Cheltenham College
11+ Admissions Guide 2026

Cheltenham College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school founded in 1841, originally as a school for boys built on Christian principles. Girls joined the sixth form in 1981, and the school became fully co-educational in 1998. It operates alongside an attached preparatory school under the same foundation and is a registered charity governed by a board known as the Council. The school has eleven houses, with two dedicated to day pupils and the remainder accommodating a mix of full and part-time boarders. Day pupils come from a range of family backgrounds within roughly a 20-mile radius, while boarders are drawn largely from the United Kingdom, with around a fifth coming from overseas. Cheltenham College aims to provide an all-round education rooted in Christian principles, helping pupils to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives. It encourages intellectual curiosity, the development of talents beyond the academic, and a commitment to serving others, alongside spiritual, moral and aesthetic growth. The school offers enrichment opportunities for all pupils through a wide variety of activities both inside and outside the classroom, and provides additional support for pupils with special educational needs, disabilities, or those for whom English is an additional language.

Third, fourth and fifth form pupils hand phones in at 9pm, access devices at 8am. Lower college pupils no access during school day. Internet switched off at 10:30pm.