Wellington and boys sport

I?m afraid, I?m going to upset a few apple carts here.

1. Contrary to common beliefs, it is possible to go to at least one top academic and sporty boarding school in the South East (but boys only), and still never touched a rugby ball in your entire career there. Eton! You can play football instead of rugby. In fact, I don?t think you?re allowed to play both in the same year.

2. One can still play rugby without being unduly squashed by choosing to play in a few ?safe? positions in the team e.g. scrum-half, wing(s) three-quarter and full-back.

3. One of the greatest rugby players in modern time stood no taller than 5 ft 4 ins and weighed only 145 lbs. Jacques Fouroux captained France to Grand Slam victory in 1977 and again coached the French national team to Grand Slams in 1981 and 1987. Here he is again in action.

Go and have a look at the school. I think your sporty son will fall in love with it in no time.

You only have play Winchester college on Wednesdays the rest of the week there are loads of others to choose from.

no rugby at Winchester

Winchester football sounds to be as tough as rugby if not tougher. It's a shame that such minor sports is ever get played in limited society. I personally enjoy watching fives.

Has Malborough been in any post here at all?

It sounds like you're looking for something built entirely around your son. You're unlikely to find it. Everyone has to compromise somewhere.

The schools suggested are all good as I understand it (including Wellington). Visit them and work out which is best for your DS. He will grow and change physically and mentally so what works now might not work later and vice versa.

IME the hero worship extends across all talents if the school is any good - music, rugby, drama etc And rugby is usually only the focus for one term.

Keep an open mind and go and have a look.

No idea about schools but Shane Williams is only 5ft 7in and I'm sure you would be delighted if your ds grows up to be a tenth of the player he is.

Now you've just sold me on boys schools again. Maybe I should accept Radley!

St Paul's boys? Games only on Wed and lots of lunch time activities a it has two hours for lunch. Although registration was/is early.

PS no rugby at Winchester and you will read lots of different views on Winchester but I don't think it can be described it as ladish.

St Edwards? Coed loads of rugby but also loads of other sports as well. If he's tiny coxes are always being looked for. Full boarding or day no weekly boarders. The bright seem to do well loads of London parents so commutable to watch a match (not rugby obviously).

In 2010 Radley had 140 new boys. 76 of them had played for their Prep school first team at rugby. So, some boys who had been in the firsts at Prep school found themselves in the fifths. Just saying.....

I've watched rugby all my life and seen lots of small, slim rugby players. This includes junior matches as well as mens's. If he is as sporty as you describe he'll been fine. Google 'Rob Burrow.' He plays League rather than Union but is 5'5 and weighs less than 10 and a half stone. He's also one of the most outstanding players of his generation.
Unfortunately there are lots of things all our dc will not be especially cut out for. They still have to get on and do it.

timmytoes, in my experience Eton is a whole lot less "laddish" than a lot of co-ed schools. Boys can become more, not less, laddish when girls are around. Counter-intuitive, I know. The same goes for Winchester BTW.
Eton do football, rugby, the Field Game and countless "minor" sports in the winter terms.
I agree that Wellington's relationship with rugby borders on the unhealthy.

I'm afraid what you are looking for does not exist. Believe me, if it did, I would know. I have done my homework for my DS who is bright, quirky and seriously crap at all sport as well as being tiny. Charterhouse is as near as you are going to get. I have told my son that in most schools rugby is compulsory for one term in the first 2/3 years. After that you can probably duck out. So out of a total of 15 terms he will have to play for 2 or 3. At least your son can enjoy being in teams for some other sports. My son just finds the whole experience humiliating and hates getting 'squashed'. He will have to just put up with it if he wants to go to boarding school and doesn't get into Winchester.
I wish there was a viable alternative for you, but I am pretty sure after my extensive research no such school exists. If he is a fast runner he should be able to dart out of the way of the bigger boys, thus avoiding getting 'squashed'!

I've never come across any public school that hero worships the Rugby players.

Maybe Rugby School does though!

Why don't you buy The Good Schools Guide for independent advice.

I listed 6 schools just before your last post (at 12.08). Any of them any good?

Ooh boy, this could get fun.

Timmy. What about Sevenoaks, Ardingly, Lancing, Haileybury, Cranleigh or Brighton College?

My DS's go to Bedford School yes last term it was all about rugby but those boys not into rugby did other things, squash, swimming, badminton, fencing, golf etc. Same this term is hockey. My youngest DS doesn't play hockey so he does rowing and football. As the Head says no 2 boys are the same so they don't treat them like that!

Also rugby these days is not necessarily all about build, speed is a huge factor in a game.

Funny point on which to choose a school

Sorry Timmy but I think Colleger is right. We all have to do things in life we don't want to do. It is good for you. He's only in year 5 and in his prep school A team. A lot of boys who go to boarding school will be bigger than him but won't have played A, B or C team prep school rugby and they will just get on with it.

Looks like your criteria will really narrow down your choices which is a shame as there are some fantastic schools out there. Go and quizz schools like Bradfield about their academics. They aren't in the same league as the top academic schools (Winchester etc), but shouldn't be as their selection criteria is very different. But does each child fulfil their potential and if your son is destined for the top grades is the teaching good enough for him to get them there?

Are you being serious? You think you will make your child happy by micromanaging his day so that he never fails or has moments of boredom. You will produce a very unfulfilled and dissatisfied adult if that is the case.

It's a game of Rugby, for one term - get over it!

If you'd read any of my previous posts you'd have known that I wouldn't send a child anywhere just to prove a point but unless you design a perfect school for your child then he is going to have moments when he needs to rub along doing things that don't inspire him.