A school with medieval roots and modern ambitions is an unusual combination, but it is central to Stoke College’s identity. The grounds sit beside the River Stour, with the school describing outdoor swimming and paddleboarding as part of summer life, alongside a growing wellbeing focus that includes a dedicated Wellbeing Hub and a Wellbeing Pod concept for time outdoors.
Leadership is recent. Mrs Kim Terrar became Principal in August 2024, and the school’s current direction is closely linked to that change.
For parents, the headline questions tend to be practical: how the small-school model translates into outcomes, how boarding fits into a mostly day-school culture, and how fees remain comparatively modest for the independent sector. On inspection, the picture is mixed academically, but clearer on culture and compliance, with the most recent regulatory visit reporting standards met.
The setting is a genuine differentiator. The school site traces its name to 1415, when a scholarly college for priests was re-founded on the same location, and the modern school deliberately leans into that continuity. The history page also points to later architectural layers, including work by Edwin Lutyens and gardens influenced by Gertrude Jekyll, which helps explain why the campus feels more like an estate than a conventional school plot.
Parents weighing culture will usually care less about the romance of medieval flagstones and more about whether pupils are known, noticed, and supported. The school’s messaging is consistent on this point: personalisation, small groups, and a strong pastoral structure. It also runs a simple two-house system, Lions and Unicorns, used for cross-age competitions and belonging.
A final point worth separating from marketing language is compliance trajectory. The school has had a period of heightened regulatory attention over the past few years, then a later monitoring visit that indicates the required fixes were made. That context matters for parents who want reassurance about governance and safeguarding culture, not just the day-to-day feel.
Stoke College is an 11 to 18 school, so the meaningful dataset is GCSE and A-level.
Ranked 3,612th in England and 4th in the Sudbury area for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data). This level sits below England average overall, and it aligns with an intake and provision that is not built around exam selection.
At GCSE, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 35.8. The EBacc entry and attainment indicators are also low: 0% achieving grade 5 or above in the EBacc measure, and an EBacc average point score of 2.96, compared with an England benchmark of 4.08.
The practical implication is that families for whom a broad EBacc pathway is non-negotiable should ask direct questions about subject entry patterns, timetable constraints, and how option blocks work in a small cohort.
Ranked 1,855th in England and 2nd in the Sudbury area for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data). This performance band is below England average overall.
The grade breakdown indicates 36.17% of entries at A* to B, compared with an England benchmark of 47.2%. At the very top end, 12.77% of grades are A* or A, compared with an England benchmark of 23.6%.
The implication is similar: Stoke is unlikely to suit families shopping primarily for top-decile exam outcomes, but it may suit students who benefit from a smaller setting and structured support, provided expectations are set appropriately.
Parents comparing local alternatives should use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to view these outcomes side-by-side, rather than relying on reputation signals that can lag behind published results.
England ranks and key metrics (where available)
A-Level A*-B
36.17%
% of students achieving grades A*-B
GCSE 9–7
—
% of students achieving grades 9-7
Stoke’s curriculum story is best understood as “broad enough, then personalised”. The school uses assessment and interview as part of entry, and the website emphasises tailoring rather than selection by fixed pass marks.
At Sixth Form, the school describes a model where most students take three A-levels and an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), with four A-levels considered for those targeting the most competitive pathways. The A-level menu listed by the school is wide for a small provider, including facilitating subjects such as mathematics, further mathematics, sciences, English literature, history, and modern languages.
A second strand is learning support. The school publishes policies indicating structured support for additional needs, and inspection material notes a relatively high proportion of pupils identified with special educational needs and disabilities at different points in time. For families, the key question is resourcing: who delivers support, how it is timetabled, and what is included in core fees versus billed as an additional service.
Stoke does not publish a single, consistent set of destination statistics on its website, so the most useful evidence here is the official leaver destinations dataset plus the Oxbridge pipeline figures available for the relevant measurement period.
