- Location
- Sevenoaks
- Recorded age range
- 11–18
- Education
- IB · British
About Sevenoaks School
An IB-only boarding school in Kent producing some of the strongest IB results in the world, with a deep commitment to internationalism and the arts.
School background from the saved source · 2026-05-31
Sevenoaks School was founded in 1432 by Sir William Sevenoke — a London draper and Lord Mayor of London (1418-19) who, as an orphan boy, had been found abandoned in the Kentish town of Sevenoaks and adopted by a local family. Sevenoke endowed a school in his adopted home town in his will, making the school 594 years old — one of the oldest English schools in continuous operation, founded a generation before Eton (1440) and before Magdalen College School (1480). The school sits today on the western edge of the Kentish market town of Sevenoaks, on a campus that has expanded considerably over the centuries.
The school became co-educational in 1976 and today educates around 1,244 pupils with a substantial boarding population. The Headmaster is Jesse Elzinga (the first American Head of a major UK boarding school). The school is a member of the HMC and the Boarding Schools Association.
Sevenoaks's distinctive academic position is that the school dropped A-Levels entirely in 2006 and now offers only the International Baccalaureate Diploma in its senior curriculum (Years 12-13) — making it the largest IB-only senior cohort in any UK school, and one of the very first major HMC schools to make this transition. Sevenoaks A-Level / IB results are consistently among the very best of any UK school: the school regularly records one of the highest IB Diploma average point scores in the world, with substantial numbers of pupils achieving the maximum 45 points.
Sevenoaks has produced an extraordinary range of distinguished alumni. The actor Daniel Day-Lewis — three-time Academy Award winner (My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood, Lincoln), the only male actor in cinema history with three Best Actor Oscars, widely regarded as the greatest method actor of his generation — was educated partly at Sevenoaks. Sir Paul Nurse FRS, who shared the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering the cell-cycle regulator genes that control cell division (work whose pharmaceutical applications now underpin much of modern cancer chemotherapy), and the former President of the Royal Society, was at Sevenoaks. Sir George Box, the British-born American statistician whose box-and-whisker plot is universally known and whose aphorism "all models are wrong but some are useful" defines modern statistical practice, was a Sevenoaks boy.
Sir Adrian Cadbury — Chairman of Cadbury Schweppes through the 1970s-80s and the architect of the 1992 Cadbury Report on corporate governance (the foundation document of modern UK corporate-governance regulation) — was an Old Sennockian. The school operates a substantial bursary programme via the Sevenoaks Foundation.
School life and areas of focus
- IB-only sixth form
- Top IB results worldwide
- Strong arts program
- International-mindedness
- Founded 1432 by Sir William Sevenoke — 594-year history
- Co-educational since 1976
- ≈1,244 pupils with substantial boarding population (largest IB-only senior cohort in UK)
- Set on a coastal-edge campus at Sevenoaks, Kent
- HMC and BSA member; IB-only senior curriculum since 2006 (first major UK school to drop A-Levels entirely)
- One of the very top UK schools by Oxbridge and US Ivy League offer numbers
- Substantial bursary programme via the Sevenoaks Foundation
- Founded 1432 — 594 year tradition
- 1,244-pupil community
- Day and boarding places available
- Strong in Arts, Drama, Sport
- Strong Oxbridge progression
- US Ivy League destinations
Education and school life
Explore the curriculum and subjects below. Our team can help you find out about subject choices, year groups and programme availability.
- Programme type
- Boarding school
- Curriculum
- IB, British
- Teaching language
- English
- Campus setting
- rural
Subject areas
- Humanities
- STEM
- Arts
- Languages
- International Baccalaureate Diploma (sole UK senior curriculum — IB only since 2006; full DP cohort)
- Modern languages (over 12 modern languages taught)
- Sciences
- Mathematics
- Music (cathedral choral tradition)
- Sport (rowing — riverside boathouse)
- Drama
- Sport
Listed memberships and accreditations
- HMC
- IB World School
- HMC (Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference)
- BSA (Boarding Schools Association)
- IBO (International Baccalaureate Organisation — IB World School; full IB Diploma since 1978)
- ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate)
Study and progression pathways
- Humanities
- Arts
- STEM
- Oxbridge
- Russell Group (Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, LSE)
- US Ivy League universities (Harvard, Princeton, Yale)
- European international universities
- Russell Group
- Ivy League
- Edinburgh / St Andrews
Academic profile in the catalogue
No review date is recorded for these catalogue figures.
