Monkton Combe School

Monkton Combe School was founded in 1868 and is located a few kilometres from Bath, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The school is nestled among beautiful gardens in the picturesque Midford Valley.

Realization of the academic potential of students is one of the key priorities of the school. The high ratings of Monkton Combe School are explained by excellent academic results of students, and achievements in extracurricular activities (creative and sports). Here, students from all over the world are encouraged to become confident, kind and ambitious adults who live full lives.

About 800 people study at school.

DIRECTOR (stand 2023)

Christopher Wheeler, Education - Winchester College; Durham University, Bachelor of English and Philosophy; University of Bristol, postgraduate certificate with the right to carry out teaching activities.

FAMOUS SCHOOL GRADUATES

• Chris Anderson, journalist and publisher, owner of the TED media organization and curator of the TED Talks project
• Ron Laurie, Olympic champion (gold medal) in rowing, father of actor Hugh Laurie
• Stephen Williams, twice Olympic champion (gold medal) in rowing
• Alex Patridge, Olympic rowing champion and three times winner of the world rowing championship
• Sir Richard Darlaw, former head of the British Secret Service MI6
• Sir Robert Lechler, President, UK Academy of Medical Sciences
• Harry Colt, architect of the golf courts
• Bernard Cornwell, writer
• Mike Koulishaw, a scientist
• John Desmond Clark, archaeologist and professor of anthropology
• Adrian Mitchell, writer
• Sey Rhodes, journalist
• Sir Richard Stilgo, musician
• Ernest Trench, engineer
• Stephen Williams, professor of astrophysics
• Alfred Young, mathematician and inventor

KEY FACTORS

• Good location of the school near the spa capital of the UK - the city of Bath. On weekends, children are allowed to visit the city: shops, spas, cafes, galleries and theatres.
• The school has a strong sports tradition. Monkton Combe School is known for good rowing training. Six participants of the Olympic Games studied here, three of whom won gold medals.
• A large selection of subjects for study - 24 on the A-level program.
• Warm, friendly and family atmosphere - the school does everything possible to make it a second home for children and to make them feel comfortable and safe here.
• Each year, half of the graduates continue their studies at the prestigious universities of the Russell Group, 8% of graduates go to Oxford and Cambridge or to medical specialties, the same number go to musical specialties.

EQUIPMENT

The school has excellent sports equipment: a 25-meter heated pool, a gym, all-weather and grass tennis courts, cricket grounds, a new well-equipped gym, a golf course, hockey and rugby fields, squash courts, a cricket ground and a boat house on the river Avon. The school has its own forest house, which creates a unique opportunity for learning and for outdoor entertainment: from the construction of huts to barbecue.

The school music centre features an amazing rehearsal room with superb acoustics and a Steinway grand piano. Here are located: 12 training and practical classes and a percussion studio with soundproofing, a music library, a set of Apple Mac workstations for composing music, and a recording studio.

The Centre for Art and Design is a centre for technical excellence and creative inspiration. It is equipped with a large multi-purpose exhibition area and dedicated areas for printing, textiles, photography.

PROGRAM

GCSE

A two-year program for obtaining a certificate of general secondary education. Required to study 4 subjects, up to 6 subjects are studied by choice.

A-level

A two-year university preparatory program. Students choose 4 or 5 subjects for in-depth study.

ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD

Accommodation in a residence on the school grounds. Children under 13 years old live in a separate house, boys and girls are located on different floors. For children from 13 years old there are 6 houses for living, 3 for girls and 3 for boys. All houses have lounges and areas with computers and Internet access. The school has a 24-hour medical centre with qualified staff.

Monkton Combe School is especially proud of the quality of its food. The emphasis is on fresh local ingredients and reliable suppliers when the meat can be traced back to the source. The menu is created by experienced chefs. There is a menu for children with special diets and allergies.

SPORT

Sport has always played an important role in school life. Among the graduates there are Olympic gold medallists. The school trains at least two teams in each age group for each of the main sports:

rugby, hockey, rowing and cricket for boys;

hockey, netball, rowing and tennis for girls.

