What Ampleforth College does

Ampleforth College is a private, fee-charging co-educational Catholic boarding and day school located in North Yorkshire, England, operating on a 2,000-acre rural campus on the edge of the North York Moors National Park since 1802. It delivers UK secondary education across three stages — Junior House (Years 7-8), Senior School (Years 9-11) and Sixth Form (Years 12-13) — with 20 GCSE subject options and 25 A Level options plus four vocational BTEC courses. The school runs a predominantly boarding model, with 80% of pupils boarding and all three terms operating on a full seven-day week, integrating academic, pastoral and co-curricular provision under a Benedictine ethos. Governance sits with the St Laurence Education Trust (SLET), a registered charity (No. 1063808) that has been fully independent from the Ampleforth Abbey Trust since October 2018, overseen by a board chaired by Edmund Craston.

The school's revenue is generated almost entirely through recurring termly tuition subscriptions paid by UK, international and service families, with published 2026-27 fees ranging from £27,747 per annum (Junior Day) to £59,805 per annum (College Boarding, including VAT). Application is handled through a direct, admissions-led go-to-market supported by on-site open mornings, assessment days, scholarship programmes (Academic, Basil Hume, JCB, Senior, Development Awards), and a dedicated International Student Programme offering Child Student visa sponsorship. Distribution is single-country direct to consumer in the UK, with a global channel for overseas pupils, and a specialised Service Families Programme supporting CEA-eligible HM Armed Forces and Diplomatic Service households at 10% of boarding fees. Oversight is reinforced through memberships in HMC, ISC, BSA, AEGIS and the Choir Schools Association, alongside routine Ofsted and Catholic Schools Inspectorate inspections.

Operationally, Ampleforth is led by Headmaster Jon Mutton (appointed January 2025) and Bursar/COO Rowland Hills, with a Senior Leadership Team that includes a Dean from the monastic community, two Deputy Heads (Academic and Pastoral), and specialist directors for co-curricular, admissions and development. Co-curricular offerings span Combined Cadet Force, Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, music, drama, dance, equestrian and extensive sport — supplemented by 2026 partnerships with JCB (engineering challenge and Sixth Form scholarship) and Yorkshire County Cricket Club. There is no disclosed AI or digital platform infrastructure; the school's offering is delivered through traditional in-person teaching, pastoral care, scholarships, and a network of inspecting-body accreditations, with bursaries, sibling discounts and commercial lettings providing secondary income streams.

Name

Ampleforth College

Legal name

Ampleforth College

Website

https://ampleforthcollege.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1802

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Ampleforth College is a private co-educational Catholic boarding and day school in North Yorkshire, England, educating pupils aged 11-18 on a 2,000-acre campus since 1802, generating revenue through recurring termly tuition fees across Junior House, Senior School and Sixth Form stages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Boarding School Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonsectarian Independent Boarding Schools (EDAJABAB)

Keywords

• Independent boarding school
• Catholic secondary education
• Co-educational school
• Benedictine education
• Residential school programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

York

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: The school generates revenue primarily through termly tuition fees for boarding and day students across different year groups. Fees include VAT and cover education services, boarding accommodation, and meals. Additional charges apply for extras such as music lessons.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ampleforth College is a Catholic co-educational boarding and day school delivering independent education for pupils aged 11–18 across Junior House (Years 7–8), Senior School (Years 9–11), and Sixth Form (Years 12–13). It offers GCSEs, A-Levels, BTECs, and the International Baccalaureate, with full boarding and day options plus comprehensive co-curricular activities. The school is part of the Ampleforth Abbey community, governed by the St Laurence Education Trust.

