The Cheltenham Ladies' College

What The Cheltenham Ladies' College does

Cheltenham Ladies' College (CLC) is an independent girls' boarding and day school located on Bayshill Road in central Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Founded in 1854 and operating for over 170 years, CLC serves 820+ students aged 11-18 across Lower College, Upper College, and Sixth Form divisions, accepting day students, UK boarders, and international boarders through structured entry points at 11+, 13+, 14+, and 16+. The school is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC000111) and registered with the UK Charity Commission (311722), operating as a not-for-profit institution governed by a Council and led by an Executive Principal and Head of College.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring tuition fees, supplemented by venue hire at the 800-seat Princess Hall and the 311-seat Parabola Arts Centre, membership at the CLC Health and Fitness Centre on Malvern Road, English language and other summer/residential courses delivered through CLC Services Ltd (in partnership with Inlingua Cheltenham), and charitable fundraising via the CLC Flourish initiative. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the school website enquiry process, Open Days (Whole School and Sixth Form), and individual campus visits; the 9,014+ member CLC Guild alumnae network across 81 countries functions as a sustained referral channel. Operational technology consists of standard school management systems augmented by third-party SaaS including Gladstone Go for fitness bookings, Blackbaud for donations, Stripe for payments, Ticket Tailor for events, and Aluminate for alumnae networking; no proprietary technology or AI/ML capability is disclosed.

Name

The Cheltenham Ladies' College

Legal name

Cheltenham Ladies' College

Website

https://cheltladiescollege.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1854

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent UK girls' boarding and day school founded in 1854, serving 820+ students aged 11-18, funded by tuition fees, venue hire, a community fitness centre, summer courses, and charitable donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent girls' boarding and day 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

International/Global Curriculum Schools (IB, Cambridge, etc.) (EDAJABAG)

Keywords

• Girls independent school
• Boarding and day school
• Secondary education
• Sixth form college
• Private education

Headquarters

HQ city

Cheltenham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: Revenue from day and boarding fees for students aged 11-18 across Lower College, Upper College, and Sixth Form divisions.
2. Health and Fitness Centre Membership: State-of-the-art sports centre with pool, gym, tennis courts, squash, and group fitness classes open to community membership.
3. Venue Hire: Hire of exceptional spaces including Princess Hall (800-seat), Parabola Arts Centre (311-seat theatre), meeting rooms, and residential facilities for dinners, conferences, parties, and weddings.
4. Educational Courses and Summer Schools: Inlingua English Language Summer School for 11-17-year-olds, The Thinking Pianist residential course, and collaborative bespoke courses with partner organisations.
5. Fundraising and Donations: CLC Flourish fundraising initiative supporting bursaries, student experience enhancement, and facility investments through one-off donations, regular giving, legacies, and Giving Day events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent girls' boarding and day school delivering full-time secondary education for students aged 11-18 across Lower College, Upper College and Sixth Form, with GCSE, A-Level and International Baccalaureate pathways. Beyond core academic provision, the school operates ancillary commercial services including the CLC Health and Fitness Centre, venue hire (Princess Hall and Parabola Arts Centre), summer schools and bespoke courses run through CLC Services Ltd.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lower College Education (Ages 11-14) Full-time secondary education for girls aged 11-14 at Cheltenham Ladies' College, covering the first stage of the curriculum and providing the academic, pastoral and co-curricular foundation before Upper College. Open to day students, UK boarders and international boarders.
• Upper College Education (Ages 14-16, GCSE) Full-time secondary education for girls aged 14-16 leading to GCSE qualifications, delivered within CLC's Upper College division and forming the academic bridge to Sixth Form.
• Sixth Form College Education (Ages 16-18, A-Level / IB) Full-time A-Level and International Baccalaureate education for girls aged 16-18 in CLC's Sixth Form College, with consistently strong outcomes including over 500 university offers annually across UK and US destinations.
• Beale Award Bursaries Means-tested bursaries named in honour of former Headmistress Dorothea Beale that widen access to CLC education for families who would not otherwise afford the fees, funded through the CLC Flourish fundraising initiative.
• Academic and Talent Scholarships Honorary scholarships recognising exceptional academic, creative, sporting or musical talent, with no financial reward attached but providing recognition and encouragement of outstanding potential.
• CLC Health and Fitness Centre Membership Community membership to the CLC Health and Fitness Centre on Malvern Road, Cheltenham, offering a 25m swimming pool, Technogym-equipped gym, tennis courts, squash courts and group fitness classes.
• CLC Venues and Events Hire Hire of exceptional CLC event spaces including Princess Hall (800 seats), Parabola Arts Centre (311-seat theatre), meeting rooms and residential facilities for dinners, conferences, parties, weddings and live performances.
• Inlingua English Language Summer School Four-week residential English language summer school for international students aged 11-17, delivered in partnership with Inlingua Cheltenham on the CLC campus.
• The Thinking Pianist Residential Course Residential specialist music course for pianists run on the CLC campus through CLC Services Ltd.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 517 UK university offers and 79 US college offers for Sixth Form students
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• St Hilda's EastcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded 137 years ago by pioneering women from the CLC community, St Hilda's East is a vital centre of support in East London offering practical help, advice, and community programmes. Services include the Brave Girls programme for young women aged 11-18, specialist sensory room, free crèche, over-50s social groups, women-only wellbeing projects, and expert legal/practical advice for housing insecurity and debt. CLC supports through fundraising events, SHE-CLC Cup, and community activities including art exhibitions and sponsored running challenges.
• Cheltenham Education PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with local schools across the Cheltenham Education Partnership for events including Careers Networking, Poetry Slam, Young Designers Showcase, and Modern Languages activities. SFC1 students led a Modern Languages Morning for Year 5 and Year 6 pupils from local primary schools.
• Pioneer CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLC2 students attend annual camp at the Pioneer Centre in Cleobury Mortimer for outdoor education and enrichment activities.
• Radley CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint social events including LC3 Retro Games evening with boys from Radley College.
• Cheltenham FestivalsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCheltenham Festivals partnership includes Jazz Festival performances by CLC Jazz Band. School leverages town centre location to engage with nationally recognised festivals in literature, science, and arts.
• Inlingua CheltenhamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInlingua English Language Summer School for 11-17-year-olds runs for 4 weeks during summer at CLC campus. International language school provides residential English language education.
• Renishaw PLCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTEM partnership with Renishaw PLC for EET students including inspiring STEM show-and-tell and Q&A sessions at College.
• Rugby SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Chemistry Race competition held at Rugby School with CLC SFC chemists participating.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Marlborough College: Marlborough College is a leading UK independent co-educational boarding school with similar heritage and academic prestige. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the premium UK independent school category, though co-educational rather than single-sex like CLC.

