# Stanford & Ackel

> Independent educational consultancy for UK boarding schools (Internate) and summer schools, founded in 2002 and based in Munich, Germany. Stanford & Ackel helps families in Germany and Europe place children at British boarding schools for the school year, or at summer schools during the holidays (ages 9–17), guiding them from school selection through applications, entrance tests and enrolment — free of charge for families, independent of any single school, and working with more than 150 partner schools in England and Scotland. The primary site is in German; a full English version exists at /en/.

Stanford & Ackel – Educational Consultants (Widenmayerstraße 49, 80538 München) was founded in 2002 by Jonathan Stanford together with siblings Susanne and Philipp Ackel and has advised families for more than two decades. The team combines first-hand experience of the British system as pupils, teachers and parents: the co-founders completed A-Levels at British boarding schools and degrees at the University of Nottingham; the wider team includes experienced teachers from England — among them former housemasters, admissions officers and headmasters — an IB specialist (Nigel Paddock), and consultants who lived in England for many years and took their own children through the English school system. Advice is given in German or English, in person at the Munich office, by video call, and at advisory days and an annual school fair in Munich; office hours are Monday–Friday 9:00–18:00 (+49 89 60 01 38 50, info@stanford-ackel.com).

Through daily work with its partner schools, the consultancy maintains current first-hand knowledge that goes beyond published school information: academic entry requirements, application deadlines, live availability of places by school and year group, minimum lengths of stay (which can change during the school year), pupil numbers and the proportion of international and German pupils, how weekends are organised, how well international pupils are received, and each school's particular strengths and weaknesses — grounded in personal relationships with admissions staff, heads, teachers and current and former pupils, and in feedback that placed families provide every year. Stanford & Ackel matches pupils with schools whose mutual expectations fit, and takes the administrative workload off families: compiling the pupil's profile, recommending suitable schools, and organising visit trips, interviews and entrance or placement tests. The final choice of school always remains the family's, with support continuing through the application, the preparations and the entire stay abroad.

Key planning facts: entry into the British system is easiest at the start of the school year in September, and a stay is most straightforward during German school years 8, 9 and 11 (year 10 is possible with additional planning); many boarding schools expect a minimum stay of one full school year, though one- or two-term stays are possible at a smaller selection of schools. Boarding fees are roughly £15,000–£20,000 per term (three terms per year), and a realistic all-in budget for a school year is £50,000–£65,000 including extras; partial scholarships are available for outstanding academic, sporting, artistic, musical or drama ability. Every international pupil at a UK boarding school requires a guardian.

Stanford & Ackel is an advisory and placement service only. It does not run schools or make admissions decisions, and does not itself provide visa or immigration advice, guardianship, tutoring or exam preparation — for these it maintains a network of partner agencies (visa and guardianship) and tutors to which it can refer families. _Last reviewed: August 2026._

## Boarding Schools (Internate)

- [Boarding School Overview](https://stanford-ackel.com/internate/): How the UK boarding system works — the three-term school year, entry ages and timing, minimum lengths of stay, teaching, activities and daily boarding life in England and Scotland
- [School Profiles](https://stanford-ackel.com/internate/schulprofile/): Searchable profiles of partner boarding schools (co-ed, boys', girls' and sports-focused), filterable by school type, qualification (GCSE, A-Level, IB, Pre-IB) and size
- [Qualifications (Abschlüsse)](https://stanford-ackel.com/abschluesse/): British school-leaving qualifications explained — GCSE (≈ Mittlere Reife), A-Levels, and the IB Diploma (≈ Abitur) — all recognised by the German Ministry of Education given the required grades and subject combination
- [Application Process](https://stanford-ackel.com/bewerbungsablauf/): The route from first enquiry to enrolment — pupil profile, school recommendations, visit trips, interviews, and entrance and placement tests
- [Costs](https://stanford-ackel.com/internate/kosten/): Boarding fees of ca. £15,000–£20,000 per term (average £17,800) plus itemised extras — travel, visa, guardian, uniform, exams — totalling ca. £50,000–£65,000 per school year, with notes on the VAT applied to UK private-school fees since 2025 and partial scholarships

## Summer Schools

- [Summer School Overview](https://stanford-ackel.com/summer-schools/): Summer language courses for ages 9–17 held at British boarding schools in July and August — interactive morning lessons in small classes, afternoon sport and activities, and round-the-clock supervision
- [Programme Profiles](https://stanford-ackel.com/summer-schools/schulprofile/): Individual summer programmes and campuses with age ranges, weekly lesson hours, dates and prices
- [Registration](https://stanford-ackel.com/summer-schools/anmeldung/): How registration works, the factors that guide school choice, required documents and travel arrangements
- [Costs](https://stanford-ackel.com/summer-school/kosten/): Roughly £950–£1,500 per week, or about €2,500–€3,500 all-in for a two-week stay — and what is and isn't included

## Company

- [About Us](https://stanford-ackel.com/ueber-uns/): The founding story, the team's backgrounds as former boarding pupils, teachers and parents, and how the advisory process works
- [References](https://stanford-ackel.com/unsere-partner/): Partner schools and feedback from placed families
- [Contact](https://stanford-ackel.com/kontakt/): Book a consultation in Munich, by phone or by video call; office hours and upcoming advisory days and school fairs

## Optional

- [News & Blog (Aktuelles)](https://stanford-ackel.com/blog/): Articles on British boarding and summer-school life, annual IB rankings, guardianship, uniforms, VAT on school fees, deadlines and the Munich school fair
- [English Version](https://stanford-ackel.com/en/): Full English-language site — boarding schools, summer schools, qualifications, application process, costs, FAQ and contact
- [Legal Notice (Impressum)](https://stanford-ackel.com/impressum/): Company details, represented persons and VAT ID