy, Spanish and Textiles. The GCSE page also lists the exam boards for each subject — for example Cambridge IGCSE First Language English (0990) and Edexcel IGCSE Mathematics A (4MA1) — so families can check course content before choosing.
In the Sixth Form, the school offers predominantly A Levels, alongside a BTEC in Business, the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and IELTS preparation for EAL students. Most students take three A Levels, with the most able adding a fourth and many also completing an EPQ. The A Level menu spans Art, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Classical Civilisation, Computer Science, Design (Three Dimensional Design), Drama and Theatre, Economics, English Literature, French, Geography, History, Latin or Classical Greek, Mandarin, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Music, Music Technology, Photography, Physical Education, Physics, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish, Textile Design and Theology, Philosophy and Ethics. External students applying to the Sixth Form typically need to demonstrate that they are on course for a minimum of six GCSEs at Grade 6 or above. Subject pages give indicative GCSE entry grades for each A Level — for instance Chemistry asks for a 7 in GCSE Chemistry or 7:7 in dual award science, and Further Mathematics asks for an 8 in GCSE Mathematics.
Entry Requirements for International Students
The admissions process at Prior Park College starts with the Registration Form and a registration fee: the general fees page lists the registration fee at £150, while the international students page states £125 for international applicants. An acceptance fee of £600 is payable when a place is offered, to secure it. All applicants sit entrance and scholarship examinations, and the school requests a report from the child’s current school; for Sixth Form entry it also obtains predicted GCSE grades. The 11+ entrance assessment has three parts: an on-screen test of about 45 minutes covering Maths and non-verbal reasoning, a 50-minute prompted creative writing exercise, and a practical Leadership and Teamwork Assessment.
For international applicants, the school’s international page sets out a specific route. International students must sit entrance tests in English as an Additional Language and Mathematics; these can be taken at the candidate’s current school, or at British Council offices if the family does not use an educational consultant. Applicants also submit their latest academic report, details of examinations already taken or planned (for example iGCSE), and a copy of their passport, which the school says is a UKVI requirement for identity verification. After the tests, students are interviewed by the Head of EAL, Mr Peter Stroud, to assess spoken English — this can be done via Teams or Zoom. The school then requests a reference from the current school, and the Headmaster reviews the application before making an offer. Families secure the place by returning the signed Acceptance Form with the required deposit and compliance management charge; the deposit is returned after the child’s time at Prior Park College.
Costs: 2026/27 Fees and Extras
Prior Park College publishes its 2026/27 fees inclusive of VAT, effective from 1 September 2026. Full Boarding is £49,995 per year; Weekly Boarding is £38,500; day fees are £22,250 for Years 7 and 8 and £24,250 for Years 9 to 11 and the Sixth Form. Lunches are billed separately as a VAT-exempt extra at £1,200 per year (£480 in the Michaelmas Term, £360 in each of the Lent and Summer Terms), bringing the full-year totals to approximately £51,195 for full boarders, £39,700 for weekly boarders and £25,450 or £23,450 for day pupils.
A visa administration fee of £750 applies if a visa is required, and the international page separately notes a £750 compliance management charge for students needing a Child Student Visa, with the Nathanson Partnership appointed to support families through the visa application process. Other published extras include: charged EAL tuition at £28 per 35-minute individual lesson, £14 per pupil for a pair and £10 per pupil for groups of three or more; Learning Development Programme (LDP) sessions at £12.50 for a group or £25 for a one-to-one; music tuition at £35.30 per half hour or £423.60/£353/£282.40 by term; a Personal Learning Device (PLD) at £100 per term; and a Sixth Form Club subscription of £75 per year. Half-term boarding costs £97.50 per day, and day pupils may stay overnight as flexi boarders for £100 per night including dinner, bed and breakfast. The school also notes sibling discounts starting at 5% for a second child, and a 10% fee remission for HM Armed Forces families and for families in receipt of the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) against the full boarding fee. Scholarships are available at 11+, 13+ and 16+, worth up to 10% of tuition fees for the first award, with music scholars receiving two complimentary music lessons per week instead.
Support for International Families
Support at Prior Park College starts before arrival and runs through the school years. New boarding students and their parents are invited to a welcome day just before term starts, a “buddy” is allocated to each new pupil, and an International Tea Party is held at the start of term. The EAL department provides free EAL classes for pupils entering from Year 7, preparation for Cambridge PET, FIRST or CAE in Years 9 and 10, and IGCSE English as a Second Language in Years 10 and 11 — these are not charged additionally. Sixth Form students can take IELTS preparation lessons, which do carry a charge; the school says students should be at least at IELTS 5.5 or 6.0 before starting the Sixth Form. An EAL Induction Programme helps new international students settle into school life.
Boarding is organised around two houses — St Paul’s for boys and St Mary’s for girls — accommodating up to 150 full, weekly and flexi boarders. There are no exeat weekends at Prior Park College; instead there are two “non-fixture” weekends, one in the Michaelmas Term and one in the Lent Term, and the boarding houses stay open over half-term holidays for an additional charge (£97.50 per day), which the school notes suits long-haul boarders and students revising for exams. Younger boarders share rooms in groups of three or four, while Upper Sixth students generally have their own rooms. The school’s FAQ adds practical details: electronic devices are handed in at 9.30pm for pupils in Forms L3 to U5, Bath city centre is a 15-minute walk down the hill, and the village of Combe Down with its shops and pharmacy is a two-minute walk away.
On guardianship, the school is explicit: all international students whose parents do not live permanently in the UK are legally required to have a guardian, who must be an AEGIS- or BSA-accredited guardianship organisation, or a close family member over the age of 25 ideally living within an hour of the school; the guardian must be a British citizen or hold settled status. Prior Park College is itself a member of AEGIS. For shorter stays, international students joining for less than a year (one, two or three terms) take part in the Prior Park Short Stay Award, and the school encourages participation in the Prior Park International Diploma.
Application Timeline and Next Steps
The school’s events calendar shows key dates for the 2026 cycle: the 16+ applications closing date is 6 November 2026, with 16+ interviews commencing 9 November 2026; the main Open Morning is on 19 September 2026, the Sixth Form Information Evening on 22 September 2026, and the 11+ Taster Day on 13 October 2026. Dates change year to year, so the official site remains the reference.
All facts in this guide come from Prior Park College’s official website as accessed on 6 August 2026; the fee schedule is labelled 2026/27 and effective from 1 September 2026. Fees, deadlines and visa requirements change over time, and the official pages should always be checked for the latest versions. Every family’s situation differs — the right entry point depends on the child’s age, English level and intended start term. For guidance tailored to your child’s circumstances, speak with our advisors, who can help you plan the application step by step.