Direct peers

• Benenden School: Benenden School in Kent is a leading independent girls' boarding school with similar scale (~880 students) and academic positioning. Directly comparable in size, single-sex boarding model, and premium UK independent school category.
• Queenswood School: Queenswood is an independent girls' boarding and day school in Hertfordshire, similar in structure and offering GCSE/A-Level pathways. Comparable in single-sex boarding model, target demographic, and academic outcomes positioning.
• Roedean School: Roedean is an independent girls' boarding school in Brighton with a similar heritage (founded 1885), single-sex positioning, and emphasis on academic excellence. Directly comparable as a competing all-girls boarding institution targeting the same UK and international student segments.
• Badminton School: Badminton School in Bristol is an independent girls' school serving ages 3-19 with both day and boarding options. Comparable in single-sex educational model, regional UK positioning, and academic outcomes focus, though slightly smaller in boarding scale than CLC.
• St Mary's School Ascot: St Mary's Ascot is a Catholic independent girls' boarding school with similar scale and positioning. Directly comparable in single-sex boarding model, academic outcomes focus, and target demographic of premium UK and international girls' boarding families.
• St Catherine's Bramley: St Catherine's is an independent girls' boarding school in Surrey with a comparable offering across GCSE and A-Level programmes. Directly comparable as a competing girls' boarding school in the same premium segment, targeting similar UK and international student demographics.
• Tudor Hall School: Tudor Hall is an independent girls' boarding school in Oxfordshire with similar academic profile and pastoral focus. Comparable in single-sex boarding model and target demographic, though smaller in scale than CLC.
• Downe House: Downe House is a Berkshire-based independent girls' boarding school offering a comparable academic and pastoral experience to CLC. Directly comparable in target customer (UK and international girls, ages 11-18), business model (boarding-led), and academic outcomes profile.
• Wycombe Abbey: Wycombe Abbey is a leading UK independent girls' boarding school offering GCSE and A-Level/IB programmes. It is directly comparable to CLC in target market (premium girls' boarding, ages 11-18), academic outcomes (top university placements), and revenue model (tuition-led with ancillary services).

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/cheltladiescoll
• Facebookfacebook.com/cheltladiescoll
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-cheltenham-ladies-college
• Instagraminstagram.com/cheltladiescoll
• Xx.com/clcarchive

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries5 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 The Cheltenham Ladies' College