- Typical class size
- 18 · catalogue record
- Student / teacher ratio
- 1:9 · catalogue record
The source does not specify a measurement year for these figures. Ask our team about current class sizes and staffing.
Campus, boarding and student community
Catalogue profile
- Founded
- 1432
- Recorded student population
- 1110
- Campus setting
- rural
- Boarding
- Listed in the catalogue
- Co-education
- Listed as co-educational
School-wide directory record
Schoolscout · Source record dated 2026-05-18
- School stages
- Prep, Senior, Sixth Form
- Directory age range
- 11-18
- Student intake
- Co-educational
- Attendance
- Day and boarding
- Religious ethos
- No religious ethos listed
- Inspectorate
- ISI
- Total pupils
- 1244
- Boys · number / share
- 623 · 50.08%
- Girls · number / share
- 621 · 49.92%
- Pupils receiving SEN support · number / share
- 296 · 23.79%
- Pupils with an EHC plan · number / share
- 0 · 0%
Directory and catalogue figures are shown separately because their age groups or record dates may differ.
Tuition and costs
Recorded GBP school fees
Schoolscout · Source record dated 2026-05-18
| Attendance | Recorded range |
|---|---|
| Day fees | £11,974.80 – £13,838.40 |
| Boarding fees | £19,590.00 – £21,418.80 |
These historical directory amounts are not a confirmed school quotation. The billing period, VAT, academic year and included costs need confirmation from the school.
Catalogue USD figures
Catalogue fee range · USD
Catalogue figures are shown in US dollars (USD). The fee period and academic year are not specified in this record. UK institutions generally publish their own fees in pounds sterling (GBP); check the current fee schedule rather than treating this range as a GBP price.
Ask the UniCampus team about the fee period, entry year, boarding and additional costs.
Ask about current feesPlanning your application
Entry requirements depend on the school, age group and programme. Talk to the UniCampus team about school reports, language requirements, assessments and your application timeline.
- Catalogue application window
- October 31, 2026
- Listed intake
- September 2027
These catalogue notes do not confirm an available place or a current deadline. MEC guidance can help you organise a shortlist and prepare questions for the school.
Support recorded in the catalogue
- Scholarships or bursaries
- Listed; eligibility and availability need confirmation
- Visa application support
- Listed; confirm what assistance is provided
Source notes and alternative records
Dated background research is retained below; source descriptions may differ and have not been newly verified by UniCampus.
School background research · 2026-05-31
School background notes
Source record dated 2026-05-31 · Source text retained in English
Read this source's description in the school overview.
- Founded · source note
- 1432
- Campus setting · source note
- rural
- Religious ethos · source note
- Church of England
- School leadership · source note
- Jesse Elzinga (Headmaster)
- Scholarships · source note
- Mentioned in saved research; confirm current terms
Additional subject and programme notes
- International Baccalaureate Diploma (sole UK senior curriculum — IB only since 2006; full DP cohort)
- Modern languages (over 12 modern languages taught)
- Sciences
- Mathematics
- Music (cathedral choral tradition)
- Sport (rowing — riverside boathouse)
Listed education pathways
- Oxbridge
- Russell Group (Cambridge, Imperial, UCL, LSE)
- US Ivy League universities (Harvard, Princeton, Yale)
- European international universities
Memberships and accreditations in the source
- HMC (Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference)
- BSA (Boarding Schools Association)
- IBO (International Baccalaureate Organisation — IB World School; full IB Diploma since 1978)
- ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate)
School-life notes
- Founded 1432 by Sir William Sevenoke — 594-year history
- Co-educational since 1976
- ≈1,244 pupils with substantial boarding population (largest IB-only senior cohort in UK)
- Set on a coastal-edge campus at Sevenoaks, Kent
- HMC and BSA member; IB-only senior curriculum since 2006 (first major UK school to drop A-Levels entirely)
- One of the very top UK schools by Oxbridge and US Ivy League offer numbers
- Substantial bursary programme via the Sevenoaks Foundation
Notable alumni listed in the source
- Sir George Edward Pelham Box (statistician — 'all models are wrong but some are useful'; founder of modern industrial statistics; Wisconsin Madison professor)
- Sir Adrian Cadbury (Chairman of Cadbury Schweppes; pioneer of corporate governance — Cadbury Report 1992)
