ACS Egham International School Review 2026: All-through IB education in Surrey for ages 4 to 18

For the IB Diploma Programme, the school publishes headline outcomes for recent cohorts. In 2025, the average IB Diploma score is stated as 35 points, with a 100% pass rate and a highest score of 43 out of 45. In 2024, the school reports an average of 34 points, a 97% pass rate, and a highest score of 42 out of 45, with an average subject grade of 5.4 out of 7 and 27% of students scoring 38 points or higher. In IB terms, those are strong indicators of consistent achievement, particularly the proportion at 38+, which is often used as a shorthand for competitiveness for selective courses, noting that entry requirements vary by university and subject.

The implication for families is less about one headline number and more about fit. The IB Diploma tends to reward students who can manage concurrent deadlines, write analytically across subjects, and organise independent work over time. Where students prefer a narrower assessment profile or a more exam-dominant structure, an A-level setting can sometimes feel more straightforward. Here, the school is clearly positioning the Diploma as its flagship route, so families should treat the IB as part of the school’s core identity rather than an optional add-on.

The school’s academic offer is best understood as a through-line: an inquiry-led approach in the younger years, structured development through middle school, then the more demanding IB routes in the senior phase. The school states that it offers all four IB programmes, which is rare in England and can appeal to families who value continuity of learning language and assessment approach from age 4 to 18.

In classroom practice, inspection evidence points to lessons that are generally well planned, with staff who know pupils well and adapt teaching to need. This includes specific references to adjustments for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, and to tailored support approaches. There is also a clear note about pupils who speak English as an additional language making good progress because of individual support, combining in-class help with individual lessons focused on vocabulary and grammar. For internationally mobile families, this is often a deciding factor, because it determines whether a move disrupts learning for a term or for a year.

The main academic “watch-outs” are also clearly signposted. In the lower school, provision for pupils with higher prior attainment is described as inconsistent, and where tasks lack appropriate stretch and challenge, pupils do not always make sufficient progress. Put plainly, bright pupils may sometimes need more deliberate extension than they receive automatically. Families with very high-attaining children should ask how differentiation is planned, how grouping works, and how the school ensures sustained challenge rather than occasional enrichment.

Because this is an all-through school, there are several “next steps” to think about, not only university.

For families joining at age 4 or 5, the first question is usually whether progression through the school is straightforward. In practice, schools with rolling admissions often manage internal progression smoothly, but cohort composition can change year to year. The right question is not “do most pupils stay”, it is “how does the school manage continuity, friendship groups, and academic transition when new pupils join mid-year”. The inspection evidence, which describes collaborative learning habits and pupils learning from one another’s experiences, suggests the school is consciously set up for this reality.

At the post-16 stage, the IB Diploma results provide a meaningful proxy for university readiness. For 2025 and 2024, the school publishes average point scores and pass rates, which indicate that students are generally completing the programme successfully, with a material subset achieving scores often associated with selective course entry.

Admissions are designed around year-round entry, subject to availability, with the school explicitly stating that applications are accepted throughout the year. That is a major difference from most Surrey state schools and from many independent schools with fixed entry points and deadlines. For internationally relocating families, this is often essential. For locally based families, it can be convenient, but it also means that the “best time to apply” is less about a single deadline and more about securing a place before popular year groups fill.

Age guidance is explicit for the youngest entry point: children can start if they will be 4 years old on or before 1 September of the school year they are entering.

For 2026 admissions engagement, the school advertises open morning dates including Thursday 29 January 2026 and Saturday 21 March 2026. These are useful not only for atmosphere, but for getting specific answers about IB pathways, subject choice structure, language support, and how new joiners are integrated academically and socially.

Pastoral support is a key part of the school’s stated offer, and it is also evidenced in external findings. Safeguarding arrangements are described as appropriate, with staff trained to identify and report concerns, and with pupils valuing the mental health support available via the wellbeing centre and counsellors. For families moving from abroad, or families with children managing anxiety around transition, this is a substantive detail, because it suggests the school has structures in place rather than relying only on informal care.

There is, however, an important interaction between wellbeing and behaviour consistency. Where behaviour systems are not applied uniformly, pupils can experience variability between classes. The inspection evidence notes unkind behaviour incidents, particularly online, alongside inconsistency in policy implementation. Families should ask how online behaviour is handled, how the school educates pupils about digital conduct, and how it ensures follow-through when issues arise.

The school presents co-curricular life as structured around several strands, including arts, sport, debate, STEAM, and leadership. The most useful way to interpret that is through concrete examples.

