International Entry to Queen Ethelburga’s

What are the entry requirements for international students?

We take great care over every application made to Queen Ethelburga’s and do our best to make the process as easy as possible.

You can begin your application at any point in the year, and you will be kept in close contact with the Admissions Team and key senior staff.


UK Education System Explained

UK schools follow a National Curriculum that is constructed into five Key Stages:

Key Stage Year Group Pupil’s Age
Key Stage 1 Years 1 to 2 5 to 7
Key Stage 2 Years 3 to 6 8 to 11
Key Stage 3 Years 7 to 9 12 to 14
Key Stage 4 Years 10 to 11 15 to 16
Key Stage 5 Years 12 to 13 17 to 18

International Education systems vary, so when applying to the school, we will look at your previous academic history to place you in the most appropriate year group.

Learn more

A Queen Ethelburga's senior school pupil

Begin your application at any point of the year for any of our schools.
Are You Visiting The UK?

We’d love to take you on a personal tour around campus to show you our amazing facilities and boarding houses.

If you decide to visit, you can also meet one of our senior academic staff members who can explain the different courses and subjects available.

Book a Visit

Overview Of Queen Ethelburga's Four Schools

Explorers Nursery (3 Months to Age 3)

Children can join Explorers Nursery at any point of the year. The Nursery is situated within Chapter House School and includes three rooms for babies and toddlers to progress through.

At the age of 3, children will move into Chapter House's Foundation Stage provision.

Chapter House (Age 3 to Year 5)

Children join Chapter House at the age of 3 as part of the Early Years Foundation Stage provision and move to Reception in September. From Reception, children are expected to join Chapter House at the beginning of the academic year. 

In Year 3, students can begin boarding at Queen Ethelburga’s, and we have a comprehensive programme for students who speak English as an additional language (EAL).

At the end of Year 5, students are prepared for transitioning to King’s Magna.

King’s Magna (Year 6 to Year 9)

Pupils attend King's Magna when they reach Year 6. Pupils are welcome to apply to join any of the King’s Magna year groups, with the expectation that they will start at the beginning of the academic year.

To enrol in King’s Magna for Year 6 or 7, students must achieve a minimum score of 3.5 on their IELTS exam or an equivalent qualification. In Years 8 and 9, students with lower-level English skills can enrol in the Junior English Language Programme. New Year 8 students must achieve a minimum score of 4 on their IELTS exam or equivalent, and new Year 9 students must achieve a minimum score of 4.5 on their IELTS exam or equivalent.

At the end of Year 9, students are prepared to transition into QE College

QE College (Year 10 to Year 13)

Students may join the College at the beginning of Year 10, Year 11, or Year 12. We offer a variety of options to international students, depending on their level of English and academic strengths. 

Students with lower-level English skills can enrol in the English Language Programme to improve their English before accessing the mainstream curriculum. Before joining Queen Ethelburga's, students will take a CAT4 test and an IELTS exam to determine which course is most suitable.

  • To be offered a place on the English Language Programme, students must score in the 25th percentile or above in the Mathematics, Non-Verbal, and Spatial sections of the CAT4 and must achieve at least a score of 4 in Year 10 or 4.5 in Years 11 and 12, on their IELTS exam. 
  • To be offered a place on the Advanced English Language Programme, students must score 60 or above in the Mathematics, Non-Verbal, and Spatial sections of the CAT4 and must achieve at least a score of 5 on their IELTS exam.
  • To be offered a place on the two-year GCSE course, students must achieve at least a score of 5 on their IELTS exam. Teachers may offer additional qualifications to students who achieve a score of 5.5 or over on their IELTS exam.
  • To be offered a place on the two-year A Level/BTEC Course with IELTS/EAL lessons, students must achieve at least a score of 6 on their IELTS exam. Some A Level qualifications require students to achieve grade 7 or above in their GCSEs (or equivalent).

We also offer the NCUK International Foundation Year for 17 year olds looking to progress onto an English-speaking university. Students must score in the 25th percentile or above in the Mathematics, Non-Verbal, and Spatial sections of the CAT4 and must achieve at least a score of 5.5 on their IELTS exam.

For more information on the available options, please see the table below. Boarding for international students is available for the Year Groups in bold.

Age (Sept-Aug) Year Group Key Stage School
3 Months - 3 Years Nursery EYFS Explorers Nursery
3 - 4 Years Foundation Stage EYFS Chapter House
4 - 5 Years Reception EYFS Chapter House
5 - 6 Years Year 1 KS1 Chapter House
6 - 7 Years Year 2 KS1 Chapter House
7 - 8 Years Year 3 KS2 Chapter House
8 - 9 Years Year 4 KS2 Chapter House
9 - 10 Years Year 5 KS2 Chapter House
10 - 11 Years Year 6 KS2 King's Magna
11 - 12 Years Year 7 KS3 King's Magna
12 - 13 Years Year 8 KS3 King's Magna
13 - 14 Years Year 9 KS3 King's Magna
14 - 15 Years Year 10 KS4 College
15 - 16 Years Year 11 KS4 College
16 - 17 Years Year 12 KS5 College
17 - 18 Years Year 13 KS5 College
17 - 18 Years International Foundation Year - College

Entry Requirements

Year Group Entry Requirement School Programme Month Course Starts
7 IELTS 3.5 King's Magna Key Stage 3 Curriculum with EAL classes September
8 IELTS 4 King's Magna Junior English Language Programme September
9 IELTS 4.5 King's Magna Junior English Language Programme September
10 IELTS 4, CAT4 25th percentile College English Language Programme September/January
10 IELTS 5 College Two-year GCSE course September
10 IELTS 5, CAT4 60th percentile College Advanced English Language Programme September
10 IELTS 5.5 College Two-year GCSE course with additional qualifications September
11 IELTS 4.5, CAT4 25th percentile College English Language Programme September/January
11 IELTS 5, CAT4 60th percentile College Advanced English Language Programme September
12 IELTS 4.5, CAT4 25th percentile College English Language Programme September/January
12 IELTS 5, CAT4 60th percentile College Advanced English Language Programme September
12 IELTS 6 College Two-year A-Level/BTEC course with IELTS/EAL lessons September
12 IELTS 6, 60% + in CAT4, GCSEs grade 7+ or equivalent College Two-year A-Level course with IELTS/EAL lessons September
13 IELTS 5.5, CAT4 25th percentile College International Foundation Year September