Families Moving to the UK

US families moving to the UK may enroll their children in a state (publicly-funded) school or independent (fee-paying) school, or investigate options to follow an American or international curriculum by enrolling in American schools or IB programs.


State Schools:

Generally speaking, children who accompany their parents to the UK may enroll in a state school. Please note that unlike in the US, students are not assigned local schools.  Rather, students and parents must choose and apply to schools.  For more information on choosing and applying to schools as well as a directory of schools, please see the Directgov website.


Independent Schools:

Parents may also choose to enroll their child in an independent, or fee-paying, school.  There are approximately 2,600 independent schools in the UK.  About half of these institutions participate in a voluntary accreditation program facilitated by the Independent Schools Council. To begin your search for school, you may wish to visit the Council’s website.


In order to be granted admission to an independent school, your child will need to be in good academic standing with a school in your own country. In addition, he/she may be asked to sit admissions exams in the UK. In terms of tuition fees, parents should expect to pay a minimum of £8,000 per year and as much as £25,000.


For more information on Independent Schools, please refer to the British Council website.


Visas:

UK students traveling with their families should enter the US under the visa status of their parents. Most students are eligible if their parents have limited leave to enter or remain in the UK or are teachers coming to the UK with their children on a teacher exchange scheme.


Students planning to travel without their parents and attend a private boarding school should determine the appropriate visa required and apply to the nearest UK consular office. Though visa regulations are subject to change, it is likely your child will apply for a Child Visitor Visa or Student Visa. 

Detailed information about the visa requirements and application process for both categories can be found on the BritainUSA and UKVisas websites.

Our staff is not trained to handle specific enquiries related to visas in the UK. For further visa enquiries, you may wish to read the FAQs on the BritainUSA website or contact Worldbridge at +1 900 656 5000 ($3 per minute) or +1 212 796 5773 ($12 flat fee).  Please note Worldbridge staff may not provide information about a pending visa application.