Radley College is a full boarding school near Oxford for boys aged 13–18. Founded more than 178 years ago by William Sewell on Christian values, a Radley education is about exploring truth, valuing beauty and pursuing excellence.
As an all-boys all-boarding school, everything Radley does is underpinned by a deep sense of collective spirit. Radley’s 770 boys are immersed in community: singing in Chapel together five times a week; bonds formed with dons in the evening ‘Cocoas’ and in the lifelong friendships the boys make. Based in a beautiful, enclosed setting of 800 acres, Radley offers world-class facilities to accommodate all interests and ambitions. These include a golf course (and simulator), an indoor rowing tank, design engineering workshops, an art gallery, the Countryside Centre, the Radley Zoo and the Observatory. The new Music School (completion December 2025) will offer performers many exciting, innovative musical spaces and resources.
Curriculum. In Shells (Year 9), Removes (Year 10) and Fifth Form (Year 11) boy follow a broad curriculum. Boys generally take nine or ten GCSE subjects. In the Sixth Form boy choose from 13 A level subjects and boys also benefit from Radley’s Sixth Form Curriculum Extension Programme, which includes the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), a mini-MBA and an International Relations Course.
Academic achievement. 85% of Radleians go on to Russell Group Universities – 14 boys received Oxbridge offers last year. An increasing number of boys are heading to the States with early offers and scholarships from Ivy League universities while others have opted for degree apprenticeships including Dyson, EY, PWC and UBS.
Futures. Radley Futures is our comprehensive careers programme which runs through all years and is designed to prepare students for higher education and work. This includes writing CVs, psychometric testing and profiling, UCAS and international university application support and interview practice. All students can access professional advice and gain exposure to a wide variety of careers through talks, visits and work experience. In the Sixth Form, boys are given the opportunity to join our business networking platforms where they can interact with Old Radleians and Radley parents, developing their early networking skills and starting to build a lifelong network before they leave.
Games. Over 20 sports are played competitively against other schools. In the Michaelmas Term, rugby is the major school sport. In the Lent Term, the ‘wet-bobs’ row and the ‘dry-bobs’ play hockey (the major sport) and football. In the Summer Term, cricket and rowing are the major sports alongside athletics and tennis. There are also numerous minor sports. The College has its own boathouse, and the use of a stretch of the River Thames between Sandford and Abingdon. The VIIIs compete in regattas and Head of the River races. There are three all-weather hockey pitches, an athletics track, five squash courts, a real tennis court, a rackets court, two covered fives courts, 20 hard tennis courts and a 9-hole golf course. There is a large, well-equipped gymnasium and a 25-metre indoor, heated swimming pool attached to a multipurpose sports hall and a Strength and Conditioning Centre situated near a state-of-the-art rowing tank.
Co-curricular. 67 co-curricular options are available, ranging from animals and chess, to fencing and fishing, horology and MedSoc to cooking, creative writing and model rocketry!
CCF and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. All boys, in their fourth term, join the Radley College Contingent, Combined Cadet Force (Army, Navy and Air sections). They work for the Proficiency examination, which takes three terms. When they have passed Proficiency and done a week’s Corps Camp in the holidays, they either stay on in a special section for further training or join one of the many Partnership Projects on offer. There is a thriving Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme.
Admission. Most boys join the College at 13+. Families should apply by the Summer Term of Year 5. In Year 6, boys will sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test, and Radley will request a reference from their current school. If shortlisted, interviews take place in the Lent Term of Year 6.
Those who have registered early on the Radley List (generally before a boy is 3 years old) will go through this process in the Michaelmas Term of Year 6. Places are also available for Sixth Form entry and, occasionally, in Year 10 (Removes): details are available on our website.
Radley is looking for kind, talented and ambitious boys who will thrive in a boarding environment. We are an academically selective school and our assessment reflects this but we are most interested in boys who will make the most of every opportunity and significantly contribute to Radley life.
Scholarships and bursaries. Academic, Art, Drama, Innovation, Music and Sports Awards (Scholarships and Exhibitions) are all available every year. The Keys Award, an all-inclusive means-tested bursary, is available for talented and ambitious boys who would otherwise be unable to afford to come to Radley at 11+ (with help to place boys at an independent prep school for Years 7 and 8) as well as at 16+.
Fees per term (2025-2026). £20,112.
Charitable status. St Peter’s College, Radley is a Registered Charity, number 309243. It exists for the purpose of the education of youth in general knowledge and literature, and particularly and especially in the doctrines and principles of the Church of England.
Radley Schools Group. Radley College is part of Radley Schools Group which brings together eight schools – Radley College, Barfield, Beeston Hall, Chandlings, Cothill, Kitebrook, Mowden Hall and West Hill Park – united by a shared commitment to educational excellence, character and charitable purpose.