International Students

We welcome students from all over the world to join our school! We are home to international pupils from many different countries who benefit from being in a British school environment.

Boarding is offered from the age of 8 – 18 and as we are a relatively small school, all of our overseas pupils mix fully with others from a range of different nationalities. Around 90% of our pupils are from the UK and so our overseas pupils find that they learn English very quickly as they are fully integrated in to school life.

Our beautiful 85-acre campus is perfectly located between Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks in North Devon. With close proximity to the stunning South West beaches and just a short drive from the historic towns of Bideford and Barnstaple and the University City of Exeter, Shebbear is a safe and tranquil environment in which to learn.

The wellbeing, happiness and security of all our students is our number one priority and we keep in regular contact with our international community to ensure that they are happy at school.

General Visa Requirements

To enrol at our school, students must hold the appropriate immigration status. Enrolment is not possible for students with an incorrect visa within the UK. Please use the UK government’s website to verify the right visa for entry: Check UK Visa. Parents or guardians accompanying students must also have the proper status for residing in the UK during their children’s enrolment.

We strongly recommend families utilize the services of Sable International to help adhere to the visa requirements.

To help ensure a smooth process, Inspired Learning Group is proud to announce its new partnership with Sable International, a leading provider of immigration services with over 30 years of expertise. This collaboration will allow for a more streamlined child student visa application process for perspective international students hoping to attend Shebbear College.

With a stellar reputation in immigration consultancy, Sable International will provide you with comprehensive support to help navigate the complexities of visa applications. From preparing your application to collecting the necessary documents, Sable’s services will help deliver peace of mind through the process. Through using its services, you can be confident that all visa applications submitted through Sable International on behalf of ILG clients will adhere to the regulations set forth by UK immigration authorities.

The Sable website can be found HERE.

Application Process

To apply for a place at Shebbear College you can either register with one of the many agents that we work with globally, or approach the school directly. We are happy to accept applicants throughout the school year and pupils can join at any stage, depending
on place availability.

International pupils looking to join Shebbear College will need to take papers in English as an Additional Language and Maths, provide supporting references and undertake an interview either at school or via Skype with a member of staff.

We also use UKiset tests as part of the admissions process. More information about UKiset, how to register, arrange a test centre, or organise online invigilation can be found here.

If needed, we may recommend that a pupil receives EAL tuition if their English needs additional support to reach their full academic potential. We have an excellent EAL department which helps such pupils to develop both their English language skills and confidence. We develop each of the main skill areas – speaking, reading, writing and listening – while also helping pupils to understand specific subject-based terminology and language.

In some instances, you will need to provide a Child Student Visa for your child. Once a place has been formally accepted,  we are happy to provide a  Certificate of Acceptance
for Study (CAS) to enable you to do this.

Guardians

For all of our international pupils, during holidays and half terms boarders can either return home or stay with a Guardian (at an additional cost). Guardians can be a family friend or relative living permanently in the UK, preferably reasonably close to the school, and aged over 25, or appointed via a Guardian Agency. Shebbear College is a member of the Boarding School Association (BSA) and they have a number of certified Guardian Agencies to help you start your search. Similarly, we are also a member of Brightworld Guardianship. However, the appointment of a guardian must be entirely the parents’ decision.

Heathrow Airport ‘Meet & Greet’

We run a ‘Meet and Greet’ service to and from London Heathrow Airport for all of our International Pupils. Our friendly school travel team will be at the airport on arrival to greet pupils, escort them to our private coach and ravel back to Shebbear College with them. On the way back, our team will accompany pupils to the airport and assist with check in and luggage.

They will also look after any pupils, booked in by parents or agents, who are travelling as Unaccompanied Minors (UM) and parents will be given the name of the member of staff collecting them.

Pupils using other London airports can also utilise the Heathrow coach service, but must travel from the arrival airport and Heathrow by taxi (we can arrange taxi bookings).

Travel from other areas

For pupils travelling to and from Bristol and Exeter Airports (or any other destination), we can help with any arrangements for booking taxis or transfers.