Top-level sport meets a supportive, welcoming atmosphere. Here, alongside academic excellence, sport — and especially tennis — takes centre stage.
Set in a vast park in the Suffolk countryside, a grand mansion is home to the beautiful Culford School, just an hour from London Stansted. The school enjoys an excellent reputation across the UK.
Culford strikes a perfect balance between tradition and modernity. Recently, a brand-new indoor tennis court and a state-of-the-art library have been opened.
Sport is a real highlight here, with specialist academies in tennis, football, golf, and swimming. Yet there’s so much more to discover: in the arts, students enjoy everything from near-professional theatre productions to cutting-edge design technology. We’re impressed — diversity, thy name is Culford!
Akademis makes history – A Triple Award-Winning Consultancy (2023, 2024 & 2025) 🏆
Akademis has been recognised three years in a row by StudyTravel for excellence in the education sector:
2025 & 2024: Winners of the StudyTravel Secondary School Award (Best Western European Agency)
2023: Winner of the StudyTravel Star Award
(Best Western European Agency)
The StudyTravel Awards are among the most prestigious honours in international education, recognising outstanding quality, client focus and trusted partnerships. Being the first consultancy ever to win for three consecutive years is something we are deeply proud of. For us, these awards highlight our commitment to offering the very best guidance, personal service and long-term support for families embarking on this exciting journey.
Quick Overview
Age range:1-18
Number of students: 420
Boarders: 47%
International students: 28%
Boarding fees per term: £ 17,505
Key sports offerings besides the traditional team sports: tennis, rugby, swimming, horse riding, hockey, golf
Nearest airports: Norwich (72 km), Stansted (81 km)
https://www.culford.co.uk/
Key strengths at a glance
Excellent tennis program
Own art studio
Close to Cambridge
Academies for football, swimming, and golf
Culford School – Photo Highlights
Culford School in detail
Sports Academies
Tennis is without doubt the crown jewel: Culford is renowned for its highly successful tennis programme. In 2018 it was named ‘Best British Tennis School of the Year’ by the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association). The Culford Tennis Academy offers outstanding training and coaching opportunities for players of all ages and abilities, spanning 12 levels. Young players train on six outdoor courts, four indoor courts, in the strength and conditioning suite, and in the gym. For particularly talented players, there’s an elite performance programme designed to fit seamlessly around their academic timetable. In addition to tennis, the school also offers excellent opportunities in golf, swimming, and football.
Extracurricular Activities
Culford offers an impressive variety of activities, from kickboxing, volleyball, football, and lacrosse to creative workshops and adventurous experiences — such as diving in Tenerife. A particular highlight are the Culford Sixth Form Clubs, including the Medical Society, which prepares students for careers in medical science, the Historical Film Club, the Charity Fashion Show Committee, and the Sailing Club. To help students bond and feel at home from the start, each school year kicks off with a lively Fresher’s Week. Students build rafts, traverse gorges, and navigate underground caves — building camaraderie from day one.
Academics
In the Sixth Form, Culford offers a wide range of learning opportunities — and the results speak for themselves. In 2021, 77% of students achieved A*–B at A-Level. Gifted students can even enrol in short courses at the Open University to help prepare them for higher education. Subjects range from nuclear energy to human genetics — how cool is that? But Culford doesn’t just cater for high-fliers; students who need extra support can benefit from academic clinics and revision sessions. Those applying to Cambridge or Oxford receive comprehensive guidance, and the proximity to Cambridge is an added bonus!
Creative & Performing Arts
Even though Culford has a strong sporting ethos, it also shines in the creative arts. Whether it’s art, theatre, dance, or music, the school offers it all. In a newly opened, inspiring art department with its own studio, students can let their creativity flourish — sketching, sculpting, or experimenting with photography, textiles, and other media. Music at Culford is equally vibrant. Individual tuition is available on all orchestral instruments, as well as piano, organ, voice, drums, and both acoustic and electric guitar. Students can join a wide range of ensembles, including an orchestra, string orchestra, jazz band, chamber choir, flute ensemble, and more.
Culford School Fees
Boarding at Culford School costs £17,505 per term, or £52,515 per academic year.
This ist Culford School
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Our Verdict on Culford
Culford School is a distinctly sporty yet warmly supportive boarding school in the UK.
That said, it’s far from the only school in Britain that could be a great fit for your child. We strongly recommend a personalised consultation to find the perfect match for your family’s wishes and priorities.
We’d be delighted to advise you — our years of close contact with schools enable us to assess them with authenticity and insight. Together, we’re confident we can find the right school for your child.
We’re also happy to advise you on other boarding schools in England. You’ll find an overview on our Boarding Schools in England page.
Benefit from:
- authentic, first-hand insights
- our excellent relationships with admissions offices
- many years of experience in school placements
- support with visa questions
What Makes Akademis Stand Out?
- We remain your trusted contact throughout your child’s stay, well beyond the placement process.
- We provide support with guardianship, visa applications and recognition of qualifications within the German school system.
- We offer fully tailored advice. Our school recommendations are unique to each child and can run to 40 pages in length.
- Families receive our 30+ page boarding school guide, packed with practical tips and insights.
- We prepare your child thoroughly for entrance exams and interviews to maximise their chances of success.
- We arrange school visits, ensuring you have the opportunity to experience each school first-hand.
Every boarding school has its own character and ethos. Having personally visited more than 100 schools, we understand these nuances. We also work with schools that do not pay commission, ensuring that our advice remains independent and always in the best interest of your child.
Our roots lie in the UK. For years, we have placed 200–300 families annually into British boarding schools. While our portfolio now includes schools beyond Britain, the UK remains at the heart of what we do.
Our tailored approach results in exceptional acceptance rates. For example, in 2022/23, all seven students we placed at the highly selective Malvern College received offers – a 100% success rate.
We arrange for prospective families to speak with our current students to hear first-hand accounts of life at a UK boarding school.
