Dean Close School
Dean Close School is a co-ed boarding and day school in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, educating pupils aged 13 - 18 and founded in 1886. Boarding fees are £9,670 - £19,150 per term. Our advice on this school is independent and free.
- Type
- Co-ed boarding & day
- Boarders from
- 13 - 18
- Ethos
- Church of England
- Guardian required
- Yes
About Dean Close
The story, ethos and character of Dean Close.
- Setting
- Town
- Ethos
- Church of England
- Head
- Mrs Ali Harber
Dean Close is a flourishing co-educational day and boarding school for pupils aged 3-18 years, located on the largest private land area in Cheltenham. It offers strong academics, extensive opportunities in all creative arts and sport with a national reputation in hockey, drama and equestrianism.
A Dean Close education aims not only to get the best out of pupils academically, but to broaden the horizons of each and every one through an array of exceptional facilities, as well as dozens of clubs and societies. As a school with a strong Christian ethos, pastoral care is paramount, where each member of the community is encouraged, through the house and tutor systems, to realise their greatest potential.
The School has a sympathetic blend of grand Victorian buildings and modern purpose-built facilities across its substantial 50 acre site.
What the school is known for? Dean Close has certain areas that have been traditionally strong and others that are an area of real growth. In terms of academic results that Maths, Classics, Music and Art departments often lead the way. In the world of music Dean Close has enjoyed a strong reputation for our choral music but with the arrival of the Carducci Quartet a few years ago, our string playing is also turning heads.
Dean Close has a strong national reputation for hockey and consistently attends the National Hockey Finals, both indoor and outdoor. In the last few years they have won at every age group in the boys and girls events under the coaching of Director of Hockey, former GB international, Gary Tredgett.
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Academics at Dean Close
What pupils study at Dean Close — and where it takes them.
allow pupils to find those that fire their imaginations and inspire their interests. The Fourth Form (Year 9) curriculum is deliberately broad with pupils initially studying twenty subjects in order for them to be able to identify the option subjects that they would most like to pursue at GCSE.
At GCSE, nearly all pupils study English, English Literature, Maths, a Modern Foreign Language (MFL) and either dual or triple Science, leaving them four option subjects which they tend to choose based on their interests and enthusiasms in the Fourth Form.
Programmes offered
Subjects offered
Where our leavers go
Leavers Destinations: https://www. deanclose. org. uk/school-life/senior-school/futures/leavers-destinations
Figures are indicative — contact us for the latest results.
Boarding at Dean Close
Day-to-day boarding life and pastoral care at Dean Close.
- Boarding houses
- Girls 3, Boys 3, Mixed 0
- Exeat weekends
- Yes
- Guardian required
- Yes
- Saturday lessons
- Yes
Close has a genuinely mixed population with significant numbers of day and boarding pupils plus a small number of flexi boarders who stay one or two nights per week. With families from as far afield as Australia or as as across the road, the School operates in a very flexible way, taking account of the different needs and circumstances of each individual family.
With its large population of boarders, Dean Close buzzes with activity 24 hours a day and many of the day pupils enjoy the extra activities and life that a boarding school creates. Every pupil is accommodated in a House which is their main social and pastoral unit.
Our Boarding Houses Boys and Girls ( Age 7-10) Wilton Boys ( Age 11-13) Caldecote Girls (Age 11-13) Fortfield Girls (ages 13-18) Fawley (44 girls) Shelburne (57 girls) Sixth Form Girls Turner Hall (16 girls) Boys (ages 13-18) Brook Court (61 boys)Tower (60 boys) Sixth Form Boys Gate House (17 boys) Boarding at Dean Close video: https://youtu.
be/fxs RPk GEXbw Sorry, there is no boarding house information available at this time...
We can arrange trusted UK guardianship for international families.
Dean Close admissions
How children join Dean Close, and how we make it simple.
Tell us about your child
Share their age, interests and what you're looking for. Our advice is completely free.
We shortlist & introduce
We match you to the right schools and make the introductions to their admissions teams.
Assessment, offer & enrolment
We guide you through entrance assessments and interviews, and handle visas and guardianship if needed.
What you'll typically need
- Recent school reports or transcript
- Passport copy
- English-language evidence (if applicable)
- Completed registration form
- A reference from the current school
Special notes to agents about entry to the school We are a British boarding school that provides a warm welcome to our international and ex-pat students. We provide a balanced environment in which our international students may both develop their skills and become valued members of our school community.
Students should possess sufficient skills upon application to be able to cope with joining mainstream classes in their programme of study (with appropriate levels of ELT as determined by the school). We regret that we do not offer an independent international study centre or a one year GCSE programme at this time.
As your advisors we manage the application end-to-end at no cost.
Dean Close fees & funding
What Dean Close costs, what's included, and how we help with funding.
What termly boarding fees include
- Tuition
- Boarding accommodation
- All meals
- Pastoral & house care
- Most academic materials
Funding & scholarships
Registration deposits, EAL tuition, uniform and trips are usually charged separately. Many schools offer academic, sport, music and art scholarships plus means-tested bursaries — ask us and we'll send a full, current breakdown for Dean Close.
Fees change year to year and by entry point. As your independent advisors we hold up-to-date figures and can compare Dean Close against similar schools so you know exactly what to budget.
Figures shown are the latest we hold — we'll confirm current fees on enquiry.
Dean Close location & travel
Where Dean Close is, and how to get there.
Travel details Address Shelburne Road , Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL51 6HE , England Airport transfer Taxi company, arranged by school, group travel where possible. Travel time to London by train Less than 3 hours Telephone 0044 1242 258000 Website https://www.
deanclose. org. uk Most convenient airports Airport Distance (miles) Drive time (minutes) 1. Bristol 55 65 2. Birmingham 56 60 3. Cardiff 83 100 4. London Heathrow 95 100 Most convenient train stations Station Distance (miles) Drive time (minutes) 1.
Dean Close — frequently asked questions
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