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.
Southbank International School is a co-educational day school offering International Baccalaureate (IB) education in London. It has three campuses across five sites: Kensington, Hampstead and Westminster. It belongs to the Cognita group.
Consider Southbank if you want an IB education or need to apply during the school year. Admissions are described as non-selective and rolling, but admission still depends on a successful application and an available place.
The school publishes Student Sponsor Status with UK Visas and Immigration. Families needing sponsorship should discuss eligibility and arrangements through the visa-admissions page. Sponsorship is not itself a guarantee that a visa will be issued.
Southbank is a potential fit for internationally mobile families seeking English-medium IB education without boarding. Its different London sites make the precise year group and daily journey important.
It does not offer a British A-level pathway. Compare The American School in London if an American curriculum is central to your plans. Southbank itself uses American grade numbering, so consult its age-placement chart rather than treating a Grade number as the equivalent British Year.
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. Confirm the buildings used by your child’s year group and how travel between them is supervised.
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.
Primary Years Programme (PYP), ages 5–11: Kindergarten to Grade 5 at Kensington or Hampstead.
Middle Years Programme (MYP), ages 11–16: Grades 6–10 at Westminster.
Diploma Programme (DP), ages 16–18: Grades 11–12. The school also offers the IB Career-related Programme and a high-school diploma. These are distinct routes; confirm the qualification and subject combination proposed for your child.
For the Class of 2026, the school reports 95 graduates, its largest cohort, and 94 pupils completing the full Diploma. It gives an average Diploma score of 35 and a pass rate of 98.9%.
It also reports 18.1% scoring at least 40 points, over 50% scoring at least 35, and a 100% pass rate among bilingual Diploma candidates. These figures describe different measures within one cohort; they do not predict an individual pupil’s result.
The admissions process has five steps:
If the application succeeds and a place is available, the school issues an offer and first-term invoice. Payment secures the place. Successful applicants without an available place join a waiting list; request current information for the relevant grade.
Pupils may start during the academic year, subject to availability. Rolling admission does not guarantee a midyear vacancy.
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 |
Additional charges per pupil:
| 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.
School transport for 2026–27 is charged per term:
Eligibility depends on the home address. Confirm the service and route before including it in your plans.
Lunch is sold separately. The school lists provision for EC4–Grade 5 at Kensington and Hampstead, and at Westminster Lower Senior; use the Southbank Shop for current prices and confirm eligibility for the relevant class. Most extracurricular activities are free, but some specialist and competition activities carry charges.
IB exams, optional residential trips, and languages other than English, French or Spanish can be extra.
For a full-year MYP pupil, three tuition payments total £46,200. Adding application (£300), deposit (£2,000), first-year capital fee (£3,300) and annual PTA charge (£42) gives £51,842 in first-year cash payments, before transport and other applicable extras. This is a calculation, not a separate school quotation. The refundable deposit is not an additional tuition charge; check its return conditions.
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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