Old Swinford Hospital School

What Old Swinford Hospital School does

Old Swinford Hospital School, commonly abbreviated OSH, is a state boarding school located on Heath Lane in Stourbridge, West Midlands, United Kingdom. Founded in 1667 by industrialist Thomas Foley, it has operated continuously for nearly 360 years and today serves students aged 11–18 across Years 7–13. The 2025/26 academic year was the school's first fully co-educational year, with girls admitted throughout both the school and boarding provision. The institution is governed by a board of Governors and Feoffees as a charitable foundation, with no parent company.

The school's core offering is segmented into three student products: Tailored Boarding, Flexi-Boarding, and Day Places. Tailored Boarding provides flexible residential arrangements with dedicated bed spaces, priced at £13,800 per annum (2025/26). Flexi-Boarding grants day access to boarding facilities, meals, supervised prep and up to four overnight stays per term, priced at £6,900 per annum. Day Places are government-funded and free to parents. Tuition is funded by the UK government, and boarding fees are VAT-exempt. Boarding provision is delivered across six boarding houses (Baxter, Dudley, Foley, Foster, Potter, Prospect), each with a dedicated Housemaster, Matron and Boarding Tutors. Co-curricular provision spans 45+ clubs and activities, 10 music ensembles, a Combined Cadet Force affiliated with the Intelligence Corps (since November 2024), and a high-performance rugby programme.

Commercially, the school operates an event-driven and direct admissions-led go-to-market, distributing through its own website (oshsch.com), open mornings, individual boarding tours with the Director of Boarding Recruitment, and the Local Authority Common Application Form for day places. It actively markets to international and Forces families eligible for the Continuity of Education Allowance. Revenue streams are boarding fees, ancillary services such as individual music lessons and school lunches, and per-pupil government funding. The school's technology stack is non-proprietary: Juniper Education for the school website, Edulink One for the student portal, and Unifrog for careers guidance. Old Swinford Hospital School has been rated 'Outstanding' for boarding by Ofsted for three consecutive inspections, most recently in 2022 and 2025, and is recognised as a national state schools rugby champion (2024) and a Top 25 State School for cricket (2025).

Name

Old Swinford Hospital School

Legal name

Old Swinford Hospital

Website

https://oshsch.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Old Swinford Hospital School is a UK state boarding school in Stourbridge, West Midlands, founded in 1667, serving students aged 11–18 through Tailored Boarding, Flexi-Boarding, and free Day Places, with six boarding houses and 45+ co-curricular activities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonsectarian Independent Boarding Schools (EDAJABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

School-Age Wraparound Childcare Centers (Holiday/Break Care) (EDACAAAL), Overseas Secondary Student Housing, Homestay & Boarding Services (EDAIAHAH)

Keywords

• Boarding school education
• Secondary school tuition
• UK state boarding
• Residential education
• Independent school services

Headquarters

HQ city

Stourbridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Boarding Fees - Tailored Boarding: State boarding school where UK government funds tuition, eliminating cost for education. Fees cover boarding activities only, not subject to VAT. Tailored Boarding provides flexible residential arrangements ranging from full-time Monday-Friday to occasional nights.
2. Boarding Fees - Flexi-Boarding: Flexi-Boarders access boarding houses and facilities without routinely sleeping overnight. Pay reduced boarding fee covering access to meals, facilities, and supervised prep. Can stay over up to four times per term.
3. Additional Services Revenue: Optional paid services including individual music lessons, school lunches, and academic trips. Forces Boarding Schools Allowance (Continuity of Education Allowance) accepted for eligible families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Old Swinford Hospital School is a co-educational state boarding school in the UK, founded in 1667. It provides secondary education to pupils aged 7-19, offering Tailored (full) Boarding, Flexi-Boarding, and Day Places, delivered on a single-site campus with associated sports facilities. Teaching, pastoral care, and boarding accommodation are sold as a bundled educational service to families and fee-paying boarders.

