United Kingdom · Bristol
Clifton College is a co-educational school in Bristol for pupils from age three to 18. Day education runs throughout. Regular boarding starts in the Prep School, with flexi and full boarding available through Sixth Form.
Clifton College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in Bristol. Its divisions cover Preschool to Year 13. The school has a Church of England religious character and a Christian ethos.
Its terms also provide Jewish religious teaching and life for Jewish pupils who choose it. Families should ask how either provision works within their child’s timetable and boarding house.
The Pre-Prep admits pupils from age three and runs to Year 3. The Prep School covers Years 4–8. The Upper School covers Years 9–13, including the two-year Sixth Form.
Day pupils can attend throughout. Regular flexi and full boarding starts in Year 4. Upper School flexi boarding includes up to four nights each week, while full boarding covers seven nights.
Year 9 provides a broad programme and begins some GCSE content. GCSEs are subject qualifications normally taken at age 16. Pupils choose subjects during the spring, or Lent, term of Year 9, then study them in Years 10 and 11.
Sixth Form pupils follow A Levels, advanced subject qualifications, or selected vocational courses, including BTECs. The school also offers the Extended Project Qualification, an independently researched project. Subject choice and timetable compatibility matter when assessing whether a Sixth Form programme is viable.
The usual Year 12 academic threshold is three GCSE grades at 7 and three at 6, or equivalent results. Individual subjects may set higher requirements.
Registration is online. The school reviews academic potential, reports, conduct, attitude and any current-school recommendation. It must also be satisfied that the pupil can benefit from its provision.
For Preschool and Reception, there is no formal entrance assessment. The process may include previous-setting information, a taster session and conversations with parents. Preschool children can start from their third birthday.
Years 1–3 applicants attend a half-day or full-day taster. Informal work may cover reading, writing and mathematics.
Years 4–8 applicants normally provide a recent report, attend a taster day and complete CAT4, a test of reasoning abilities. The school generally expects performance around the national average. An overseas applicant may have an online meeting instead of travelling for the taster.
External applicants for Years 9 and 10 provide a recent report and complete CAT4. The published policy again describes the national average as the usual minimum. Year 11 places may be available only exceptionally.
Year 12 candidates are tested in two proposed A Level subjects and interviewed. Overseas candidates also sit an English paper. References and the most recent school report form part of every Upper School application.
The live admissions pages did not publish one central deadline or full calendar for 2027 entry. Scholarship applications have separate closing dates. Ask Admissions for the correct timetable before paying registration or arranging travel.
All international applicants need enough English to access the curriculum. The currently linked English as an Additional Language (EAL) policy gives B1, an intermediate level on the European CEFR language scale, as the minimum for Year 9.
For Sixth Form, it gives at least B2, upper-intermediate, for mathematics and science combinations. It prefers C1, advanced, for essay-based subjects. Because the policy’s stated Summer 2026 review date has passed, confirm these thresholds before applying.
Years 9–11 pupils may take timetabled English as an Additional Language, leading to an IGCSE in English as a Second Language. Upper School EAL support does not normally replace other timetabled lessons.
Year 9 pupils identified as EAL complete placement testing after arrival. Sixth Form provision includes IELTS preparation during enrichment. One-to-one tuition can be offered at extra cost when the school considers it necessary.
Parents must disclose known or suspected special educational needs, disabilities and relevant reports during application. The school discusses adjustments and assesses whether it can meet each applicant’s needs before offering a place.
Provision can include classroom strategies, group support and one-to-one specialist teaching. Specialist lessons are usually charged. The school may also ask parents to fund a formal external assessment.
All new pupils are screened or complete age-appropriate baseline assessments during their first term. Pupils with significant needs may have a Pupil Profile that records strategies, interventions and review arrangements.
An Education, Health and Care Plan does not automatically guarantee provision. The school first checks whether it can deliver the plan. Additional services may be charged to parents or, where applicable, to the responsible local authority.
Discuss physical access, medical care, exam arrangements and staffing with the relevant division before accepting. Capacity to make an adjustment should not be assumed from the presence of a general SEND policy.
The Upper School has seven boarding houses: four for boys and three for girls. The houses accommodate pupils across Years 9–13 rather than separating Sixth Form students.
The Upper timetable runs from Monday to Saturday. Full boarders can stay for weekends, when houses and the College offer activities. They may also leave with parents or guardians when school commitments and permission arrangements allow.
Upper day fees include wraparound care from 7:30am through supper, ending at 7:15pm on weekdays and 4pm on Saturdays. Prep and Pre-Prep wraparound runs from 7:30am to 6pm.
Occasional boarding costs £70 per night in Prep and £80 per night in Upper. Availability must be requested. Flexi fees already include three Prep nights or four Upper nights each week.
Overseas families submit the pupil’s passport and birth certificate at registration. Years 9–11 applicants resident overseas complete CAT4 and a virtual admissions meeting. Sixth Form applicants take two subject papers, an English paper and an interview.
