United Kingdom · London
An IB day school on five central-London sites, not one campus. Admissions are rolling and non-selective. The 2026/27 tuition table is published, and the school says those fees will not rise until September 2029.
Este retrato ainda está em inglês. As outras línguas chegam escola a escola.
Currículo como a escola o publica:IB PYP · IB MYP · IB Diploma · IB Career-related Programme · High School Diploma
Línguas de ensino:English
Southbank International School is a co-educational IB day school on three campuses and five sites in central London. The facilities page says it plainly: Kensington, Hampstead and Westminster, “all situated in some of the most desirable and inspiring areas of central London.” It is part of the Cognita group. The school says it was the first in the UK authorised to offer all three IB programmes, and that it has been doing internationally relevant work for more than 40 years.
This is not The American School in London. Southbank is IB from early childhood to the Diploma, with a high-school diploma and an IB Career-related Programme also named on the curriculum pages. Admissions are non-selective and rolling. The school has Student Sponsor Status with UK Visas & Immigration — the opposite visa sentence from ASL.
The useful questions are: Which site would this child actually attend? Can you live with a central-London walk between Portland Place, Conway Street and Cleveland Street at 16? And do you want a rolling IB door more than a British 11+?
Families who want the IB in London without a Home Counties boarding week. Families who may arrive mid-year. Families who need the school to understand a Child Student visa. Families who can pay a termly Cognita bill and a first-year capital fee.
It will not suit a family hunting a boys’ house, a British A-level sixth form, or a single leafy campus. If you need American grades and no CAS, walk ASL the same week and say the two sentences aloud.
The school uses the American grading system. It publishes an age-placement chart. Read that chart before you apply for “Year 7.”
Official addresses from the contact page:
Kensington — 36–38 Kensington Park Road, London W11 3BU. Early childhood and PYP, ages 2–11, Notting Hill side.
Hampstead — 16 Netherhall Gardens, London NW3 5TH. Early childhood and PYP, ages 2–11. The facilities page says about 160 students here, then transfer to Westminster at 11. Near Hampstead Heath.
Westminster, three sites a short walk apart:
The facilities page says MYP (11–16) runs across the three Westminster sites; Diploma students (16–18) attend Conway Street and Cleveland Street. Ask which door this child uses on a Tuesday. A brochure that says “Westminster” is not an address.
General switchboard 020 7243 3803. Admissions 020 3890 1969, office at the Kensington address, 09:00–17:00 in term.
Early childhood (2–5). EC3 half day or full day; EC4 full day. The fees page says EC3 children may attend full-time if they have the stamina for a full day and are toilet trained.
PYP (5–11). Kindergarten to Grade 5, on Kensington or Hampstead.
MYP (11–16). Grades 6–10, Westminster.
DP (16–18). Grades 11–12. The school also names the IB Career-related Programme and a high-school diploma. Ask which leaving paper this child would actually sit.
The academic-excellence page, writing about the Class of 2026, said 94 students completed the full Diploma, 95 graduates (the largest cohort in the school’s history), an average Diploma score of 35, a 98.9% pass rate, 18.1% at 40 points or higher, over 50% at 35 or above, and a 100% pass rate for those sitting the bilingual Diploma. Executive Principal Siobhan McGrath is quoted on that page. That is one cohort, not a promise.
The same page says more than 60 nationalities and 20 native languages taught at Westminster.
Five steps on the admissions page: read the policy and the age chart; gather documents; apply online; pay £300 including VAT (bank transfer; the school does not currently accept cards); wait 7–10 working days after a complete file. A successful application with a place becomes a formal offer plus the first term’s invoice, which must be paid to secure the place. If the application is successful and there is no place yet, the child goes on a waiting list. The school will not let us invent how long that list is.
Students can start at any point in the academic year, subject to availability. That is the rolling door. It is not a promise that Grade 10 has a chair in January.
Fees are per term, three terms a year. The school’s fee-freeze sentence: 2026/27 tuition will be held at the same level for the following two academic years — no increase until September 2029, when the usual annual review returns. Confirm that sentence on the live fees page before you treat it as a three-year budget.
| Programme (school’s labels) | Termly ex-VAT | VAT | Termly incl. VAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Childhood 3, half day | £6,959 | n/a | £6,959 |
| Early Childhood 3, full day | £9,646 | n/a | £9,646 |
| Early Childhood 4, full day | £9,247 | £1,849 | £11,096 |
| Kindergarten–Grade 2 (PYP, 5–8) | £11,129 | £2,226 | £13,355 |
| Grades 3–5 (PYP, 8–11) | £11,500 | £2,300 | £13,800 |
| Grades 6–10 (MYP, 11–16) | £12,833 | £2,567 | £15,400 |
| Grades 11–12 (DP, 16–18) | £13,361 | £2,672 | £16,033 |
First-year set-up the same page names (per student):
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application (incl. VAT, non-refundable) | £300 |
| Refundable deposit (on the first-term invoice) | £2,000 |
| PTA, annual | £42 |
| Capital development fee, new joiners (incl. VAT) | £3,300 |
| Capital development fee, subsequent years (incl. VAT) | £780 |
| Mathematics standard calculator, new G9–12 (incl. VAT) | £240 |
The capital fee is £2,750 plus VAT for new joiners and £650 plus VAT thereafter; the page also prints the VAT-inclusive totals above.
Bus, per term, 2026/27: door-to-door Hampstead and Kensington £1,910; door-to-door Westminster £1,310; shuttle between Westminster and the other campuses £875. Eligibility depends on address. Lunch is sold separately for EC4–Grade 5 at Kensington, Hampstead and Westminster Lower Senior; the school points you at the Southbank Shop for the current lunch price. Most extra-curricular activities are free; some specialist or competition activities charge.
IB exams, optional residential trips, and languages other than English, French or Spanish can be extra.
A first-year MYP place is not “about £46,000.” It is application + deposit + capital + three terms + bus if you need it. Do the sum on the live page.
Ask which of the five sites this child would stand in on a wet Tuesday. Ask how the walk between Portland Place and Cleveland Street works at 16. Ask whether you need the school’s CAS, and what the UKVI page currently requires. Ask how a mid-year Grade 8 actually joins. Walk ASL the same week if the leaving paper might need to stay American.
We are not ranking Southbank among IB schools. We are not treating the Class of 2026 averages as a promise. We are not inventing a waitlist or a 2029 fee. Read the current fees, admissions and contact pages before you rent beside the wrong campus. This is a map. The school still has to be the right Tuesday.
Páginas e documentos oficiais que lemos. Se um número importa para o orçamento ou a candidatura, abram o link e confirmem que ainda vale.
Orientação amiga, não uma candidatura. Datas, propinas e programas mexem-se. Confirmem tudo com a escola.
The useful London map is not a league table. It is which river, which leaving paper, and a commute you should time in January rain, not on Open Morning.
15 minAs letras do diploma importam. Não são a criança inteira. Aqui vai como distingui-las sem dor de cabeça, e sem fingir que todas as portas continuam abertas.
16 minNão precisam de um algoritmo perfeito. Precisam de algumas verdades sobre o vosso filho, uma lista aborrecida no frigorífico, e a coragem de ignorar um campus bonito que não serve.
15 minAs propinas são o número da página inicial. O PDF é o que chega em Março. Aqui vai como ler o segundo, sem inventar um euro, uma coroa ou um prazo.