TOP-50 prestigious British schools in England where foreign students can study International Baccalaureate (IB) programme

Education information

Nowadays, foreign students prefer taking different studying programs and courses abroad. SMAPSE offers 50 best schools in England where international students can study advanced IB programs. Due to the list of TOP-50 prestigious British schools, you will definitely find the most appropriate option. Please, don't hesitate to contact SMAPSE experts, as they are always ready to answer all your questions.

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Advantages of studying International Baccalaureate in the UK

International Baccalaureate programs in the UK appeared in 1971. Courses are aimed at children 3-19 years old. Many private boarding schools in Britain offer best studying conditions that provide intellectual and personal development.

Since the 1960s, the program has not stopped improving and introducing progressive ideas, which is especially important in a modern society.

Program development:

1971 year	2016
681 certified specialists	161.104 certified teachers
749 students	1.250.000 students
7 schools	4.538 schools worldwide

Gradually, traditional ideas about education were shifted by new knowledge, taking into account the peculiarities of psychology, gender and taking into account the challenges of modern society:

Traditional pedagogy	Progressive philosophy
Emphasis on memorization, encyclopedic knowledge	Focus on the ability to critically analyze
Standard program for everyone	Individual educational plan
Closed disciplines	Interdisciplinary principle
IQ tests	Wide range of knowledge assessment tools
The teacher is an active participant in the learning process	Students are active participants in the learning process
Focus on studying of disciplines	Versatile education and personal development
Closed classes	Open classes
National perspective	Studying phenomena in an international context

International Baccalaureate in England for foreign students

International Baccalaureate includes the following 4 courses:

Primary Years Program - the first program for children 3-12 years old. It creates studying conditions that make students active participants in education, so an educational journey that has no borders. Children learn to take responsibility and analyze their activities, all education takes place in a practical context. This course is available in 109 countries, while in each country it is adapted to national educational standards. The program has existed since 1997 and has established itself as a quality educational alternative to national educational standards with in-depth study and international emphasis.
The Middle Years Program is a 5-year program that provides excellent academic preparation for high school. The course is aimed at students 11-16 years old. The curriculum includes 8 subject areas providing a broad and balanced education. Students with any interests and goals will be able to greatly benefit from the program, choose disciplines from a wide list for more in-depth study. Middle Years Program was introduced in 1994. Students will be able to discover the connection between theoretical areas of knowledge and the world around them through practical-oriented learning.
The Diploma Program (DP) is aimed at schoolchildren aged 16-19 and is aimed at developing diverse students with excellent training in the intellectual, emotional, ethical and physical fields. The course was developed in 1968. This direction is widely recognized throughout the world and has great authority, therefore it will be an excellent pre-university preparation. The plan consists of six areas of knowledge - the theory of knowledge, creativity, practice and service.
The Career-related Program (CP) is aimed at students aged 16-19 who are aimed at entering universities abroad or employment. Using the program, students will be able to deepen their knowledge of priority disciplines and master valuable practical skills.

List of disciplines

Course name	Subject Areas and Disciplines
Middle Years Program	Art
	Design
	Personality and Society
	Interdisciplinary study
	Language acquisition
	Literature
	Maths
	Personal project
	Physical education
	Science
Diploma Program	Maths
	Art: Dancing Movie Music Theater Fine Arts
	Science: Biology Chemistry Programming Design and Technology Environmental sciences Physics Sports and Health Sciences
	Person and society: Business management Economy Geography Foreign policy Story Information Technology Philosophy Psychology Social and Cultural Anthropology Religion
	Languages and Literature
	Mastering the language: classic and modern languages

IB in England for foreign students: private boarding schools

Since International Baccalaureate in the UK not the only program known worldwide for its quality, many parents have to make a choice between the national A-Level program and its international counterpart IB.

The A-Level course involves studying of 3-4 subjects from the scientific field or the humanities. IB students study 6 subject areas, which should include both scientific and humanitarian areas, as well as three additional elements: cognition theory, sports, volunteer and creative activities.

According to experts, for students aimed at studying mathematics and science, it is better not to find the A-Level. On the other hand, the International Baccalaureate program will allow you to learn to think critically and better understand the essence of subjects. According to statistics, IB international undergraduate students are more likely to enter the TOP-20 universities in the world, generally receive a bachelor's degree and continue their studies at postgraduate programs.