Clifton College holds a Child Student sponsor licence for pupils attending the College. Parents must identify the need for sponsorship at registration. They remain responsible for immigration permission, required maintenance funds and compliant accommodation.
The school’s Visa Compliance Officer introduces families to its external immigration-law partner. This support does not transfer the family’s legal responsibilities to the school.
If both parents live outside mainland UK, the guardian policy requires an education guardian while the pupil is in the UK but outside school care. Parents appoint the guardian; Clifton does not do so.
A professional guardian agency must hold AEGIS Gold accreditation or BSA certification. A close family member may be accepted after school checks. For a stay of one year or less, a family friend may sometimes be approved.
The guardian generally must be over 25, speak English, live within same-day travel and provide suitable holiday, exeat and illness care. Guardian details must be approved before attendance, or the pupil cannot take the place.
Parents and guardians arrange and pay for travel, including airport transfers. Boarding does not cover all school holidays, and parents must plan compliant accommodation before arrival.
The following fees are per term and include VAT. They include standard teaching and lunch. Boarding fees also include daily meals.
| Stage | Day | Flexi | Full boarding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preschool | £4,785 | — | — |
| Reception | £5,370 | — | — |
| Year 1 | £5,660 | — | — |
| Year 2 | £6,225 | — | — |
| Year 3 | £6,600 | — | — |
| Years 4–6 | £7,135 | £8,930 | £13,305 |
| Years 7–8 | £9,350 | £11,270 | £15,770 |
| Years 9–11 | £12,950 | £17,795 | £19,835 |
| Years 12–13 | £13,170 | £18,555 | £20,725 |
The £200 registration fee is non-refundable and does not apply to Preschool. Bursary applicants must register before assessment and interview.
The acceptance fee is £1,500 for Pre-Prep, £1,850 for Prep and £2,000 for Upper. Each sum includes a £300 non-refundable acceptance deposit.
After a pupil completes their time at Clifton, the balance is credited without interest to the final extras bill. If a conditional offer’s assessment standard is not met, the school refunds the acceptance fee in full.
In other circumstances, the acceptance fee is not refunded when a child does not take the place. Read the cancellation terms before accepting, particularly if another application remains undecided.
For an overseas non-EU pupil, the school also requires a deposit equal to one term’s full-boarding fee. This is additional to the acceptance fee and is normally credited without interest when the pupil leaves.
Parents who sign the acceptance form are jointly and separately responsible for the fees. An employer or other third party paying the bill does not release them from that liability.
Fees include standard teaching and meals described above. They exclude some house activities, trips, learning support, EAL tuition, art and design materials, public examinations and exam reviews.
Extra EAL, SEN or off-curriculum tuition is generally charged at £73 per hour, where charging is lawful. Public examination fees for GCSE, A Level, BTEC and CTEC are added to the bill.
The standard withdrawal requirement is one full term’s written notice before the first day of the final term. Without it, the next term’s fees are payable instead.
For withdrawal at the end of Year 11, notice is longer. It must arrive before the start of the second half of the Lent term. The usual notice rule also covers a pupil not returning after GCSE or Year 12.
Moving between day, flexi and full boarding requires the Head’s written permission and an available place. An upgrade may be implemented immediately by agreement, but contractual notice rules also apply to status changes.
When an offer and acceptance are completed entirely at a distance, the contract provides a 14-day cancellation period. Later cancellation before entry usually forfeits the acceptance fee, even when one term’s notice is given.
Late cancellation normally creates liability for a full term’s fees. If a place is offered within one term of entry, cancellation before entry can also cost one term’s fees, less the acceptance fee.
There is normally no fee refund for absence, an extended holiday, early exam release, a shortened term or a temporary closure. The contract preserves legal rights and allows hardship relief at the Head’s discretion.
The school offers scholarships at 11+, 13+ and 16+ in several academic, creative and sporting fields. Categories differ by entry point, and each scholarship has its own assessment and closing date.
The current bursary route is narrower than a general means-tested application. A pupil must first secure a place on a scholarship programme before applying for a means-tested bursary.
Scholarship status does not by itself establish the eventual fee reduction. Ask for the award conditions and the separate bursary decision before deciding what the family can afford.
Clifton offers an unusually broad range of arrangements within one Bristol school. A family can choose a normal day place, scheduled flexi boarding, occasional nights or full boarding, depending on the child’s stage.
Official pages and documents we read. If a figure matters to your budget or your application, open the link and confirm it is still current.
Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.
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8 minStart with the child and a realistic weekly timetable. Then confirm who provides care, which nights are covered, and what happens when plans change.
7 minStart with the qualification your child would actually receive. Then check its subjects, language demands, and recognition in the countries where they may study next.
7 minStart with your child and the family's likely plans. Define the non-negotiables, verify the school's claims, compare three realistic options and visit with specific questions.