Rochester Independent Summer School

In order to submit your booking for Rochester Independent, click on the ‘make a booking’ tab in the right-hand corner of our home page and fill out our ‘Make a Booking’ form.

Your dedicated Admissions Manager will then contact you via your preferred method of contact to confirm any outstanding details. This will be the perfect opportunity to ask any questions before a deposit is paid. Once your details are confirmed, you will be sent a booking confirmation email, which serves as formal confirmation of your child’s place.

Your admissions manager sends a booking confirmation containing an invoice and the flywire payment link.

The fee includes all accommodation, meals*, lessons, academic materials, general sports, social activities and events, all standard excursions including admission costs, Wi-Fi, weekly laundry services, graduation certificate, academic progress report and travel insurance. Airport transfers from/to London Heathrow Airport on Start/End Dates start from £50.00 each way. 

*we will endeavor to meet all dietary requirements, e.g. vegetarian, vegan, Halal etc.

Each academic course has a minimum duration of two weeks, however if you would like to enrol onto a second course you would be able to do so after the completion of the first course. 

The academic program at Rochester Independent School started as a one terraced house, but as the school expanded, it gradually bought up 14 (mainly) listed buildings in the heart of a designated conservation area.

Opened in 1984 by mathematicians Brian Pain and Simon de Belder, the college was known as Rochester Tutors and was predominantly 6th form, teaching A levels and retakes. Gradually over the next 3 decades the campus grew to 14 listed buildings in the heart of Rochester and changed its name to Rochester Independent College.

At RIC you’ll stay on campus, in a single room, some of which have modern ensuite facilities. Boarding at RIC combines the informality of a university hall of residence with the supervision and pastoral support appropriate for older teenagers. The emphasis is on providing a comfortable, happy and fun environment.

RIC offers a real alternative to traditional independent sixth form boarding schools and Rochester’s halls will quickly become your home from home. Throughout the year up to 120 of the 345 students at the College board each year with boarding from 13+ starting in September 2023.

You have a right to cancel your booking within 14 days from the date of the Confirmation (the “Cancellation Period”) without giving any reason.

All cancellations must be made in writing and take effect from the date we receive such notice. Where a cancellation is made more than 30 days prior to the Arrival Date, there will be a refund of all Course Fees paid, minus the Deposit.

The quickest and easiest way to find out whether you need a Visa is to check via this link here. 

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can travel to the UK for holidays or short trips without needing a visa. This applies now, after Brexit. 

For those that do require a Visa, the application that you will need to apply for is the Standard Visitor Visa.

It is important to note that, depending on the country, applications can take around 20 working days (or 3-4 weeks) to process. You are advised to begin the application process as early as possible. Once the Visa is obtained, we will need to receive a scanned copy of the student’s passport and the Visa by e-mail. SBC International reserve the right to cancel a booking, if a copy of the Visa has not been received 4 weeks before the course arrival date. 

If you have any queries regarding the application process, please contact your local embassy who should be able to offer you the correct support and guidance.

Yes, if you would like to make any amendments to your booking then you can do so by contacting your Admissions Manager.

At the end of the program all students receive a certificate of attendance from their Director of Studies at their graduation ceremony.

At Rochester the minimum level of English language required is intermediate (B1+) or above.

Before the summer, we send an online test for students to complete. We will use the results to confirm their suitability for the course. In the case that a student does not meet the required level on the test, we will conduct an academic consultation to assess the next best step.

We have an extremely high ratio of staff to students throughout the summer. At each Campus, we have a Welfare Co-Ordinator, who oversees the welfare and safety of the students and would deal with any pastoral issues. We also have several House Parents/College Mentors, who are responsible for the day-to-day care of the students and are the first point of contact if any student felt as though they were upset in any way. Alongside these members of staff, all employees are trained before the summer in Child Safeguarding and many of the staff are trained in giving First Aid. There will also be a dedicated Admissions Manager for each Campus, who will be the main point of contact for families with any issues or concerns. 

Our friendly and supportive staff team are available 24 hours per day to support students. We pride ourselves on offering the best possible care to students, and achieved British Council area of strength in ‘care of students’ and ‘safeguarding under 18s’.