Facts about IB in Britain

103	Number of schools with an IB program in Britain
10	Schools offer Primary Years Program
14	So many educational institutions are invited to the Middle Years Program
99	Educational institutions with Diploma Program (DP)
42	Educational center with Career-related Program (CP)
172	Number of universities recognizing an IB diploma

General statistics on education in the UK-ratings, specializations, universities

IB rankings of small schools in England 2019

AVG. Points	Name	DAY/BOARD	BOY/GIRL	DAY GBP	BOARD GBP	Cohort size
36.7	Westbourne School	Both	Co-ed	14,010	35,850	11
36.5	Sherborne Girls	Both	Girls	21,975	37,050	17
34.1	Gresham's School	Both	Co-ed	27,000	37,890	16
32.1	International Community School	Day	Co-ed	27,540		14
31.0	Ellesmere College	Both	Co-ed	18,990	34,533	12
28.0	Buckswood School	Both	Co-ed	13,950	29,700	18

IB rankings of large schools in England 2018

AVG. Points	Name	DAY/BOARD	BOY/GIRL	DAY GBP	BOARD GBP	Cohort size
40.2	Wellington College	Both	Co-ed	30,375	41,580	96
39.4	Sevenoaks School	Both	Co-ed	27,585	42,084	224
38.6	Whitgift School	Both	Boys	20,640	40,140	40
38.0	Ardingly College	Both	Co-ed	23,985	37,800	45
37.5	Bromsgrove School	Both	Co-ed	17,085	38,220	45
37.4	Headington School	Both	Girls	19,905	40,185	36
37.0	Fettes College	Both	Co-ed	29,925	36,495	40
36.9	Marymount International School	Both	Girls	24,985	42,305	36
36.5	St Clare's	Both	Co-ed	19,878	41,375	102
36.2	Haileybury	Both	Co-ed	26,646	36,144	50
35.6	Stonyhurst College	Both	Co-ed	20,550	37,350
35.4	Oakham School	Both	Co-ed	21,360	35,010	63
35.1	Brentwood School	Both	Co-ed	19,800	38,799	33
34.7	King Edward's Witley	Both	Co-ed	21,285	34,050	127
34.5	Worth School	Both	Co-ed	24,570	35,220	39
34.3	Bedford School	Both	Boys	19,842	33,558	28
34.1	Christ's Hospital	Both	Co-ed	23,310	35,850	28
33.9	Windermere School	Both	Co-ed	18,300	32,280	34
33.8	Felsted School	Both	Co-ed	24,495	37,485	29
33.6	Charterhouse School	Both	Co-ed	33,630	40,695	58
33.0	St Leonards School	Both	Co-ed	15,474	37,452	61
32.7	King William's College	Both	Co-ed	23,250	34,250	55
32.3	Taunton School	Both	Co-ed	20,070	37,380	24
32.2	Bryanston School	Both	Co-ed		39,693	24
32.0	ACS Hillingdon International School	Day	Co-ed	25,890		22
31.9	ACS Cobham International School	Both	Co-ed	27,650	47,870	78
31.0	Box Hill School	Both	Co-ed	20,220	36,450	24
31.0	Rossall School	Both	Co-ed	13,740	35,085	20
31.0	Scarborough College	Both	Co-ed	15,282	30,165	20

Secondary education in the UK

World Ranking	1
Foreign students	20%
Minimum age	4 years+ (age 11-14)
Tuition language	English
Minimum English level	beginner&higher (depends on the school)
Tuition cost	£17,000-50,000
Cost of living (year)	£10,000-25,000
Mandatory subjects	English, Mathematics, Science

Learning programs-summary information

Name	Meaning	Equivalent	Min. age	Duration, years	Next stage	Cost
GCSE	General certificate of secondary education	secondary education (non-accomplished)	14	1–2	A-Levels	15,000 USD+
A-Levels	Advanced level	secondary education (accomplished)	16	2	University	15,000 USD+
BTEC	Business and Technology Education Board	secondary special education	14	2–3	University/ work	15,000 USD+
Oxbridge Preparation	Preparing for Oxford and Cambridge	secondary education (accomplished)	17	1	University	15,000 USD+
International Baccalaureate	International baccalaureate	secondary education (accomplished)	16	2	University	18,000 USD+
Foundation/ Pathway Year	Preparatory year	admission to the 1st year of university	17	1	University	14,000 USD+
NCUK	The Northern consortium	2 year university	17,5	1	2 year University of NCUK	13,000 USD+
Special Preparation (Medics/Math/Business)	Specialized training	-	14	optional	optional	4,000 USD+
Academic English	Academic English	Language school	8 +	6–12 months	School or University	8,000 USD+