In performing arts, the school highlights large-scale participation projects and named productions. Examples include Voice in a Million at the O2 Arena, plus an annual school production with recent shows including Sweeney Todd and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Music groups mentioned include Wall of Sound (school band), choirs (including an O2 Choir), rock bands, and a string quartet, alongside individual music lessons. For families weighing the IB workload, this matters because sustained co-curricular participation requires timetabling discipline and adult support, not only student enthusiasm.

In the younger years, the school describes extended day options that blend care and enrichment, including Home Language Enrichment, sports, music classes, and clubs, with wrap-around care through Jag Club (for younger year groups) extending to 18:00. This can be a real differentiator for working families, particularly when paired with school transport options, although families should confirm how places are allocated and whether particular days fill quickly.

The school also highlights facilities in admissions materials, including a dedicated forest school area, modern science spaces, a sports centre with two FIBA-sized basketball courts, and an art and design technology suite. The practical implication is choice. A school can only run a broad activity programme if it has the spaces to do it without constant compromise. Families should ask which parts are available to which age groups, and how often they are timetabled into core learning rather than used only for clubs.

Fees are published on a per-semester basis, with two semesters per academic year. For 2025 to 2026, day tuition fees range from £7,500 per semester (£15,000 annually) for Pre-Kindergarten (ages 4 to 5) up to £18,090 per semester (£36,180 annually) for Grade 12 (ages 17 to 18). The published schedule also lists: Kindergarten £12,480 per semester (£24,960 annually); Grades 1 to 2 £13,410 per semester (£26,820 annually); Grades 3 to 4 £13,500 per semester (£27,000 annually); Grades 5 to 6 £15,690 per semester (£31,380 annually); Grades 7 to 8 £15,780 per semester (£31,560 annually); Grades 9 to 10 £17,910 per semester (£35,820 annually); Grade 11 £17,940 per semester (£35,880 annually).

There are also one-off and supplementary charges published for 2025 to 2026. These include an application fee of £330 (including VAT), a refundable enrolment deposit of £1,500 payable after acceptance, and a one-off campus or development fee of £1,680 (including VAT) charged on the first tuition fee invoice for each student’s enrolment. Additional published items include an annual IT service fee of £60 (including VAT) for Grades 9 to 12, plus guidance that external exam fees can be additional, with an indicative cost around £700 for the full IB Diploma Programme and £200 for the IB Career-related Programme, subject to examination body charges. For students requiring moderate special educational needs support beyond standard provision, the school publishes a charge of £4,500 per year (£2,250 per semester).

Bursary and scholarship details are not set out in the fee sheet itself. Families considering support should ask directly what means-tested bursary help exists, what scholarship routes are offered (if any), and whether financial support applies to tuition only or also to elements such as the campus or development fee and transport.

The school publishes clear daily timings. The day is described as starting at 08:30 and finishing at 15:30, with an earlier finish on Wednesdays at 14:45. A lower school sample timetable shows lessons ending at 15:20 with busing shortly after.

Wrap-around care is offered for younger pupils through Jag Club, with after-school care running to 18:00, and the school also describes before-school supervised time from 08:00 to 08:30 for lower school pupils.

Transport is positioned as a practical support, with bus fee zones published for door-to-door and shuttle services, and families can treat this as part of the overall cost and time planning rather than an afterthought.

• Classroom consistency. External findings describe generally strong teaching and positive behaviour, but with inconsistency in stretch for higher prior attainers and some disruption in middle school lessons and activities. For highly able children, ask how the school plans extension work and how it monitors progress when tasks are not sufficiently challenging.

• Behaviour policy follow-through. External findings note that staff do not consistently implement the behaviour policy and that rewards and sanctions are not fully embedded, alongside some incidents of unkind behaviour, particularly online. Families should probe how expectations are applied across year groups and how digital conduct is taught and enforced.

• Personal development work still bedding in. External findings indicate that the personal, social and health education programme was under review and that changes were not yet fully embedded. If personal development is a priority for your family, ask what the current programme looks like in practice and how it is evaluated.

• Cost structure is multi-part. Fees are only part of the total. One-off charges, transport, exam fees, and potential learning support charges can materially affect the overall cost, so families should map the full cost of attendance for their child’s year group and needs.

This is an all-through independent school built around the IB, with published outcomes that suggest students can achieve strong Diploma results and high pass rates, and with an admissions model designed for families who need flexibility. It suits internationally mobile families, and local families who actively want the IB approach and the international mix that comes with it, and who are comfortable asking detailed questions about consistency of classroom challenge and behaviour systems. The main decision point is fit, not prestige: children who thrive with independent research, long-horizon coursework planning, and cross-subject demands are likely to get the best out of what is offered here.