This guide gathers what international families need to know before applying to St Peter’s School, York, a co-educational day and boarding school in the city of York, England. The school describes itself as a boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 2 to 18, founded in AD 627, which makes it one of the oldest schools in the world. Everything below comes from the school’s official website as of August 4, 2026. Fees are the published 2026/27 rates, and deadlines refer to September entry unless stated otherwise.
School Profile at a Glance
St Peter’s School, York sits at Clifton, York, YO30 6AB, on a campus of about 50 green acres in the heart of York, close to York Minster and the River Ouse. Its history dates back to AD 627, when St Paulinus came to York and founded what became both St Peter’s and York Minster; the school moved to its current site on the banks of the Ouse in 1838. The school’s motto is “over ancient ways”, and it now runs under a “Keys for Life” mission covering qualifications, skills, interests and values.
The school is organised in stages: The Rise Nursery for children from 6 months to 3 years, a Junior School and Pre-School from Reception to Year 6, a Senior School for Years 7 to 11, and a Sixth Form for Years 12 and 13. In its 1400th year the school is moving to a two-part structure — St Peter’s Senior School and St Peter’s Junior School — with a new Sixth Form Centre, whose first phase opened in January 2026. It is a through school: a pupil can join at nursery age and stay to the end of Sixth Form without changing schools.
Programs from Nursery to Sixth Form
St Peter’s School, York offers a continuous curriculum from the early years to A Level. The Rise Nursery takes children from 6 months to 3 years in three rooms (Finches, Wrens and Robins) with access to the school’s facilities including the swimming pool and Forest School. The Pre-School class takes children from the September they turn 3, with full-day, morning or afternoon options, and specialist lessons in PE, music, languages and Forest School.
In the Junior School, pupils follow a thematic curriculum through to Year 4, moving to more formal subject teaching in Years 5 and 6. From Year 7, students study a broad range of subjects including English, maths, chemistry, physics, biology, history, geography, religious studies, IT, French, German, Spanish, Latin, drama, art, design and technology, music, PE, sport and philosophy. Class sizes stay small — the school states they are never more than 24 — and pupils sample at least two modern foreign languages, design and technology, music, art and drama before choosing GCSE options at the end of Year 9.
The GCSE core at St Peter’s School, York comprises mathematics, English, science taught separately as biology, physics and chemistry, at least one modern foreign language and religious studies, plus three further option subjects. Pupils also take PE and a general course called Horizons covering politics, ethics, citizenship and personal wellbeing. In the Sixth Form, most pupils study four courses in the Lower Sixth and three in the Upper Sixth, with options including the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and Further Mathematics; History of Art and a new Psychology course (from September 2025) are available, and a Sixth Form Super-Curricular Programme launched in February 2026 adds further courses beyond the standard A Level menu.
Entry Requirements and Assessment
Entry requirements at St Peter’s School, York differ by stage. For Pre-School and Reception, the process is informal: a meeting with the Head plus an Early Years Transition Report from the child’s current nursery or childcare setting. For Year 7 and Year 9, all prospective pupils must pass the school’s entrance assessment, which takes place in January of the year of entry: computer-based maths, English and reasoning tests, a creative writing paper and a group task. The school says it does not expect pupils to prepare or revise, and an offer also depends on a satisfactory confidential report from the pupil’s current head teacher.
For Sixth Form entry, candidates sit the entrance exam in November, are assessed in their preferred A Level subjects, and complete an interview. Reports, references and predicted grades are requested from the current school. The published minimum academic requirement is six GCSEs at grade 6 or equivalent, but the school warns that entry is competitive and most successful candidates will need to perform well above that level. Overseas candidates who cannot attend on exam day may arrange to take the tests closer to home.
International applicants should note that St Peter’s School, York requires a high standard of written and spoken English, which is assessed during the admissions process. English as an Additional Language (EAL) support may be recommended at the parents’ expense where the school judges it necessary.
Application Deadlines and Timeline
The main entry points at St Peter’s School, York are Nursery, Reception, Year 1, Year 4 (chorister entry), Year 7, Year 9 and Year 12. The school encourages families to apply at least one year in advance, and notes that most other year groups are oversubscribed or run a waiting list. For September entry, the application deadline is 31 October the previous year for Sixth Form, and 31 December the previous year for all other year groups. Families applying for means-tested help with fees must visit before applying, and their application must be received by 31 October (Sixth Form) or 1 December (Years 7 to 9).
