Clifton College: Prep to Year 8, then a six-day Upper School week

Choosing between A levels and the available BTECs

The live sixth-form page gives a general profile of three grade 7s and three grade 6s at GCSE, alongside departmental requirements.

A 2025–26 curriculum guide lists A levels and BTECs in Applied Psychology, IT, Music Technology and Sport. It shows the shape of the offer, but cannot guarantee 2027 subjects or option blocks.

Current recruitment material does not list an IB route. Clifton may appeal to a pupil wanting A-level study with selected vocational alternatives; it should not be shortlisted as an IB school without direct current confirmation.

Day, flexi and full boarding are different family models

The Prep boarding page mentions four-night flexi boarding, while the current fee page defines the charged flexi arrangement as up to three nights. For budgeting, use the current fee definition and ask whether a fourth night is now available.

Upper flexi is priced for four nights. Full boarding includes a wider weekend life, but a child should understand what remains compulsory and when leave starts. A fee category is not a complete description of the experience.

Our boarding guide helps families compare full, weekly, flexi and day places without treating them as minor price variations.

A day place still belongs to a six-day community

The Upper boarding overview describes a six-day school. Day pupils may arrive from 7.30am and remain through supper until 7.15pm on weekdays and around 4pm on Saturday.

That flexibility can be valuable for a pupil using music, sport or study time. It can also make the family week feel dominated by school. Ask for the exact Saturday calendar and which events are optional, then count collections over a real half term.

Boarders’ weekend leave begins after Saturday commitments; Sunday activities and trips are part of the offer. Day families should ask when their child may join those events and whether there is an additional charge.

The transport page is a starting point, but the current page does not identify a late-bus service. Ask about 2027 routes, fares, Saturday service and transport after activities. Test the journey at actual collection times.

The published support policies need a current conversation

Clifton’s SEND policy and accessibility policy describe early disclosure, professional evidence, reasonable admissions adjustments and consideration of whether the school can meet a pupil’s needs.

Both published documents were overdue for review by September 2026. They are useful evidence of an approach, not confirmation of the exact 2027 procedure. The published policies do not provide a current evidence deadline or adjustment menu.

Contact Admissions and the relevant support lead before the test is booked. If specialist support is charged, request frequency and cost.

A child with no diagnosis but an emerging concern still deserves a conversation. Share what teachers observe and ask what evidence is useful. Waiting for a label can leave too little time to arrange a fair assessment.

What inspectors found, and what to ask on a visit

In October 2023, the ISI inspection found all relevant standards met, including education, pupil wellbeing and safeguarding. Keep the date visible: it is an independent snapshot, not a 2026 account of every pupil’s experience.

Inspectors recommended more consistent implementation of the teaching policy so pupils make good progress, and more effective action concerning unkindness and derogatory language. Those are sensible subjects for a calm follow-up, not a reason to claim the school failed its inspection.

The largest fee step arrives between Years 8 and 9

Current Prep and Upper pages publish 2026–27 termly fees including VAT and meals as described. The following are current figures, not promised September 2027–28 prices.

At the current rate, a day pupil rises by £3,600 per term at Year 9—£10,800 across three terms. Families entering Prep should model that step rather than multiplying the Year 7 fee across the whole education.

Registration is £200 and non-refundable. Occasional boarding is £70 a night in Prep and £80 in Upper. The current pages say an acceptance deposit is required but do not publish the amount. Request it before budgeting for several offer deposits.

House activities, some trips, learning support, EAL, art and design materials, and examinations can add to the bill.

Bursaries tied to the scholarship programme

The school’s current pages describe means-tested bursary applications for candidates securing places through the scholarship programme. The current pages do not identify a separate general bursary route or a blanket scholarship discount. A family needing help should clarify eligibility before investing in a specialist application.

Year 7 is Prep; Year 9 begins Upper School

The Prep admissions page and Upper admissions page divide the routes differently from many schools. Do not call Year 7 “Senior School entry” here.

The Upper page groups Years 12 and 13, but that wording does not prove routine external Year 13 admission. An occasional vacancy should never be presented as a main intake.

This guide does not establish the current Pre-Prep process for ages 3–6. Do not extend the Prep CAT4 description to those children; request their age-specific visit, assessment and date information separately.

The live test description is shorter than the old policy

Current pages specify online CAT4 for Prep and Years 9–11. The live sixth-form page says only “entrance paper”. The current pages do not publish specimens, durations, pass marks, acceptance odds or the sixth-form paper’s subjects.

A policy reviewed in Lent 2025 describes reports, references, interviews and, for sixth form, assessment in two proposed A-level subjects. It was due review in Lent 2026 and conflicts with the simpler live wording. Use it as a question source, not a confirmed 2027 specification.

For CAT4, familiarity with digital question types and calm paced reasoning is more defensible than coaching toward an unpublished Clifton cutoff.

At 16+, keep subject knowledge secure, but do not manufacture a two-paper preparation plan from the overdue policy. Ask whether the current paper is subject-specific, whether interviews remain part of selection and whether overseas applicants take a separate English assessment.

CAT4 is not the ISEB Common Pre-Test. Do not transfer another provider’s modules, timings or administration rules to Clifton. Use only the current instructions the school sends for this assessment.