Advantages and disadvantages of English schools

Advantages	Disadvantages
The opportunity to enter the best universities in England, USA, Canada, Switzerland, Europe, the world	Expensive
High quality of education and academic standards	Strong workload
Perfect English after graduation	The need to change the social environment; it takes time to adapt
Useful contacts	The difficulty of choosing the most suitable school for the child, requires a qualified specialist

Top 21 best boarding colleges in England 2021

1	Cardiff Sixth Form College
2	National Mathematics and Science College
3	Abbey College Cambridge
4	d'Overbroeck's College
5	MPW London
6	CATS Cambridge
7	Kensington Park
8	DLD London
9	King's College St Michael’s
10	Bellerbys Cambridge
11	Chelsea Independent College
12	MPW Cambridge
13	Bellerbys Brighton
14	CATS London
15	St Clare's Oxford
16	Bishopstrow College
17	CATS Canterbury
18	Bellerbys London
19	Ealing Independent College
20	Cambridge Tutors College
21	Abbey Manchester

Top 35 best schools in the USA - 2020 Smapse rankings

1	North Broward Preparatory School
2	Phillips Academy Andover
3	The Storm King School New York
4	Red Bank Catholic High School
5	Windermere Preparatory School
6	Shattuck St Mary's School
7	Cheshire Academy
8	Cate School
9	Ross School
10	Deerfield Academy
11	The Village School
12	Amerigo Los Angeles – Bishop Montgomery High School
13	Webb Schools
14	Kent School USA
15	The Winchendon School
16	Darlington School
17	Marian Catholic High School Amerigo Education
18	Grier School
19	The MacDuffie School
20	CATS Academy Boston
21	The Cambridge School of Weston
22	Milton Academy
23	Amerigo Education Napa Valley
24	American Hebrew Academy
25	Northfield Mount Hermon School
26	Mater Dei Catholic High School San Diego Amerigo Education
27	American University Preparatory School Los Angeles
28	Webb Schools
29	Kent School USA
30	Groton School
31	Maine Central Institute
32	The Lawrenceville School
33	Grand River Academy Оhio
34	Saint John Paul II Academy
35	Chicago North Shore

Top 14 best schools in Switzerland 2021

1	College Du Leman
2	St. Georges School Montreux
3	Institut Monte Rosa
4	Hochalpines Institut Ftan AG High Alpine
5	Saint-Charles Collège et Lycée
6	Leysin American School
7	Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz
8	Aiglon College Switzerland
9	Institut Le Rosey School
10	Institut Montana Zugerberg
11	Champittet College
12	Brillantmont International School
13	Surval Montreux
14	Ecole Pre Fleuri

Top 12 best schools in Canada 2021

1	Brookes Shawnigan Lake
2	Rosseau Lake College
3	Albert College
4	Columbia International College
5	Ridley College
6	St Andrew's College
7	Brentwood College School
8	Pickering College
9	Bodwell High School
10	Trafalgar Castle School
11	Fulford Academy
12	Shawnigan Lake School

