International families choosing a UK girls’ school in the South East often weigh three things: a strong academic track record, real support for students whose first language is not English, and boarding that feels like home. Woldingham School（沃丁厄姆学校）, a selective Catholic day and boarding school for girls set in hundreds of acres of Surrey countryside, addresses all three, with students from more than 40 nationalities and a well-established international programme. This guide compiles what the school’s own website publishes about its programs, entry requirements, costs and application support, as of 5 August 2026. Fees and dates change annually, so the latest official pages remain the final word.
School at a glance
Woldingham School was founded in 1842 by Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat as the Convent of the Sacred Heart and describes itself as one of the oldest girls’ schools in the UK. The school began in Acton, moved to Roehampton, and in 1946 settled at Marden Park, its current home near Woldingham in Surrey (CR3 7YA). Originally a full boarding school, Woldingham now runs a balanced mix of boarders and day girls, and celebrated its 180th anniversary in the 2022-23 school year ahead of its 185th in 2027. The campus sits about 30 minutes from London by train and close to both Gatwick and Heathrow airports. The school is deliberately all-girls: its website argues that this environment lets girls be themselves and develop passions for subjects without distraction, and boarding life is underpinned by the goals of a Sacred Heart education. Woldingham School is a selective school, which shapes everything below: assessments are held in the autumn term and offers go out in December, so families should plan roughly a year ahead.
Programs for international students
The main academic route at Woldingham School runs from Year 7 to A Levels. All students study English literature, English language, maths, three sciences, theology and at least one foreign language up to GCSE; in Years 10 and 11 they continue with up to three options from Art, Computer Science, Design and Technology, Drama, French, Geography, German, History, Latin, Music, Physical Education and Spanish, with Latin or Greek available as an extra GCSE off timetable. The Sixth Form offers 26 A Level subjects, including newer options such as economics, psychology, media studies, politics and sociology, plus the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and the THRIVE programme for mindset and resilience. Beyond the main route, Woldingham runs three international-specific programs: a short stay programme of one term, two terms or a full academic year (September to July); a one-year pre-A Level course in Year 11 for able students to gain GCSEs before Sixth Form; and bespoke immersion programmes for groups of girls aged 11-17 lasting two or three weeks. Self-reported results for summer 2025 are strong: half of A Level grades were A*/A, over 80% were A*-B and a quarter of students achieved a clean sweep; at GCSE, half of results were 9-8 and 70% were 9-7, with 94% of Triple Science and more than 90% of Spanish results at 9-7. The website also lists Exeter, Newcastle, UCL and Durham among the most popular university destinations for its 2025 leavers.
Entry requirements and assessments
Woldingham School’s key points of entry are 11+ (Year 7), 13+ (Year 9) and 16+ (Sixth Form), with occasional places at 12+ (Year 8) and 14+ (Year 10); applicants can also apply at 11+ and defer to 13+. Assessments take place in November of the year before entry: 11+ and deferred 13+ candidates sit ISEB online tests in English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, plus a creative writing task and an interview; 12+ candidates sit the online Quest test in English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning with an interview; 13+ and 14+ candidates sit Quest in English, maths and science with an interview; and 16+ candidates take a critical thinking assessment, tests in two subjects relevant to their A Level choices, and an interview. A school report is requested from the current school. For Sixth Form entry, applicants are expected to have a minimum of eight GCSEs/IGCSEs with an average of grade 5.5; grade 7 or better is preferred for mathematics, sciences or languages at A Level and grade 6 or better is normally required for humanities. International applicants sit the same assessments as UK applicants, with prior approval, at a British Council office, an accredited education agency or their current school, and an online EAL test is added to the process; Woldingham also accepts UKiset, with Clarity online English placement as the alternative route.
Fees, deposits and financial support (2026-27)
The fees page published by Woldingham School covers the 2026-2027 academic year in termly figures including 20% VAT. Years 7 and 8: full boarding £18,252, weekly boarding £16,032, day £10,320. Years 9 to Upper Sixth: full boarding £20,628, weekly boarding £18,168, day £12,192, with students who attended Woldingham in Year 11 receiving a discounted Sixth Form rate. Sixth Form direct entry: full boarding £21,252, weekly boarding £18,792, day £12,816. Flexi-boarding runs to a maximum of three nights per week, booked termly, at £298.80 per week including VAT for three nights (£83 per night excluding VAT), with ad hoc nights at £98 (£117.60 including VAT). The acceptance deposit is £2,400 for boarders and £1,200 for day students; for students whose normal residence is outside the UK the deposit is £19,838, and students requiring a visa pay a £605 visa compliance management fee. Siblings receive a 5% fee reduction with a £600 deposit. Uniform, extra-curricular activities and trips, instrument tuition, day transport, guardians (mandatory for overseas students) and examination fees are charged separately, and each bill carries a £5 WPSA levy plus a one-year Old Girls’ Association membership of £150 per term (£450 in total). On the support side, bursaries are assessed on household income: registration with a bursary interest box must be completed by 30 September in the year before entry, the application form deadline is 31 October, and decisions are emailed by the end of January. Scholarships at 11+, 13+ and 16+ cover academic, art, drama, music, performing arts, sport and science categories, with academic scholarships remitting up to 10% of day fees.
Boarding and international student support
Three quarters of students at Woldingham School are British, and international boarders come from over thirty countries. Boarding options are full, weekly and flexi, and houses are organised by year group: Years 10 and 11 boarders live in Main House with individual study bedrooms, while flexi-boarders in Years 7 to 9 share bedrooms in the same house; Sixth Form boarders move to Berwick House (Lower Sixth, study bedrooms with shared bathrooms) and Shanley House (Upper Sixth, en suite bedrooms). The new Sixth Form Centre adds a collaborative zone, silent study space, café and a lecture theatre, and houses the new whole-school library. International families are encouraged to visit in person, and the school keeps a deliberate balance of British and international students in each class and boarding house. Students whose parents live abroad must appoint an official guardian resident in the UK, able to speak English, aged at least 25, and living within an hour of the school; guardians who are not relatives or close family friends must be AEGIS accredited. The school does not select or appoint guardians itself but can put parents in touch with organisations that provide guardianship services.
Application timeline and planning
The Woldingham School application cycle runs on a fixed annual rhythm: register by 30 September in the year before entry (ticking the bursary interest box if relevant), sit the assessment in November, and receive the offer decision in December; bursary applications close on 31 October with decisions by the end of January. Sixth Form applicants should check the GCSE grade expectations against their A Level subject choices, and international students should leave time for the EAL test and UKiset preparation. After an offer, parents pay the acceptance deposit, overseas families arrange a guardian and confirm the visa compliance fee. Woldingham School’s website is specific about fees, assessment formats and deadlines, but does not publish visa eligibility details, which should be checked against current UK government rules and the latest official pages. If you would like to map your daughter’s age, English level and target entry point onto the Woldingham School programme and application timeline, our consultants can work through your specific situation with you.