Ratcliffe College

• Accommodation type: board
• Location: United Kingdom, Leicester City, Leicester
• Students age: 3 to 18 years
• Type of studying: mixed
• Total number of students: 565 people (113 of them in boarding school, 120 in high school)
• Age of admission: 3,5,10-11,14,16 years.

Ratcliffe College is a coeducational Catholic day and boarding school in rural Leicestershire.

Its Catholic Rosminian faith is guided by the Gospel values of Catholic Social Teaching. Ratcliffe College received an Excellent rating in the 2022 ISI inspection and was recognized as an Outstanding Catholic School in the 2025 CSI inspection.

Ratcliffe College was founded by the priests of the Institute of Mercy in 1847: today the campus reaches 100 acres and is 7 miles from Leicester. The main body of buildings is located around the center of the campus - an ancient charming chapel - all the buildings are well equipped with everything necessary. The main building was built at the end of the XIX century and combines the features of historical architecture and modern interior filling and decoration.

Students are required to wear a general uniform (high school students may prefer dark suits). It is also necessary to attend church services on Sundays and church holidays (concerns the border): most students are Catholics, but faith is not imposed, and students of any religion can study here. For high school students, there is a bar (three days a week).

Ratcliffe College maintains a sufficiently strict discipline, developed a system of sanctions and incentives that helps to educate children in self-control and responsibility for their words and actions. Students who have excelled in studies and other fields, as well as exhibiting excellent behavior, are awarded prestigious certificates in the course of general fees.

Ratcliffe College’s educational approach is grounded in the values of Blessed Antonio Rosmini and focuses on students’ intellectual, cultural, and spiritual development. Year Heads and Boarding Mentors work closely with house teams to monitor academic progress and provide the guidance each student needs.

• Nursery,
• Preparatory School,
• Senior School,
• Sixth Form, with A Level and BTEC courses.

• Ratcliffe College is an All-Steinway School in partnership with Steinway & Sons,
• Military families have been part of the school community for over a century,
• The campus is 75 minutes from London St Pancras station, two hours from Heathrow Airport, 15 minutes from Leicester station, and 45 minutes from Birmingham Airport.

• Graduates pursue competitive fields including medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, law, business, economics, psychology, and computer science,
• Some graduates earn athletic scholarships at US universities.

Ratcliffe College’s international boarding community includes students from more than 20 nationalities, with international students making up 12% of boarders. The secure campus has two boarding houses, one for boys and one for girls, close to classrooms, study areas, sports facilities, dining, and common spaces.

Each house has a pastoral team that includes Houseparents, Assistant Houseparents, Matrons, medical staff, and Resident House Tutors, with support from non-resident tutors. House families live on campus and lead each house, helping to create a homelike atmosphere. The school offers full, weekly, part-time, and occasional boarding to suit family needs and student preferences.

Published school charges include lunch and afternoon tea for day students and all meals for boarders. The cost of day-student lunches appears separately on the termly school bill.

Subject list: Art, design, drama, economics, geography, history, Information Technology
Activity list: badminton, basketball, cricket, Drama, football, Music games, music studio, netball, rugby, Squash, swimming, tennis, track-and-field athletics

More than 20% of students devote their free time to playing the musical instruments: there are more than 10 groups, ensembles, bands and even orchestras playing in different musical styles, there is also a bell ringing studio. Many students take an active part in the production of the school newspaper, films and other media products, study theatrical art and the media (including at the A-level level).

Ratcliffe College pays great attention to sports, physical development of pupils, provides fields, necessary equipment, hires experienced qualified instructors and educators. Among the most popular sports you can note the classes:

• Cricket
• Volleyball
• Rugby
• Swimming
• Badminton
• Ping-pong
• Sailing
• Big tennis
• Football
• Basketball
• Squash
• Golf
• Fitness.

Many clubs and interest groups, sections and communities are opened - each student will be able to find like-minded people and engage in pleasure:

• Riding
• Video club
• Orchestra
• Chorus
• Oratory
• Orientation
• Computer technologies
• Photography
• Theater
• First aid
• Chess.

In our free time we organize a variety of excursions and trips, walks, educational tours abroad (Eastern Europe, Italy, Germany, France and other countries).

Ratcliffe College works with Leicester City Football Club Academy to provide a dedicated GCSE program for academy players. The school is the official home venue for Leicestershire County Cricket Club’s Young Cricketers program (U12–U15).

Boarders staying at school on weekends can join a program of relaxed evenings, on-site games, and Sunday community trips.

The official statistics are as follows:

• 80% of graduates enter the selected universities without problems in the first year after graduation;
• 5% successfully enter Oxford and Cambridge;
• 24% of students choose engineering and other sciences;
• 37% of pupils continue their education at the humanities faculties;
• 19% of yesterday's schoolchildren become students of the faculties of art and design.

Ratcliffe College occupies a 200-acre campus in rural Leicestershire. The school has invested fifteen million pounds in its facilities.

Campus facilities include hockey pitches, a synthetic athletics track, an indoor swimming pool, the Peter Daley Suite, and a chapel.

Registration charges apply to Nursery, day students, and boarders. They are non-refundable, and their VAT treatment differs by category.

Deposit conditions:

• Day-student deposits are partly refunded after one term, with the balance refunded when the student leaves,
• One-term boarding deposits are refunded when the student leaves,
• Boarding deposits for commitments of one year or longer are partly refunded after one term, with the balance refunded when the student leaves,
• No deposit is required for Nursery. It becomes payable when the child enters Reception.

A deposit is forfeited if a student does not take up a confirmed place. School charges are billed at the same rate each term regardless of the number of weeks. Full boarding charges include weekend trips and EAL lessons. Leaving the school or changing between day and boarding status requires a full term’s notice. A charge in lieu of notice applies when insufficient notice is given.

In the 2026 A Level examinations, 36% of grades were A*/A, 70% were A*/B or above, and 88% were A*-C. The pass rate was 99%. More than 15% of students achieved the equivalent of three A grades or higher.

In the 2026 GCSE examinations, 10% of grades were the top mark of 9, 25% fell within the 9-8 range, 42% within 9-7, and 90% within 9-4.

According to Alps data for 2026, Ratcliffe College ranks in the top 1% of UK schools for A Level Value Added.

All applicants pass the necessary entrance examinations, interviews with representatives of the admissions committee and provide characteristics from the previous place of study. If you qualify for a seat on the A-level program, in a GCSE certificate, at least 5 items must be evaluated at C and above (especially if the same directions are supposed to be learned at the A-level).

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision