Culford School is a coeducational independent day and boarding school for pupils age 3–18

Age range: 3 – 18
Annual weekly boarding fees: £19,440 – £27,255
Annual full boarding fees: £19,440 – £27,255
TOTAL PUPILS: 374 boys and 324 girls, including 95 boys and 69 girls in the 6th form
Staff numbers: 67 full time and 13 part time
Method of entry: Common Entrance, Entry test or exam, Visit school
Accreditations and affiliations: AGBIS, HMC, IAPS
Religious affiliation: All denominations welcome, Methodist
Teaching languages: English

Culford School is a coeducationalindependent day and boarding school for pupils age 3–18 in the village of Culford, four miles north of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, England.

The school was founded as the East AnglianSchool for Boys, incorporating an institution founded in 1873 by Congregationalist minister, Dr John H. L. Christien.

Set in 480 acres of beautiful and tranquil landscaped park, Culford Hall provides an ideal venue for conferences, seminars, residential courses, weddings and family functions, as well as corporate or private hospitality.

Culford Hall sits in approximately 480 acres of historic Suffolk parkland with a mixture of pastures, woodland and formal grounds surrounding it. The grounds together with the facilities within the building itself makes it suitable for a wide variety of uses from weddings to corporate hospitality and business meetings, and on to photo shoots and formal Balls and Dinners.

Culford Sports & Tennis Centre is an outstanding multi-sports facility set in 480 acres of beautiful parkland only 3 miles from Bury St Edmunds.

Whether perfecting your skills in the 4 court Indoor Tennis Centre or taking your first plunge in the 25m Swimming Pool, Culford has something for all the family.

The £4 million facility includes:

  • 4-court Indoor Tennis Centre
Indoor Tennis Centre
  • 6 Outdoor Tennis Courts
  • Outdoor tennis courts
  • 25m Indoor Heated Swimming Pool
  • 6-Badminton Court Sports Hall
  • Dance/Aerobics Studio
  • Modern Indoor Climbing Wall
  • Fitness Suite
  • 2 Glass-backed Squash Courts
  • Cricket square and pavilion

Culford is a selective school accepting pupils from a broad ability range. Half of the senior pupils are boarders. Three schools are housed within the Park:

  • Pre-Prep (Fieldgate House) is for day boys and girls from the ages of 3 – 7. Founded in 1984, it is set on the village side of Culford Park. The current headmistress is Mrs Sarah Preston.
  • The Preparatory School is a boarding and day school for pupils aged 7 – 13. It occupies the north of the Park, surrounded by its own pitches, but also uses Senior facilities. The present headmaster is Mr Mike Schofield, formerly a Senior housemaster. Upper 3 (year 8) entry to the Senior School is by Common Entrance.
  • The Senior School is also a mixed boarding and day school, for ages 13 – 18.The ten thousand volume Library is an oak panelled room overlooking Culford Hall’s south front, completed for the visit of King Edward VII in December 1904. The Centenary Hall, containing a Studio Theatre opened in 2006 by HRH the Duke of Gloucester (twenty five years after his first visit for the school’s centenary), is also within the main building.The Culford Foundation has raised funds for a new Pre-Prep nursery and dining hall; an astro-turf; the William Miller Science Centre (built in 2002 following a £1m donation by an Old Culfordian); and the restoration of Culford Hall. The Foundation also maintains the Old Culfordians association.

Young people of all nationalities are welcome at Culford School with boarding places available from the age of seven. Approximately 15% of pupils at Culford come from overseas to board each year. Most pupils come to Culford for full-time courses, but it is occasionally possible for stays of three terms or less to be arranged.

Pupils at Culford School achieved an excellent set of A-level results. 61% of all grades were at A*- B level and 83% were A*- C. The overall pass rates were as follows:

4% A* grades

30% A* and A grades together

61% A* to B grades

83% A* to C grades

93% A* to D grades

98% A* to E grades

57 pupils

 

Entry Requirements

International applicants will sit aptitude tests and examinations in English (EAL) and mathematics, to test general intelligence and ability to cope with academic study in English, and all pupils will be required to produce current school reports and references.

Candidates may sit Entrance Examinations at their current school, or by other arrangement, subject to supervision and appropriate examination conditions. The school will organise a telephone or Skype interview.

Where possible, prospective pupils are encouraged to visit Culford and to meet with the Headmaster and Director of Studies.

EAL Provision

All pupils for whom English is an additional language are assessed prior to and also upon entry to the School. Pupils must be able to access the curriculum independently in the classroom; to facilitate this, pupils are provided with individually tailored curricula to suit their specific needs and aptitude.

Teachrs are regularly trained in EAL differentiation methods and we also have three specialist teachers who offer individual or group support lessons which are either embedded in a pupil’s timetable or offered on a withdrawal basis or arranged before or after school. Supported reading is also provided.

At ages 13 and 14+ pupils are prepared for the Cambridge English examinations. At age 15+ pupils are prepared for IGCSE English and at 16+ pupils may be prepared for IELTS.

At the Prep School, EAL provision is available on a small group or a one-to-one basis by arrangement and at an additional cost. Pupils are taken out regularly on cultural trips.

These lessons are charged at extra cost.

Guardians

All overseas pupils are required to have a Guardian who lives in the UK. This person will be responsible for the pupil during short holidays when he/she may choose not to go home and in special circumstances when he/she cannot stay in school. The requirement for a Guardian may be waived by the Headmaster in exceptional circumstances. The Guardian may not be a student.

Visas

All non-EU pupils will require a child student visa to enter the UK and study at Culford; a high quality scanned copy of the pupil’s current passport should be submitted with the initial application. Once a place has been offered and accepted, and all relevant forms and proofs of documents have been copied to the Admissions Office, and payments have been received to the school, the Admissions Office will issue a CAS to support the visa application.

 

No courses