Concord College

Concord began in 1949 as a language school in Hastings, founded by Paul Oertel and Monica Carr-Taylor to bring students of different nationalities together. The college now occupies Acton Burnell Hall near Shrewsbury, where a 73-acre campus supports day and boarding pupils from more than 40 nations. Rigour, creativity, kindness and international understanding remain central to its identity.

The academic route progresses from a broad Form 3 curriculum into GCSEs and then A levels. International perspectives run through the subjects, while lectures, trips and discussion groups take learning beyond the regular timetable. Societies such as Engineering, MedSoc, Law, Philosophy and Physics Problems give students spaces to pursue a question in greater depth.

Lessons, clubs, activities and trips are shared by day pupils and boarders. Houses provide the social structure, while sports, arts, debating and other events create a busy campus life. Laboratories, music and sports facilities, boarding accommodation and common spaces sit within the same community, so academic and social routines remain closely linked.

Admission involves testing, school reports and an interview, with no single pass mark applied across every applicant. Families can visit as part of the process and apply directly to the college. The intended year, course, day or boarding arrangement and the student's readiness for an international setting all shape the route to an offer.