Cognita Group of Schools

When was the Cognita group of schools founded? How many schools are included?

Cognita group of schools was launched in 2004 by His Majesty the King’s former Chief Inspector of Schools.

What is your Mission?

To enable our children to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.

Where are the various schools located? 

Cognita owns and operates 29 private day schools across 40 UK sites, in London and other parts of England and Wales.

What age range are your students? 

Our students range in age from 1 to 18 years old.

Can you share the admission process? 

Once families apply to our schools and pay the registration fee, the school will usually arrange assessments for the students to take. If the family is outside the UK at the point of application, this can be done remotely, at their current school, an agent’s office, or in exceptional circumstances, at home. The final step is an online interview with the headteacher.

What type of extracurricular activities are offered 

A wide range of co and extracurricular activities are offered across our schools, though this will vary from school to school. Typically, they cover sports, music, creative and performing arts, business, languages, coding, and a school newspaper.

What are the university destinations of your students?  

Cognita students have progressed to over half the world’s top 100 universities. In the UK, this includes Oxbridge colleges and other Russell Group institutions, as well as Ivy League institutions in the US.

Do the schools offer Day or Boarding? 

All 29 Cognita UK schools are private day schools. We can place older children who are coming without their parents with suitable homestay families and can recommend guardianship agencies to support this. When placed with a homestay family, children get a home-away-from-home (e.g., home-cooked meals and their own private bedroom) and acquire cultural knowledge from spending their evenings and weekends with British families, which can be advantageous when applying to selective universities.

What is the admission process? Is there a deadline? 

All Cognita schools operate a rolling admissions process. However, places at some schools can be particularly competitive. We recommend making early applications to Brighton College Prep Kensington, North Bridge House in London, Southbank International School in London, and Downsend School in Surrey in particular.

Do you offer scholarships?

Individual Cognita schools offer their own scholarships, rather than anything being offered at the Cognita level.

How do we contact you for more information or to schedule a visit to the school?  

Families are welcome to contact Neil Herrington,  Head of International Student Recruitment Cognita via mail [email protected]  or call +44 (0)7825 385967

Click here for more information,  or Visit Cognita Group of Schools to learn more about the different types of schools they offer.