Popular with international students, this Northampton-based town school offers a senior education with additional English language support, a flexible admissions policy and support with all aspects of moving to and living in the UK.

Bosworth Independent College is a small and inclusive school in Northampton that delivers a full and very supportive day and boarding experience to students from over 30 countries. Since 1977 the school has been offering a range of pathways, including GCSEs and A Levels, for primarily international students aged 13 to 18 years (Years 7-13). 

With a cohort of just over 320 students, the school is small enough to offer the one to one attention within the classroom that students with English as a second language may need. It celebrates its multiculturalism (it’s home to 38 different nationalities) and around 60% of students come from overseas.

The school is focused on helping overseas students settle into UK school life – from helping with doctor’s surgery registration and setting up bank accounts in the student induction through to assigning every student a personal tutor to guide them through their studies. It also has flexible start dates (a choice of September and January) to fit in with Northern and Southern Hemisphere academic years.

It's a school that offers plenty of added value, it focuses on developing foreign students socially as well as academically. The results? As well as some strong grades at both GCSE and A Level, the school helps students to adjust to UK life and prepares them well for UK university 

The school is owned by CATS Global Schools, which has independent UK boarding schools and international schools in China and the US; it is one of three CATS colleges which are focused on bridging the gap for international students towards a UK university education.

Curriculum

Bosworth’s curriculum is designed for both second language and first language English speakers. The college offers a range of academic programmes for day and boarding students lasting from one term to two years. It has expertise in teaching English alongside academic study and the small class sizes needed to give foreign students the individual support they may need; there’s eight to 12 students in each class.

Many students, who may have English as their second language, come to Bosworth for its immersive education. All lessons and after-school activities are taught and led in English to help students master the language in both academic and social settings. 

In Year 9, students study a broad curriculum to prepare them for GCSEs in Years 10-11. The school offers a broad choice of GCSEs including the core subjects (English, maths and science) and art, geography, history, business, music, psychology, sociology, French and Spanish. Students not only from a choice of traditional and some ‘newer’ subjects, but also from the additional support they get from subject specialists who are trained in how to teach students who have English as a second language.

In the Sixth Form, students typically study three A Levels over two years with options including maths, history, art and design, psychology, business, chemistry, physics, history, economics, music, and biology. The school is particularly strong in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (in 2022, 73% of grades at A Level maths were A*-A).

The school offers plenty of support with the university applications, with university fairs, guidance on writing personal statements and progression agreements with over 40 UK universities. There’s a dedicated programme for students who want to apply to Oxbridge or highly competitive courses including medicine, dentistry, law and veterinary medicine.

Other programmes include a one-year, intensive pre-GCSE course for students with basic English, as well as preparation programmes for A Levels and high school, summer school, English Language Courses and a University Foundation Programme.

Beyond the classroom

After timetabled lessons, the school runs an activities for students of all ages to encourage participation in a wide choice of clubs as varied as yoga, football, photography, art, knitting, Mandarin, bead craft, running, debating, guitar playing and chess.

Facilities on campus are limited so the college uses a local sports hall for badminton, basketball, volleyball, table-tennis and 5-a-side football. While the school does not have the numbers or resources to field its own sports teams, staff do encourage and help students in trials for local teams.

There’s also an active Bosworth Student Council, and many planned evening and weekend activities.

Academic results

Bosworth has a strong academic record, particularly when you consider that most of these results are achieved by students studying in the UK for the first time and for whom English is an additional language.

2022 GCSE results: 70% of students achieved at least one 9-7 (A*-A) grades; 76% achieved at least one A*-B grades; and the pass rate was 100%.

2022 A Level results: 57% of students achieved at least one A*-A grades; 76% achieved at least one A*-B grades; and the pass rate was 100%.

Leavers’ destinations are impressive and include top UK universities such as the University of Cambridge, King’s College London, and University of Warwick.

Boarding

Students can choose between weekly or full boarding, and accommodation is in six fully supervised, modern houses within walking distance of the college. Students in the Sixth Form can live in houses owned by the college in the surrounding area to help prepare for independent living.

Campus and facilities

The school recently moved into a new single location – a Grade II listed former girl’s grammar school in Northampton with over 35 classrooms, music and art studios, a café, a sixth form hub, an IT laboratory and a grand hall. It’s a town campus where students can walk onto the heart of Northampton and take full advantage of the town’s facilities on their doorstep.

Admission and fees

The admissions criteria vary for each of the programmes offered, but Bosworth is a non-selective college and enrols students of all abilities. 

The school offers a limited number of scholarships.

Annual full boarding fees are £26,985; annual day fees are £13,995.

Our view

Good for: Bosworth offers international students a bridge to a college and university education in the UK and it’s ideal for overseas students who want support to settle into UK life, and a steppingstone towards university-style independence. The flexible entry timelines, the fact that it is not academically selective, and its location in a very student-friendly city are all good reasons for choosing this school.

Its small community of students, informal vibe with students being on first-name terms with staff, and its broad range of courses (GCSEs, A Levels, Foundation and the IB) are popular with international students who may struggle to settle so quickly into a larger more traditional UK independent school setting.

Not for: With a focus on the needs of international students, this will not suit British students looking for a more traditional UK senior school. There are schools with larger campuses, and more state of the arts facilities across the UK, as well as those that can offer a larger boarding community that is on-campus.

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