- Daniel Day-Lewis (three-time Academy Award winner — There Will Be Blood, Lincoln, My Left Foot — only male actor with three Best Actor Oscars) — partial education
- Sir Paul Nurse FRS (2001 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine for discovering the genes that regulate the cell cycle; former President of the Royal Society) — partial education
- Sir Stephen Bubb (charity sector leader)
- Lord Tim Bell (PR adviser to Margaret Thatcher)
Additional school record · 2026-05-30
Additional saved school information
Source record dated 2026-05-30 · Source text retained in English
Admissions Welcome Visit us Work at Sevenoaks Parent Portals Contact us Book a visit search-icon Open main menu Menu
The breadth of the Diploma Programme encourages an interdisciplinary style of learning. Students develop expert knowledge in the topics that most interest them, but are also encouraged to look beyond the traditional boundaries between academic disciplines, think critically across the curriculum and to appreciate and analyse multiple perspectives. Despite this breadth, the six courses are all Ofqual-rated as being comparable at least to A-levels in their depth, and this strength of breadth and depth is one of the reasons why IB students are very effectively prepared for university and for the future workplace.
In order to obtain the Diploma students must take one subject from each of Groups 1-6, choosing three at Higher Level (HL) and three at Standard Level (SL). The choice of HL subjects allows students to pursue areas of personal interest, to play to their strengths, and to meet specialist requirements for university entrance. The IB also provides the opportunity for students to specialise in the Humanities, in the Sciences or in Languages by allowing them to choose a second subject from Group 2, 3 or 4 instead of an Arts subject in Group 6.
- Founded · source note
- 1432
- School leadership · source note
- Jesse Elzinga
- Scholarships · source note
- Mentioned in saved research; confirm current terms
Additional subject and programme notes
- Arts
- Drama
- Sport
Listed education pathways
- Oxbridge
- Russell Group
- Ivy League
- Edinburgh / St Andrews
Memberships and accreditations in the source
- ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate)
School-life notes
- Founded 1432 — 594 year tradition
- 1,244-pupil community
- Day and boarding places available
- Strong in Arts, Drama, Sport
- Strong Oxbridge progression
- US Ivy League destinations
Schoolscout introduction
Located in the picturesque town of Sevenoaks, the school offers a rich blend of academic excellence and a vibrant community spirit. With a commitment to nu...
School location
Schoolscout · Source record dated 2026-05-18
- Recorded address
- High Street, Sevenoaks, Kent, Sevenoaks, Kent, South East, TN13 1HU
- Postcode
- TN13 1HU
Questions in the source record
Schoolscout · Source record dated 2026-05-18 · Original English answers
What type of school is Sevenoaks School?
Sevenoaks School is a co-educational independent mainstream school for pupils aged 11 to 18, located near Sevenoaks in Kent. The school offers education from Prep through to Sixth Form, with pathways leading to GCSEs and A Levels.
How do I apply to Sevenoaks School?
The admissions process usually starts well in advance of entry and may involve assessments and interviews. The school admissions timeline guide outlines key stages and deadlines.
What are the fees at Sevenoaks School?
The cost of attending Sevenoaks School typically ranges around £11,974–£21,418 per term, with variations based on age and boarding.
Is Sevenoaks School a day or boarding school?
Sevenoaks School offers day and boarding options. Where boarding is available, this may include full, weekly or flexi arrangements.
Is Sevenoaks School selective?
Entry to Sevenoaks School is based on overall fit and, where relevant, academic assessment.
Contact our team for current dates, entry criteria and fees.
Plan your next step with UniCampus
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Enquire about this schoolPhotograph sources and credits
# Photo attribution
Source: Wikipedia
- sevenoaks-school.jpg: CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
# Photo attribution
Source: Wikipedia
- img-01.jpg: CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons - img-02.jpg: CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons - img-03.png: CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons - img-04.jpg: CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - img-05.jpg: CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons