Ratcliffe College
Ratcliffe College is a Catholic co-educational independent boarding and day school in Leicestershire, UK, serving approximately 920 students aged 6 months to 18 years through Day Nursery, Prep, Senior, and Sixth Form on a 200-acre campus, with revenue from tuition, boarding, summer camps, and facility hire.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1847
- HeadquartersLeicester, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Ratcliffe College does
Ratcliffe College is a Catholic co-educational independent boarding and day school located on a 200-acre campus in Ratcliffe on the Wreake, Leicestershire, UK. Founded in 1847 on the educational values of Blessed Antonio Rosmini, the school operates as a registered charity (No. 1115975) and serves approximately 920 students across a continuous educational pathway from Day Nursery (6 months to 4 years) through Prep School (5–11), Senior School (11–16), and Sixth Form (16–18), with boarding provision for residential and international students. The college has invested £15 million in new facilities and holds 'Excellent' ISI and 'Outstanding' CSI inspection ratings, with externally validated outcomes including Top 1% UK value-added A Level results (Alps, 2025), 99% A Level pass rate, and 45% A*/A grades at A Level (2025).
The school monetises primarily through recurring tuition and boarding fees differentiated by day/boarding status and school phase, with average GCSE class sizes of 14 students and postcode-tailored transport services. Secondary revenue streams include Summer Holiday Camps (priced at £45/day or £200/week), an International Summer School, individual music tuition, on-site uniform sales, and facility hire via an Events and Lettings Coordinator. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through a centralised admissions team, school website, open mornings, Year 7 and Year 12 taster days, a 360º virtual tour, and a dedicated international admissions pipeline offering EAL provision and visa support. Marketing spans organic social (Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram), prospectus distribution, and word-of-mouth via the Parents' Association and Old Ratcliffians alumni network.
Underlying technology is non-proprietary and operationally focused: the SOCS platform manages co-curricular activities and a Parent Portal/App supports family communications. There are no APIs, SDKs, or disclosed AI capabilities. Partnerships are predominantly UK professional associations (ISC, BSA, IAPS, HMC, CISC), regulatory bodies (ISI, CSI, British Council), and three local universities (Nottingham Trent, Loughborough, University of Leicester) for progression pathways. The school is preparing a Day Nursery expansion to year-round childcare from Spring 2027, a strategic move extending the educational pathway into early years and opening the addressable market to working families.
Ratcliffe College firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ratcliffe College
- Legal name
- Ratcliffe College
- Website
- https://ratcliffecollege.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1847
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Ratcliffe College is a Catholic co-educational independent boarding and day school in Leicestershire, UK, serving approximately 920 students aged 6 months to 18 years through Day Nursery, Prep, Senior, and Sixth Form on a 200-acre campus, with revenue from tuition, boarding, summer camps, and facility hire.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ratcliffe College industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Independent School Education
- NAICS
- Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Nonsectarian Independent Boarding Schools (EDAJABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Nonsectarian Independent Day Schools (EDAJABAA)
Keywords
Where Ratcliffe College is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Leicester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ratcliffe College business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Tuition and Boarding Fees: Core revenue from tuition fees for day students across Nursery, Prep, Senior, and Sixth Form, plus boarding fees for residential students. Fee structure includes different rates for day students vs boarders, with additional charges for specific programs.
- Summer Holiday Camps: Revenue from holiday camps for Ratcliffe students aged 5-14, offering multi-activities, sports, and outdoor experiences. Priced at £45/day or £200/week for standard camp, £60/day or £265/week for tennis program.
- Facility Hire: Revenue from hiring out campus facilities including conference spaces, sports facilities, and performance venues to external organizations and individuals.
- Individual Music Tuition: Revenue from providing individual music lessons to students, with dedicated music tuition program.
- Uniform Sales: Revenue from on-site uniform shop selling new and second-hand school uniform items for Nursery, Prep, Senior School and Sportswear.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Day Nursery full day session |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Day Nursery morning or afternoon session |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Summer Holiday Camp - standard multi-activities |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Summer Holiday Camp - Tennis program |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Senior School Breakfast Club |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
Ratcliffe College product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ratcliffe College is a co-educational Catholic independent school providing continuous day and boarding education from age 6 months (Nursery) through 18 years (Sixth Form), structured across Day Nursery, Prep School, Senior School (GCSE) and Sixth Form (A Level). The college additionally offers International Boarding, Summer Holiday Camps, an International Summer School, an International Immersion Programme and individual music tuition, all delivered from a 200-acre Leicestershire campus with small class sizes and Catholic Rosminian ethos.
Product overview
Ratcliffe College is a Catholic co-educational independent school offering a comprehensive educational pathway from Nursery (6 months) through Sixth Form (18 years). The institution operates a single unified educational offering structured across four key phases: Day Nursery (6 months-4 years), Prep School (4-11), Senior School (11-16) with a three-year GCSE programme, and Sixth Form (16-18) with A Level provision. The college also provides boarding facilities for international students and operates seasonal enrichment programmes including Summer Holiday Camps and an International Summer School. Academic support is delivered through the PSHCE Programme with RSHE components. The school emphasizes its Catholic Rosminian values, small class sizes (average 14 for GCSE), and strong academic outcomes including 45% A*/A grades at A Level and top 1% ranking for value added results.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Day Nursery (6 months to 4 years)
- Prep School (5-11 Years)
- Senior School (11-16 Years)
- Sixth Form (16-18 Years)
- International Boarding
- Ratcliffe Summer Holiday Camps
- International Summer School
- International Immersion Programme
- Individual Music Tuition
- School Uniform Shop
- Facility Hire
- Senior School Breakfast Club
Quantifiable outcome
- 99% A Level pass rate
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Ratcliffe College
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ratcliffe College technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Ratcliffe College partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Independent Schools Council (ISC)minorMembership in Independent Schools Council, the representative body for independent schools in the UK.
- British CouncilminorAccreditation and quality assurance for international student services and English language programs.
- Boarding School AssociationminorMembership in BSA, the representative body for boarding schools in the UK.
- Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI)minorRegulatory inspection body for independent schools in England.
- IAPS (Independent Association of Prep Schools)minorMembership in the professional association for independent preparatory schools.
- CISC (Catholic Independent Schools Council)minorMembership in the Catholic Independent Schools Council, representing Catholic independent schools.
- Nottingham Trent UniversityminorUniversity partnership providing progression pathways and collaborative opportunities for students.
- Loughborough UniversityminorUniversity partnership providing progression pathways and collaborative opportunities for students.
- University of LeicesterminorUniversity partnership providing progression pathways and collaborative opportunities for students.
- SchoolblazerminorExternal supplier for school uniform provision.
- PlayerlayerminorExternal supplier for sports uniform provision.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ratcliffe College competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Sedbergh School: Co-educational independent boarding and day school in Cumbria with a strong sporting and academic profile. Comparable as a UK independent boarding school of similar size competing for international and UK fee-paying families.
- Oakham School: Co-educational independent boarding and day school in Rutland, close to Uppingham, covering ages 10-18. Comparable East Midlands boarding school competing for similar domestic and international families.
- Uppingham School: Co-educational independent boarding school in Rutland, East Midlands, with a strong academic reputation and full boarding community. Directly comparable on geography, boarding model, and the same catchment of fee-paying UK and international families.
- The Leys School: Large co-educational independent boarding and day school in Cambridge, covering senior and sixth form. Comparable as a UK independent boarding/day school with similar size and a parallel focus on Oxbridge preparation and pastoral care, though without the Catholic specialisation.
- Oundle School: Large co-educational independent boarding and day school in Northamptonshire with extensive STEM and co-curricular facilities. Comparable on the broad UK independent boarding model and academic breadth, though materially larger than Ratcliffe.
- Repton School: Historic co-educational independent boarding and day school in Derbyshire with a large campus, full boarding provision and strong sporting heritage. Comparable in geographic reach (East Midlands), scale, and the breadth of co-curricular offering.
- Bloxham School: Co-educational independent boarding and day school in Oxfordshire covering ages 11-18. Similar in scale, boarding/day mix, and broad curriculum offering; competes for the same UK fee-paying families outside the Catholic niche.
Direct peers
- Worth School: Catholic co-educational independent boarding and day school in West Sussex run by Benedictine monks, covering senior and sixth form. Directly comparable as a Catholic boarding school targeting similar domestic and international fee-paying families.
- Ampleforth College: Catholic co-educational independent boarding and day school in Yorkshire with a similar faith-based, full-boarding heritage and a comparable age range spanning junior through sixth form. Most direct UK peer in terms of religious identity, boarding scale, and academic positioning.
- Stonyhurst College: Jesuit Catholic co-educational independent boarding school in Lancashire offering education from preparatory through sixth form. Closely comparable to Ratcliffe on faith-led ethos, full boarding provision, international student intake, and academic outcomes positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ratcliffe College social profiles
Digital presenceRatcliffe College compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
Ratcliffe College financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ratcliffe College leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Ratcliffe College funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ratcliffe College M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ratcliffe College
What does Ratcliffe College do?
Ratcliffe College is a co-educational Catholic independent school providing continuous day and boarding education from age 6 months (Nursery) through 18 years (Sixth Form), structured across Day Nursery, Prep School, Senior School (GCSE) and Sixth Form (A Level). The college additionally offers International Boarding, Summer Holiday Camps, an International Summer School, an International Immersion Programme and individual music tuition, all delivered from a 200-acre Leicestershire campus with small class sizes and Catholic Rosminian ethos.
Is Ratcliffe College a public or private company?
Ratcliffe College is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Ratcliffe College founded?
Ratcliffe College was founded in 1847. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Ratcliffe College based?
Ratcliffe College is headquartered in Leicester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Ratcliffe College make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Boarding Fees are the primary driver. The others are summer Holiday Camps, facility Hire, individual Music Tuition and uniform Sales.
Who are Ratcliffe College's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Sedbergh School, Oakham School, Uppingham School, The Leys School, Oundle School, Repton School and Bloxham School. Direct peers are Worth School, Ampleforth College and Stonyhurst College.
Does Ratcliffe College have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ratcliffe College.
What industry is Ratcliffe College in?
Ratcliffe College's product category is Independent School Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJABAB, Nonsectarian Independent Boarding Schools, with a secondary code of EDAJABAA, Nonsectarian Independent Day Schools. Its NAICS code is 6111 and its SIC code is 8200.