For the 2023 to 2024 leavers cohort (cohort size 33), 64% progressed to university. A further 18% moved into employment, and 3% started apprenticeships.
This profile suggests a mainstream progression pattern rather than a heavily specialist university pipeline. For families, the practical takeaway is to ask for the school’s current guidance model: UCAS support, predicted-grade processes, interview preparation, and how the school handles students pursuing apprenticeships or employment routes alongside academic study.
Across the measured period, 10 students applied to Oxford or Cambridge, and 1 secured a place. The Cambridge side accounts for the acceptance.
In a small Sixth Form, even one acceptance can be meaningful, but it should be read as evidence that individual high-end pathways are possible, not as a guaranteed pipeline. Families with Oxbridge as a core goal should ask how super-curricular preparation is structured, who leads admissions support, and how many students typically pursue highly competitive courses.
Admissions are direct to the school and structured around assessment plus fit.
For Years 7 to 9, applicants attend an assessment morning and then a taster day before an offer is made. Sixth Form applicants have a combined assessment and taster day. Assessments include maths, English, and non-verbal reasoning, plus an interview with the Principal or the Deputy Head Academic.
There are explicit one-off costs at application and acceptance stages. The registration fee is £150 for domestic applicants, or £250 if the applicant’s main residence is overseas. If a place is accepted, the acceptance deposit is £750 for UK-based families, or £1,000 for overseas families, refundable when the student leaves and the account is settled.
The school published the following dates for the 2026 entry cycle: an early assessment on 14 June 2025, an open morning on 20 September 2025, assessment days on 11 October and 15 November 2025, plus Sixth Form and general open evenings in October and November 2025.
As of 24 January 2026, those dates are in the past, so families considering late entry should treat them as indicative of the annual rhythm and check current availability directly with the school.
Because independent school admissions can move quickly in small cohorts, it is sensible to plan backwards. Secure a visit first, then confirm which assessment date is next, then clarify how long offers remain open before places are reallocated.
Pastoral structure is framed around two mechanisms: the two-house model (Lions and Unicorns), and a wellbeing focus that includes dedicated space. The Principal’s communications also highlight a Wellbeing Hub located in the Walled Garden area.
Behaviour expectations are also clearly documented. The school day is defined as 08:50 to 16:00, with co-curricular activities running from 16:00 to 17:00, and there are limits on device use during the academic day in published policies.
The most important external reassurance for parents is safeguarding. The May 2025 ISI progress monitoring inspection reported that the school met all the relevant standards considered during that inspection.
Stoke’s co-curricular offer is shaped by its grounds and its size. The school explicitly positions the campus as a place where students can use outdoor space for sport, walking, and warm-weather activities on the water, and it describes a wellbeing thread linked to spending time outdoors.
The programme itself is built into the day. The school describes lunch-time activity slots and an after-school block from 16:00 to 17:00. In Sixth Form, it describes the day as organised so students can join up to ten activities per week, adjusting choices half-termly.
Specific activities are where the picture becomes more concrete. The school names chess and dance as examples of clubs, and it also refers to specialist-led options such as boxercise and tennis, offered at an additional cost. It also highlights performances and showcases, including a spring term musical staged off-site at Haverhill Arts Theatre.
For parents, the useful question is not “how many clubs exist”, but how reliably they run in a small school. Ask what the timetable looks like this term, which clubs are staff-led versus paid-in specialists, and how beginners are integrated.
Boarding exists, but it is not the dominant model. The school has two boarding houses and offers flexible patterns, including weekly and full boarding. The boarding guide sets out daily routines, including a wake-up time of 07:30 and a pre-breakfast registration at 08:15.
Academic structure in the evenings is explicit. The school describes a supervised study session each evening with boarding staff support, which is a practical advantage for students who need structure to complete prep consistently.
One nuance parents should understand is scale. At the time of the May 2025 monitoring visit, the inspection record lists 1 boarding pupil. That does not mean boarding is unavailable, but it does suggest parents should ask direct questions about current boarding numbers, the social mix, weekend programming, and how the experience feels when the cohort is small.
