2026 EDITION
THE BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES GUIDE
Studying in
the UK
YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CHOOSING THE RIGHT SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY
CAMPUS CULTURE World-ranking universities, academic excellence, career opportunities
• The admissions process • Behind the scenes at boarding school • The international student experience
Heritage
THE
very
PHOTOGRAPHY: JOHN CAIRNS
DEFINITION
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Heritage
GUS LOCK, PRINCIPAL OF HABERDASHERS’ ELSTREE SCHOOLS IN HERTFORDSHIRE – WINNER OF 2025’S OVERALL INDEPENDENT SCHOOL OF THE YEAR AWARD – SHARES WHAT MAKES A GREAT BRITISH EDUCATION
Oxford is both the city of dreaming spires and one of the world’s best universities greatbritisheducationmag.com
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AND SO, TO BOARD
Roedean’s idyllic clifftop campus offers sweeping views of the English Channel
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Boarding
Niamh Green, Headmistress of Roedean discusses the key elements that underpin the school’s highly effective community approach, including sleep assessments, mindfulness practices and a vibrant weekend programme
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irls have been boarding at the current Roedean site since the end of the 19th century, and an understanding of how to best care for girls living away from their families is in the DNA of this most famous of schools. The strength of the boarding offering, though, is that it evolves to suit the students’ needs from generation to generation, and that its dedicated boarding staff continually update their training. The result is a best-in-class boarding programme that ensures students, from wherever they may hail, regard Roedean as a welcoming, calm, friendly and empathetic place to call home.
Catching ZZZs
s
The key to a happy day is a good night’s sleep, and this year, Roedean has focused on making sure boarders get the best shut-eye they can every night. To this end, the school conducted a sleep audit across all the boarding houses to find out how students were managing their sleep. This involved surveying boarders’ sleep habits, discussing obstacles to good sleep and coming up with ideas that promote increased wellbeing, with sleep being a vital component to this. With rising pressure from examinations, social media and wider technology usage, the boarders and boarding staff are keenly aware that to stay healthy, we need to take a holistic approach to individual and community wellness: what we eat, how we move, what we consume online, our study habits and, more than ever, our sleep hygiene. Even the staff are learning to practise what
THE SCHOOL CONDUCTED A
sleep audit across all of the boarding houses to find out how students were MANAGING THEIR SLEEP
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PHOTOGRAPHY: ADOBE STOCK PHOTO/IRINABAL18
International schools
Abu Dhabi, one of the UAE’s seven Emirate states, is home to numerous British international schools
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International schools
THE WORLD
of good
Bringing the UK’s respected curriculum and values to all four corners of the globe, British international schools offer students an excellent foundation
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ritish international schools, of which there are approximately 8,000 around the world, play a significant role in enriching the experiences of students and their families, wherever they come from. By following a British curriculum, these schools embed key British values while also encouraging a broad, outward-looking perspective. Their whole-child approach focuses on developing qualities such as empathy, tolerance and mutual respect. These international institutions aim to inspire students to participate thoughtfully and confidently in the world around them, offering a learning environment that is both supportive and intellectually stimulating. To achieve this, schools employ highly qualified staff whose credentials and experience are carefully verified. Strong safeguarding measures, comprehensive pastoral care and a firm commitment to student wellbeing lie at the core of every British international school, underpinned by strict procedures and oversight.
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CAMPUS CULTURE
University of Sussex's students hail from more than 170 different nations
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Student experience
The UK's gold-standard educational reputation and academic heritage aren't the only reasons why growing numbers of international students choose to study here: there's also the welcoming initiatives and diverse social scene, Tracey Davies discovers
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PHOTOGRAPHY: SUSSEX UNIVERSITY/STUART ROBINSON
P
romising history, heritage and a gold-standard education, British universities still remain the top choice for overseas scholars, with around 25% of all students now hailing from other countries1. In July, UCAS reported 138,460 international undergraduate applicants and increased interest from countries including China, Nigeria and the USA, which saw a rise of 13.9% in applications,2 and the highest number since 20063. “We’re very proud of our international student community, who come from 170 countries,” says Dr Xiaoxiang Zhang, Associate Dean of Global Engagement at the University of Sussex Business School. “Out of the 18,100 students that attend Sussex, 26% of undergraduates, 60% of master’s and 46% of doctoral students come from overseas. Our numbers rose after Covid-19, following the lifting of travel restrictions and the introduction of the Graduate Route Visa. However, they do fluctuate with policy changes, such as the recent restriction preventing most international students from bringing family members with them to the UK.”
BRITISH UNIVERSITIES STILL REMAIN THE TOP CHOICE
for overseas scholars, with around 25% of all students now hailing from other countries. In July, UCAS reported 138,460 INTERNATIONAL UNDERGRADUATE APPLICANTS
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Awards
WINNERS’ CIRCLE
In October, leading figures in British education met at the Law Society in London to honour this year’s Independent Schools of the Year awards recipients
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ABOVE: Judge Julie Robinson and the panel’s Chair Dr Helen Wright catch up at the awards ceremony RIGHT: School of the Year and Outstanding Educational Partnerships award winners Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools pose with their two awards alongside Schoolblazer’s MD, Louise Crofts
WORDS: CLAUDIA DUDMAN. PHOTOGRAPHY: MARCUS HOLDSWORTH
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
ore than 200 guests from schools across the country congregated at the Law Society in London for the Independent Schools of the Year 2025 awards ceremony in October, hosted by Independent School Parent, this magazine’s sister title, and sponsored by leading online uniform supplier, Schoolblazer. In just over eight years, the awards have become firmly established as the independent-school education sector’s leading awards campaign, securing category winners the kind of national and international recognition that goes hand in hand with a surge of admissions enquiries. With 25 categories, excluding the overall winner’s prize (with a joint win in one category, 27 awards were handed out on the night), the focus of the 2025 awards was, as always, to demonstrate the benefits of an independentschool education – as well as showcase the life-affirming, future-enhancing student experience the young people in our schools receive.
For more information on 2025’s award categories, winners and finalists, visit independentschoolsoftheyear.co.uk
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