Product overview

Ampleforth College is a private Catholic boarding and day school offering co-educational education for students aged 11-18 in North Yorkshire. The institution operates a single integrated educational programme comprising Full Boarding and Day School options, structured across three key stages: Junior House (Years 7-8 for ages 11-13), Senior School (Years 9-11 for ages 13-16), and Sixth Form (Years 12-13 for ages 16-18). The academic offering includes 20 GCSE subjects and 25 A Level options plus BTEC vocational courses, supported by a Learning Hub for learning support and an EAL programme for international students. Scholarship and award programmes include Academic, Art, Drama, Music, Sport, Dance, and Design & Technology scholarships, alongside the JCB Scholarship providing engineering and business pathways. Co-curricular provision encompasses the Combined Cadet Force, Duke of Edinburgh Award, and extensive enrichment activities. The college also offers means-tested bursaries and a dedicated international student programme with visa sponsorship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Junior House (Years 7–8) Lower-school stage of the college for pupils in Years 7 and 8, providing a foundation secondary education on the 2,000-acre North Yorkshire estate with progression into the Senior School. Designed for pupils transitioning from prep schools into Catholic independent boarding or day education.
• Senior School (Years 9–11) Middle stage of the college for pupils in Years 9 to 11, providing GCSE-level study alongside co-curricular and pastoral programmes and feeding into the Sixth Form. Open to boarding and day pupils.
• Sixth Form (Years 12–13) Final two-year stage of the college for pupils in Years 12 and 13 offering A-Levels, BTECs, and the International Baccalaureate (IB), along with co-curricular activities including Duke of Edinburgh, Combined Cadet Force, creative arts, sport, and more.
• Full Boarding Programme Year-round residential boarding programme available across Junior House, Senior School, and Sixth Form, with three terms per year (Michaelmas, Lent, Summer) and standard arrival and departure dates. Designed for parents seeking full residential care for their children alongside the academic curriculum.
• Day School Programme Non-residential day schooling available alongside the boarding programme across Junior House, Senior School, and Sixth Form, with three terms per year (Michaelmas, Lent, Summer) and corresponding tuition fees.
• International Student Programme Onboarding and academic pathway for international pupils supported by dedicated English as an Additional Language (EAL) provision, overseen by the Senior Deputy Head alongside Junior House, Senior School, and Sixth Form academics.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2025 A Level results: 33% A*-A, 59% A*-B, 82% A*-C
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• JCBcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Partnership for the annual JCB Challenge, a Dragon's Den-style engineering and design competition for Year 10 students. JCB provides mentorship, work experience opportunities, and supports the Sixth Form JCB Scholarship Programme which includes mentoring, work experience, and post-school internship at JCB.
• Yorkshire County Cricket ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2026Partnership announced in February 2026 to strengthen Ampleforth's reputation as a centre of cricket excellence in the north of England, providing enhanced cricket coaching and development opportunities.
• Autohorn Car RentalminorOthersPreferred car rental partner located next to York Station offering discount schemes for Ampleforth visitors and families. Contact: 01904 557548 or www.autohorn.co.uk

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sedbergh School: Co-educational independent boarding school in Cumbria with a similarly remote rural setting and strong sporting tradition. Comparable on rural boarding environment, co-curricular depth, and northern England positioning.
• Radley College: Highly selective independent boys' boarding school in Oxfordshire, from which Ampleforth's new Deputy Head Pastoral joined in 2025. Comparable on full-boarding model, pastoral intensity, and Oxbridge/Russell Group university outcomes.
• Downside School: Benedictine Catholic independent co-educational boarding school in Somerset. Shares with Ampleforth the same Benedictine religious heritage, monastic origins, and boarding-centric educational model, making it the closest comparable on ethos.
• Monkton Combe School: Co-educational independent boarding school near Bath where Ampleforth's Deputy Head was previously Head of Mathematics. Comparable on full-boarding model, Christian ethos (Church of England), and similar size and pupil profile.
• St Edmund's College, Ware: Catholic co-educational independent boarding and day school in Hertfordshire led by Headmaster Matthew Mostyn (Ampleforth Governor). Comparable on Catholic identity and co-educational boarding model, though with a different religious order affiliation.
• Stonyhurst College: Jesuit Catholic co-educational independent boarding school in Lancashire, England, serving pupils aged 3-18. It is the most direct UK peer to Ampleforth given shared Catholic identity, full-boarding heritage, and similar co-educational offering.

Broad incumbents

• Oundle School: Large co-educational independent boarding and day school in Northamptonshire with strong STEM and co-curricular programmes. Comparable on full-boarding model and breadth of academic and co-curricular offering, though secular.
• Shrewsbury School: One of the original seven English public schools, co-educational independent boarding in Shropshire. Comparable as a long-established UK co-ed boarding school, though secular rather than Catholic.
• Harrow School: Premier UK independent boys' boarding school in northwest London with global brand recognition. Comparable as a top-tier UK boarding school with similar premium pricing and strong university outcomes, though boys-only and urban.
• Eton College: The UK's most prestigious independent boys' boarding school, located near Windsor. Comparable as the top of the UK independent boarding market with similar premium pricing, though it operates at significantly larger scale and is boys-only.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/1316866895776459

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ampleforth College