As one would expect from a truly global city, London is not short of international schools. The curricula of Brazil, Norway, Germany, Russia and Sweden are among those taught in the UK capital, along with global staples such as the French and international baccalaureates.
Those seeking an international school place in London are advised to apply early where possible. London’s recent population growth means that international pupil turnover has fallen from a steady 30 per cent to 15-20 per cent, says the Good Schools Guide International. Whether Brexit will lead to greater student turnover again remains to be seen.
International baccalaureate
Learn The co-ed, nursery to sixth form, day and boarding, US system and international baccalaureate-teaching ACS Cobham International School seems to offer a little bit of everything. Even its leafy Surrey campus — 17 miles from central London — has a foot in both camps: students can be bussed in from south-west London. Last year’s IB diploma students averaged 33/45, compared with the 30.1 per cent global average. Russell Group and Ivy League universities are among student destinations.
Pay* £26,320
Live A detached house with six bedrooms, six bathrooms and private parking is close to Putney Heath, from where the ACS shuttle bus runs daily.
Available through Knight Frank, £4.45m
American
Learn More than a third of the students at The American School in London, founded in 1951, hold dual citizenship. Based in the prime north-west neighbourhood of St John’s Wood, the school caters for pupils aged four to 18, with low student to staff ratios. The only curriculum on offer is American, with most students electing to take college-level Advanced Placement courses in their final years. Ofsted, the UK school-inspection body, rates ASL “outstanding” and students go on to top US and UK universities.
Pay £28,650
Live A five-bedroom house with more than 3,000 sq ft of living space, a walled garden and rooftop sun terrace is a 10-minute walk from the school.
Available through Aston Chase, £5.85m
Lycée Français
Learn Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle de Londres — South Kensington is far from the UK capital’s only French school, but it is arguably the French lycée. Its South Kensington location puts it at the heart of one of London’s most prestigious districts, one dubbed “Petite France” on account of the many expats who have settled there to be close to the school, which takes children aged four to 11. Pupils follow the French curriculum, with the option of learning English as a foreign or additional language. There is a breakfast club, and after-school activities are run by the parents’ association.
Pay £11,564
Live A Grade-II listed town house within walking distance of the school has four bedrooms, a nursery and a small garden.
Available through Savills, £4.75m
Something different
River House Montessori School sits in view of the gleaming towers of Canary Wharf, the east London financial centre where thousands work and, increasingly, choose to live. Entry starts at three, with children taught using self-paced, hands-on learning methods. Classes become more mainstream higher up. Most pupils leave at 11, but a tiny secondary school — current headcount six — prepares students for international GCSE exams at 16. Secondary school fees are £3,495 a term.
*Fees typically increase as the child moves up the school. The figure given is the average annual cost of tuition for final year students, and does not include additional payments such as registration fees.