A-level rankings 2018

№	A/A* %	Name	Day/Board	Boy/Girl	Day GBP	Board GBP
1	88.92	Westminster School	Both	Co-ed (Boys Only 7-16)	29,709	39,252
2	88.68	Cardiff Sixth Form College	Both	Co-ed	16,600	42,750
3	84.73	St Paul's School	Both	Boys	25,032	37,611
4	84.30	Wycombe Abbey School	Boarding	Girls	29,205	38,940
5	83.54	Oxford International College	Both	Co-ed	21,000	42,000
6	83.06	Brighton College	Both	Co-ed	24,420	44,460
7	81.43	Concord College	Both	Co-ed	14,280	39,900
8	80.12	Eton College	Boarding	Boys		40,668
9	76.17	Highgate School	Day	Co-ed	20,970
10	71.79	St Mary's School - Ascot	Both	Girls	27,630	38,790
11	71.25	Ruthin School	Both	Co-ed	14,000	34,500
12	70.39	University College School	Day	Boys (Co-ed 6th form)	20,328
13	68.74	Hampton School	Day	Boys	20,055
14	68.48	Tonbridge School	Both	Boys	30,342	40,446
15	66.78	Downe House School	Both	Girls	27,495	37,530
16	66.55	St Catherine's School - Guildford	Both	Girls	18,375	30,285
17	65.00	Harrow School	Boarding	Boys		40,050
18	64.11	Oundle School	Both	Co-ed	23,505	36,690
19	62.62	Dulwich College	Both	Boys	20,448	42,681
20	62.21	Abingdon School	Both	Boys	19,950	39,750
21	62.00	Benenden School	Boarding	Girls		37,950
22	61.74	Marlborough College	Both	Co-ed		37,815
23	61.15	Woldingham School	Both	Girls	23,190	38,040
24	60.87	Rugby School	Both	Co-ed	22,437	35,760
25	60.68	Radley College	Boarding	Boys		38,325
26	60.00	Wellington College	Both	Co-ed	30,375	41,580
27	59.68	Mayfield School	Both	Girls	21,000	33,900
28	59.06	Caterham School	Both	Co-ed	18,900	36,570
29	58.33	Hurtwood House	Both	Co-ed	28,950	43,428
30	58.22	Epsom College	Both	Co-ed	25,266	37,263

Best boarding schools in England - 2021 Smapse rankings

1	Cardiff Sixth Form College
2	Sevenoaks School
3	Queen Ethelburga's College
4	Brighton College
5	The National Mathematics and Science College NMSC
6	Concord College
7	Westbourne School
8	Wellington College
9	Rossall School
10	d'Overbroeck's College
11	Dulwich College
12	Fettes College
13	Stonar School
14	Wycliffe College
15	Lucton School
16	King's School Canterbury
17	ACS School Cobham
18	Hurtwood House
19	Uppingham School
20	Scarborough College
21	King's College St Michael’s
22	Mill Hill School
23	Windermere School
24	Clifton College
25	Badminton School
26	Oakham School
27	Oundle School
28	Stowe School
29	Cheltenham College
30	Bromsgrove School
31	Sidcot School
32	Prior Park College
33	Millfield School
34	Oswestry School
35	Caterham School
36	City of London Freemen’s School
37	Buckswood School
38	Brooke House College
39	Taunton School
40	St Clare's Oxford
41	Repton School
42	Royal Russell School
43	King's Ely
44	Leys Cambridge
45	Leighton Park
46	Bedford School
47	Fyling Hall
48	Royal Hospital School

Rankings of British colleges 2018

№	A/A* %	Name	Day/Board	Boy/Girl	Day GBP	Board GBP
1	88.68	Cardiff Sixth Form College	Both	Co-ed	16,600	42,750
2	83.54	Oxford International College	Both	Co-ed	21,000	42,000
3	81.43	Concord College	Both	Co-ed	14,280	39,900
4	58.33	Hurtwood House	Both	Co-ed	28,950	43,428
5	54.17	Bellerbys College Cambridge	Both	Co-ed	27,060	38,940
6	53.71	Abbey College Cambridge	Both	Co-ed	29,000
7	53.37	d'Overbroeck's Oxford	Both	Co-ed	23,850	38,700
8	47.21	Cambridge Tutors College	Both	Co-ed	15,900	39,990
9	44.09	CATS College Canterbury	Both	Co-ed	26,490	41,775
10	42.55	Bosworth Independent College	Both	Co-ed	12,600	30,300
11	39.29	CATS College Cambridge	Both	Co-ed	24,990	44,775
12	32.94	Mander Portman Woodward - Cambridge	Day	Co-ed	28,305
13	31.01	Bellerbys College Brighton	Both	Co-ed	27,060	43,704
14	30.53	Abbey College Manchester	Both	Co-ed	12,750
15	30.50	Chelsea Independent College	Both	Co-ed	24,000	48,000
16	29.75	Cambridge Centre For Sixth Form Studies	Both	Co-ed	21,000	48,000
17	28.65	Rochester Independent College	Both	Co-ed	18,000	36,900
18	24.86	CATS College London	Both	Co-ed	24,990	49,980
19	24.83	DLD College London	Both	Co-ed	23,000	50,500
20	20.93	Ealing Independent College	Day	Co-ed	16,050
21	16.39	Padworth College	Both	Co-ed

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