Pocklington School boasts one of the warmest, most family-like communities we have encountered, coupled with an outstanding creative offering. Lovers of art and theatre will feel perfectly at home here.
Founded in 1514, the school is located near York — one of England’s most beautiful cities, in our view. Many schools claim to have friendly communities, but few feel as genuinely caring and personal as Pocklington, something we experienced first-hand on our visit. Although the school is relatively large, it seems perfectly natural here to know all the pupils by name.
The school is also renowned for its art and theatre departments. Public performances, such as those staged as part of the York Festival, are consistently well-received and much enjoyed by audiences. The school is equally proud of its state-of-the-art art facilities.
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
Number of pupils: 860
Pupils in the Sixth Form: 190
International pupils: 40
Class size in the Sixth Form: 16 or fewer
Boarding fees for the Sixth Form per term: £15.662
Main sports on offer in addition to traditional team sports: athletics, cricket, hockey, rugby, tennis, netball, rounders
Nearest airports: Leeds Bradford (1 hour), London Heathrow (2 hours), Manchester (2 hours)
https://www.pocklingtonschool.com
Key Strengths at a Glance
Art & Design Technology Centre
Strong commitment to careers guidance
The Pocklington Award
Family-like atmosphere
Pocklington School– Photo Highlights
Pocklington School in Detail
Art and Theatre
Art and theatre are the school’s signature strengths. Whether it’s painting, drawing, sculpture, video production or animation, the new Art and Design Technology Centre provides pupils with cutting-edge equipment for a wide range of creative disciplines. The art department regularly takes part in competitions and organises exhibitions of student work — including at venues beyond the campus. In the Tom Stoppard Theatre, a 300-seat venue, pupils can immerse themselves in acting, directing, lighting, sound, choreography or costume design. In recent years, Sixth Form students have frequently secured coveted places at the National Youth Theatre summer school and won scholarships to prestigious drama schools, standing out even against strong national competition.
Sport
At Pocklington, everyone is encouraged to try their hand at sports. Athletics, cricket, hockey, rugby, tennis, netball and the quintessentially British game of rounders form the core of the sports programme. But that’s just the beginning: biathlon, dance, climbing, horse riding, golf, fitness, swimming, trampolining and more are also on offer. Games lessons take place on Wednesday afternoons, with matches and tournaments every Saturday. The school also provides pathways to professional sports clubs, such as the Rugby Football Union, with several pupils going on to represent regional and national teams.
Academics
Sixth Form pupils enjoy the benefits of the dedicated Sixth Form Centre, which even includes a cosy café. With over 25 subjects to choose from — including Further Mathematics, Latin, Government and Politics, Spanish, Music, and BTEC courses in Sport and IT — students can tailor their studies to their interests. In the 2021 A-Levels, 84% of grades achieved were A*-B.
The school also excels in careers guidance, offering specialist support not only through subject teachers but also dedicated advisers who help with applications to Oxbridge, medicine, veterinary science and other competitive courses. The Workplace Experience Placement scheme allows students to gain valuable insights into their future careers.
Co-Curricular Life
The extracurricular offering at Pocklington is rich and varied. Clubs and societies include cooking, history, music ensemble, psychology club, senior debating, swing band and young enterprise initiatives, to name just a few. Pupils can also delve into musical theatre, producing and directing their own shows. Through the Community Action programme, students gain meaningful volunteering experience, such as assisting in local primary schools. In addition to the traditional Combined Cadet Force, the school even has its own unique award — the Pocklington Award. The prestigious Gold Pocklington Award recognises pupils’ commitment in three areas: leadership, responsibility, and maturity.
Fees Pocklington School
Fees at Pocklington School are £15.662 per term, or £46.986 per year.
Our Visit
From the moment we set foot on campus, we felt the warmth of the school’s atmosphere and the strong sense of community among the pupils. We were delighted to see how engaged and caring everyone was, and we ourselves felt thoroughly welcomed. The exceptional art and drama departments left a particularly lasting impression. The highlight of the day was our inspiring and optimistic conversation with Headmaster Toby Seth.
This is Pocklington
Photos From Our Visit
What our clients say about us
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Conclusion Pocklington School
Pocklington School is a family-oriented school in the UK with a wonderful community and outstanding opportunities in theatre and art.
That said, it is by no means the only British boarding school with exceptional creative programmes. We warmly recommend exploring other English boarding schools as well. Please do not hesitate to contact us for advice — with years of close contact with these schools, we understand their individual strengths and can offer genuine, informed recommendations.
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:
- first-hand insights
- our strong relationships with admissions offices
- many years of experience placing students
- help 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 your home country’s education 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.