Many students practice and succeed in other individual and team sports, including athletics, basketball, badminton, golf, squash and swimming. The school runs a phenomenally successful rowing program, which makes it possible to participate in the regatta of national schools.

It has its own swimming school - Monkton Swim School, where classes are held on water safety, saving lives, water polo, synchronized swimming, diving. These activities together bring up a competent, confident swimmer. All instructors are qualified by the Swimming Teachers Association and rescuers.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

The school has about 70 interest clubs: from British Sign Language and community service to robotics and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Everyone can find a hobby for themselves. Many students get the opportunity to develop leadership skills, for example, as captain of a sports team, participating in the program for the prize of the Duke of Edinburgh or the United Cadet Corps (CCF).

The department of art and design is a popular creative centre of the school. Pupils expand their understanding of the aesthetic, technical, and conceptual aspects of art. Teaching is based around a studio system, not classrooms, where each student can use any area of the building to suit their needs. The school regularly organizes workshops with guest artists.

Pupils who want to participate in productions gather in the theatre department. All children can be involved in the performances, regardless of their previous experience. The atmosphere of trust and security that the school creates is the atmosphere in which students feel able to take risks and go beyond their comfort zone. The school employs professionals for teaching choreography, staging sound and lighting. Students help design costumes, do props, and manage the stage.

Music classes are very popular at school. About 40% of children learn to play one musical instrument, and 10% learn two or more. The Monkton Combe School has great opportunities for performances: orchestra, percussion ensemble, rock band, string ensemble, choir, jazz band, performing at local venues. The Monkton Combe School Music Festival, in which every student participates, had to be moved to a larger place to accommodate an audience of more than a thousand people.

COST, 2023-2024

£9,760 - £14,245 per semester.
There are 3 semesters in the school year.

Included in cost

• Teaching
• Accommodation and meals

Extra paid

• Registration fee - £100
• Deposit - the cost of 1 semester
• Flights
• Transfers to / from the airport
• Visa
• Services of the company "Paradise"
• Guardianship (requirement of British law)

SERVICES OF THE EDUCATIONAL COMPANY INCLUDE

• Selection of 5-6 schools that best meet the individual characteristics of the child, further goals, talents, with the desired environment. Help in the correct interpretation of school ratings, an explanation of why the school occupies one place or another. Help in obtaining reliable information about schools that are not included in the ratings, with an explanation of the reasons for non-participation in it.
• Admission to 1-3 schools, selected from the proposed. Which includes the preparation of the necessary documents, school reports, characteristics, recommendations. Selection and submission of tests to prepare the student for exam testing, assistance in preparing essays. Preparation for an interview with the teacher / principal, registration for the exam. The necessary list of recommendations when attending school for passing entrance examinations. Correspondence with the school (not all schools enter into correspondence with foreign parents, treat them with caution, trust only a trusted agent).
• Assistance in paying registration fees, deposits, bills. Clarification of school rules, including disciplinary and legal aspects.
• Filling out the required medical forms.
• Selection of guardians required by UK law.

Student supervision during the first month of training is provided as a gift: assistance in resolving issues related to resettlement, billing, informing parents about the child’s health status, assistance with understanding of academic programs, organization of ext. classes for the child in a particular subject, help in choosing the program most suitable for the child, transfer to another class, etc.

IMPRESSIONS OF A SCHOOL VISIT

Natasha Strein
Founder of ‘’Paradise’’

“I WILL WORK IN ROSOSMOS,” Muscovite Nikita, 16, a student at the British school Monkton Combe, confidently states. - I regularly visit missions there. I'm getting ready, the boy said. Decisively goes to his goal! Nikita is in England since 10 years. I missed the first year and even cried. The young man laughs at this memory. He has already changed three schools (some students like it that way) and for the last two years he got a place in Cardiff 6th form - this is the college with the highest final exams in the UK. And they take the most-most there. Our hero passed math with 95%.