Frequently Asked Questions

Millfield School was founded in 1935 by RJO (Jack) Meyer, following his return from India with seven Indian boys, six of whom were princes. The school was originally based in Millfield House rented from the Clark family (Clarks shoes) who owned most of Street. The school grew steadily and was one of the first independent schools to be co-educational. Find out more about Millfield's history here.

Millfield is currently the largest co-educational 13-18 age boarding school in the UK with 1270 students, of whom 960 are full boarders. Millfield Prep school caters for younger pupils from 2 years old and has full boarding available between the ages of 7-13. Although essentially a rural British school, 20% of Millfield students are international pupils from over 70 countries; a further 20% are British families living overseas, creating a mix unparalleled in the UK. Interested in learning more? Visit our boarding section here.

Set in over 400 acres of grounds, Millfield’s size brings great opportunity and the facilities are unmatched in the UK: an Olympic-sized swimming pool, state of the art indoor Golf and Cricket Centres which incorporate cutting edge technology, golf courses and equestrian centre; concert hall, a theatre, art gallery, music centre, a hi-tech chemistry block, outstanding teaching facilities and  boarding accommodation which is amongst the very best in the country. Explore Millfield's facilities here.

With small class sizes of around 8-14, excellent teachers and expert sports coaches, every student is individually supported to discover their brilliance. Whilst Millfield has earned an excellent reputation for sporting success our focus is also on teaching students a broad, balanced programme to promote academic study, confidence, health and wellbeing. Read some of our students' Millfield stories in our 20 Stories brochure here.

By attending an Open Day, you will experience the whole school in action. You are free to tailor the morning to suit your needs and explore the school at your own pace. You will be able to look in on lessons, meet students and staff and watch various events going on during the day. If you are not able to attend an Open Day, the Admissions Department can arrange individual visits which are held on Saturdays and during the week in term-time  and these visits are often a great follow up to an Open Day.

Book for our next Open Day here.

The first step is to complete a Registration Form, by which you are showing a firm expression of interest in securing a place at Millfield. Once we have received a completed Registration Form and fee, we will write for a reference from the candidate's school. Find our registration form here. 

After receiving the reference, we will contact you to arrange a time for your child to attend for interview and assessment. This interview and assessment can be conducted remotely via Skype or Zoom. All students joining Millfield have an entrance interview with a senior member of staff and sit a computer based verbal and non-verbal reasoning assessment. The test is not possible to prepare for and takes just under an hour to complete. International Students not able to visit Millfield take the UKiset assessment.

If applying for A Levels then the student must achieve a minimum of 30 points from their best 6 GCSE courses and if wanting to study BTEC then the student must achieve a minimum of 20 points from their best 5 GCSE courses. 

Students are taught in small sets (the average number is 12) which is made possible by our high staff to student ratio. Find out more about our academic curriculum here.

Our largest intake is at 13+ into Year 9 when we welcome 200 new students to the school. These students will join our Nine at Millfield Programme, which is unique to Millfield and offers an immersive, holistic welcome into Millfield life. Learn more here.

There are also spaces for about 40 new students to join in Year 10. At Year 12 (Lower Sixth) we admit around 130 new students each year. Learn more about our Sixth Form programme at Millfield here.

The vast majority of students in the Sixth Form will take a three A level programme. Explore our A level programme here.

We do also offer a range of BTEC courses, including Business, Art and Design and Sport. See our full course options here.

Houses are allocated by the school to ensure that each house benefits from having a wide variety of students from diverse backgrounds and with various interests. The aim is to ensure that the all-important ‘Millfield Mix’ is created in each house which encourages students to have a wide-ranging group of friends. It also ensures that the fiercely fought house matches are always competitive! Learn more about our boarding houses here.

Bedrooms for students in Years 9 to Lower Sixth are typically shared rooms, made up of two beds; in Upper Sixth students have single rooms. Hear what our parents say about our boarding programme here.

Our current boarding fees are the same for UK and International students. See our Fees page for details

Millfield fees are as inclusive as possible and extras are kept to a minimum.  The day fees include tuition and most activities at school, three course lunches, supper for students staying for activities, games and prep, textbooks, students’ personal accident insurance, contribution to travel and accommodation when representing the school and internet access.  The boarding fees include all of the above plus accommodation, breakfast, three-course supper and laundry. Find out more about fees at Millfield here.

Scholarships are available for entry into Year 9 or the Lower Sixth.

Academic, Art, Chess, Computer Programming, Dance, Drama, Music, Product Design and Sport Scholarships are awarded annually to candidates who are exceptionally talented in any one or two of these disciplines.

Scholarships carry a maximum fee reduction of up to 10%. If a scholarship has been awarded, parents in genuine financial need can also apply for a means-tested bursary by completing a confidential financial circumstances form. Bursaries take the form of a fee reduction (of up to 100% in exceptional circumstances) to a level dependent on the parents’ financial resources. All awards are subject to the school’s ability to fund them within the context of its overall budget, and therefore levels cannot be guaranteed.

Scholarship assessments take place in the academic year preceding entry and are open to students who have an excellent school report and recommendation from their headteacher. Candidates should be under 13 years of age on the 1 September 2021 if they are applying for a Year 9 Scholarship.

Means-tested bursaries will be considered from parents of children who have been awarded a scholarship but may not be able to consider Millfield for financial reasons.  Bursaries take the form of a fee reduction (of up to 100% in exceptional cases) to a level dependent on the parents’ financial resources. A limited number of bursaries may also be available for entry in cases where a student does not meet the requirements for a scholarship. Please see our scholarships and bursaries policy for more detail.

All awards are subject to the school’s ability to fund them within the context of its overall budget, and therefore levels cannot be guarantee; any awards made are reviewed annually.

Yes. Typically, students will apply for a Child Student Visa which is for applicants under 18, who are intending to study in the UK for longer than 6 months. The school will provide sponsorship to enable the student to apply for their visa around 4-5 months in advance of entry, providing a place has been offered and accepted and the necessary fees and paperwork have been submitted successfully. Learn more about being an international student at Millfield.

Applicants will be informed if they have gained a place usually one week after their interview. If the applicant attended a scholarship day then this will increase to 2-3 weeks.