For Year 7 and Year 9 applicants, assessment letters arrive in the second half of the Christmas term, assessments run in January, and outcomes are communicated in February; applications after that point may only find waiting list places. For Sixth Form, the entrance exam runs in November and candidates generally hear the outcome within two weeks, with firm or conditional offers. For the 2026/27 academic year, the school noted that spaces were still available for September 2026 in some year groups, but this should be verified directly with the current situation.
Fees for the 2026/27 Academic Year
The school and governors confirmed the 2026/27 fees for St Peter’s School, York on the official website, all including VAT, tuition, lunch and fruit, textbooks, and after-school care to 5.15pm. Annual day fees are: Sixth Form £30,330 (£10,110 per term), Years 9 to 11 £30,045 (£10,015 per term), Years 7 and 8 £25,560 (£8,520 per term), Year 6 £24,300 (£8,100 per term), Years 4 and 5 £21,165 (£7,055 per term), Year 3 £15,900 (£5,300 per term), and Reception to Year 2 £14,790 (£4,930 per term). Pre-School full-time is £12,240 per year (£4,080 per term), with morning-only at £6,810 and afternoon-only at £5,685.
Boarding fees are all-inclusive of meals and accommodation. For non-EEA boarders (the category most international families fall into), annual fees are: Sixth Form £55,950 (£18,650 per term), Years 9 to 11 £55,470 (£18,490 per term), and Years 7 and 8 £47,280 (£15,760 per term). UK/EEA boarding rates are lower: Sixth Form £51,945, Years 9 to 11 £51,435, and Years 7 and 8 £43,830 per year. Part-time boarding from two to five nights per week is also available with termly fees ranging from about £11,340 (Years 7 and 8, two nights) up to £15,920 (Sixth Form, five nights). Flexi boarding offers a 10-night bundle at £1,270, one-off weekday nights at £140, and weekend nights at £160. The school states there are no compulsory extras except public examination fees plus an 8% administration fee; music tuition is charged separately (£42 per 40 minutes from Year 4, £31.50 per 30 minutes below Year 4).
Boarding for International Pupils
St Peter’s School, York accepts international boarding pupils from age 11 (Year 7) upwards. The school’s boarding options include full boarding, part-time boarding of two to five nights per week, flexi boarding for occasional nights, and exam boarding for Year 11 and Upper Sixth pupils in the summer term. Short-term stays of one or two terms are offered for overseas pupils wanting to experience a UK boarding school, and 4-week immersion courses run in the summer term. Boarding houses include The Rise on campus, with Linton, The Manor and Dronfield close by linked by a footbridge; from September 2026, girl boarders in the Sixth Form join Dronfield and boys join Linton. Around 30% of Sixth Formers board.
All international boarders must have a UK-based educational guardian who lives within two hours of the school. For pupils seeking sponsorship for a Child Student Visa, the guardian must be AEGIS-approved, and a copy of the guardian contract must be submitted before sponsorship is considered. Pupils not requiring a visa can use an AEGIS guardian or an immediate family member aged 25 or older (21 or older for siblings) with valid leave to remain. The school is a licensed sponsor of Child Study Visas for boarders only; it does not sponsor visas for day pupils, who must show evidence of their right to study in the UK. Passport and visa copies are kept by the school, while parents and guardians remain responsible for keeping them up to date.
What to Check Before You Apply
Before starting an application to St Peter’s School, York, international families should weigh a few practical points. First, language: the school states pupils must be fluent English speakers, and the standard is assessed in the admissions process, so a realistic English assessment before applying saves time. Second, guardianship and visa: boarding places are conditional on an approved educational guardian being in place before term starts, and visa sponsorship applies to boarders only. Third, timing: with deadlines of 31 October (Sixth Form) and 31 December (other year groups) for September entry, an application started a year ahead is the school’s own recommendation. Fourth, budget: day and boarding fees for 2026/27 are published in full on the school’s website, but families should re-check the current version, as fees and deadlines can change.
The school’s own 2025 results, as reported on its website, show 49% of A Level grades at A* to A (19% at A*), and 64% of GCSE grades at 9 to 7 (24% at grade 9); it also reports that 65% of pupils gained places at Russell Group universities in 2025 and that 90% of Sixth Form pupils continue to further or higher education. These are the school’s own figures, best read as its claims rather than guarantees. For guidance on how this school fits your child’s specific situation — including whether boarding or day, and which entry year suits — the advisers on this site can help you work through the details against your own timeline.