Fees are published as VAT-inclusive, with a schedule running from 1 January 2025 to the end of the academic year 2026.
Years 7 to 9: £5,864 per term, £17,592 per year
Years 10 to 11: £6,094 per term, £18,282 per year
Years 12 to 13: £6,554 per term, £19,662 per year
5-day boarding, Years 7 to 11: £10,560 per term, £31,680 per year
5-day boarding, Years 12 to 13: £11,020 per term, £33,060 per year
7-day boarding, Years 7 to 11: £12,347 per term, £37,041 per year
7-day boarding, Years 12 to 13: £12,807 per term, £38,421 per year
For financial support, the school publishes scholarship routes into Sixth Form, including category scholarships and up to two Founders Scholarships that can cover up to 75% of tuition fees. It also references means-tested bursaries linked to scholarship awards in its admissions documentation.
The practical implication is that fee reduction appears to be most clearly structured around Sixth Form entry and scholarship routes. Families seeking support earlier than Year 12 should ask how bursary policy applies outside that pathway.
Fees data coming soon.
The published school day runs from 08:50 to 16:00, followed by co-curricular activities from 16:00 to 17:00. For boarders, the day starts earlier, with an 08:15 registration before breakfast.
Transport is supported by bus routes across Suffolk, Essex, and Cambridge, and the school notes that routes are reviewed regularly and driven by demand. For families considering daily travel, it is sensible to confirm current pick-up points and journey times rather than assuming last year’s pattern remains unchanged.
Academic outcomes are not a headline strength in the current dataset. GCSE and A-level rankings sit below England average, and the EBacc measures are weak. This matters for families prioritising exam track record above all else.
Boarding scale may be small in practice. The most recent inspection record lists 1 boarder at the time of the visit, so families should confirm current numbers and weekend culture before committing.
Admissions costs are meaningful. A £150 registration fee and £750 acceptance deposit (UK-based families) should be budgeted alongside tuition and extras.
Scholarship support is clearest at Sixth Form. Founders Scholarships can cover up to 75% of tuition fees, but families should clarify eligibility, competition level, and what “limited number” means in practice.
Stoke College is best understood as a small independent school offering a distinctive setting, a structured day with built-in co-curricular time, and a direct admissions process that looks for fit as well as ability. It suits students who value individual attention, enjoy being involved in performances, clubs, and outdoor activities, and do not need a top-decile exam environment to stay motivated.
The main challenge is alignment: families seeking consistently high published outcomes should scrutinise the results carefully, while families drawn to the small-school model should validate that teaching quality and subject access meet their child’s needs.
Stoke College has strengths in setting, pastoral structure, and co-curricular integration, and its most recent regulatory inspection reported that the standards considered were met. Academic outcomes in the current dataset sit below England average overall, so “good” depends on whether a small-school model and personalised support matter more to your family than top-end exam performance.
Day fees range from £5,864 per term in Years 7 to 9 to £6,554 per term in Years 12 to 13 (VAT-inclusive). Boarding adds a significant layer, with 5-day boarding at £10,560 per term for Years 7 to 11 and 7-day boarding at £12,347 per term for Years 7 to 11, again VAT-inclusive.
Admissions are direct to the school and typically involve assessments in maths, English, and non-verbal reasoning plus an interview. The school published a set of assessment and open event dates for the 2026 entry cycle during 2025, so families applying late should ask what dates apply now and whether places remain in the relevant year group.
Boarding is offered in two houses with routines set out clearly, including evening supervised study and organised weekend activities. Because boarding numbers may be small, it is important to ask how many boarders are currently in your child’s year group and what the weekend programme looks like in a typical term.
Yes, particularly at Sixth Form. The school offers category scholarships, and it states that up to two Founders Scholarships can cover up to 75% of tuition fees. It also refers to means-tested bursaries linked to scholarship awards, so families should ask how that combination works in practice.
Get in touch with the school directly
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