Product overview

Old Swinford Hospital School is a state boarding school offering Tailored Boarding, Flexi-Boarding, and Day Places for students aged 11-18. The school provides a comprehensive academic programme from Years 7-13, including GCSE and A Level courses across diverse subjects, alongside a Sixth Form with BTEC options. The co-curricular programme offers over 45 clubs including sports (particularly rugby with national championships), music ensembles, Combined Cadet Force affiliated with the Intelligence Corps, and Duke of Edinburgh awards. Facilities include six boarding houses, specialist laboratories (built 2022), art studios, and the Hanbury Music Centre. Boarding fees cover accommodation, meals (all homemade by school chefs), and access to activities, with the school rated 'Outstanding' for boarding by Ofsted for three consecutive inspections.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tailored (Full) Boarding Full residential boarding provision for secondary school pupils, including accommodation, meals, pastoral care, and supervised study alongside the academic curriculum. Targeted at UK and international families seeking a complete boarding-school experience.
• Flexi-Boarding Part-time, flexible boarding option allowing pupils to board on selected nights per week. Targeted at local day pupils and families who need occasional or mid-week residential cover.
• Day Places Day-pupil enrollment delivering the full secondary curriculum with access to school facilities, but without residential boarding. Targeted at local families and funded by the state for tuition.
• Senior School Education (Years 9-13 / 13-18) Secondary-level academic curriculum delivered on a single-site campus, including GCSE and A-Level programmes, with associated sports and extra-curricular activities. Targeted at pupils preparing for UK and international higher education.
• Junior School Education Junior school provision for younger pupils, offered alongside the main school site and facilities. Targeted at younger children entering the school's education pipeline.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ofsted rated 'Outstanding' for boarding for third consecutive time
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Intelligence CorpsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2024OSH Combined Cadet Force (CCF) officially affiliated with Intelligence Corps via formal Rebadging Parade on 7 November 2024. One of only nine CCF units in UK to wear Intelligence Corps beret and badge. Following 3rd place in Cadet Intelligence Corps Competition, affiliation offers new opportunities in Operational Intelligence, Human Intelligence, Signal Intelligence, and concealment techniques.
• UnifrogcoreTechnology or IntegrationUnifrog platform used across all year groups for career guidance. Provides personality quizzes, career and subject profiles, MOOCs, webinars, recording of extracurricular activities, opportunities search for apprenticeships/universities/FE, virtual work experience, and application tools (CVs, Personal Statements, Common App Essays). Each student has personal account.
• Wyre Forest Theatre AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing LAMDA Speech and Drama lessons at OSH. LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) examinations recognized by schools, colleges, universities, and employers with higher grades counting towards UCAS points.
• Old Foleyans Association (OFA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlumni network routinely providing guest speakers for careers events. Former students like Ishaan Korotane speak to current students about career sectors including cybersecurity. Information at www.oldfoleyans.com.
• City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional orchestra conducting workshops for music students. Part of broader music curriculum exposure to professional musicians and conductors.
• Various Employers and UniversitiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSample of employers presenting at careers events include: UCL, Severn Stars Netball, Styvechale Dental Care, Higgs and Son LLP, Deloitte UK, Bennetts Associates, Barclays, Cisco, Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls Royce, RAF. Universities and colleges including Dudley Sixth Form, Dudley College, Halesowen College, King Edward VI College participate in careers fair.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Royal Hospital School: Royal Hospital School is the other principal state boarding school in England, located in Holbrook, Suffolk, also serving ages 11-18 with full and flexi-boarding. It is the closest direct peer to OSH in terms of state-boarding model, fee structure, and regulatory positioning.
• Oundle School: Oundle is an independent co-educational boarding school in Northamptonshire (founded 1556) with extensive music and engineering programmes. It competes for boarding families seeking a heritage school with strong co-curricular breadth similar to OSH.
• Wymondham College: Wymondham College is one of the few state boarding schools in the UK, offering full and weekly boarding alongside day places for ages 11-18. It mirrors OSH's state-funded tuition + boarding fees model and competes for the same Forces family and family-flexibility segments.
• Uppingham School: Uppingham is a leading independent co-educational boarding school in Rutland, founded 1584, with strong music and arts provision. Comparable to OSH on heritage (multi-century), full boarding model, and breadth of co-curricular activities (45+ clubs).
• Repton School: Repton is a prestigious independent co-educational boarding school in Derbyshire, founded 1557, offering a similar mix of academic, sporting (especially cricket and football) and co-curricular programmes. It directly competes for UK boarding families seeking heritage and full residential experience.
• Sedbergh School: Sedbergh is an independent co-educational boarding school in Cumbria with a similar heritage (founded 1525) and strong rugby tradition (famous for producing rugby internationals). It is a comparable competitor for parents weighing state vs independent boarding with sporting focus.
• Christ College, Brecon: Christ College is an independent co-educational boarding school in Wales (founded 1541), offering full, weekly, and flexi-boarding. Its flexi-boarding product is a closer functional competitor to OSH's Tailored and Flexi-boarding offers than most independents.

Regional players

• King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon: King Edward VI is an independent co-educational school in Stratford-upon-Avon (founded 1295) catering to West Midlands families. Comparable regional competitor for day pupils and a nearby alternative for boarding families considering OSH.
• Royal Grammar School Worcester: RGS Worcester is an independent co-educational day school in Worcester with selective academic intake. It competes for the same West Midlands day-pupil market that OSH targets through the Local Authority CAF system.

Broad incumbents

• Warwick School: Warwick School is one of the oldest independent boys' schools in England (founded 914) with both day and boarding places. It competes for the same Midlands catchment area as OSH and is a regional incumbent against which OSH's state-boarding value proposition is positioned.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BusEconOsh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/old-swinford-hospital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Old Swinford Hospital School