Girls or Mixed Boarding Schools for Sixth Form

I was also going to suggest Oakham , we know some great children there , very unaffected positive all rounders , good sport , good music and good drama plus IB and A levels

Take a look at Frensham Heights in Surrey - music and drama are their strengths. Mixed boarding, liberal attitude, happy kids. Won't suit everyone but may be for you.

SRGR - no, we didn't look at Malvern or St Edwards

SRGR - No, she's left now and will be going into her final year at Uni in September - so not so long ago. She loved Oakham, made friends quickly, and is still in contact with them though they're widely scattered. She was/is a laid back (lazy?) sort of girl but still did reasonable well and got into an RG university by the skin of her teeth. Have to say she seems to have found a work ethic since going to uni. She tried lots of new things at Oakham and discovered a talent for rifle-shooting and fives!

I'd second (third?) Oakham too. It's the one we chose over Charterhouse, Oundle and Rugby for 6th form girl

Anywhere but Wellington.

I forgot Oakham it's got a very good reputation but am unsure how many real full boarders IME schools are rather vague about actual numbers. If this matters to you ask specific questions "how many in this boarding house were actually in all weekend? And what year groups were they in? One friend actually walked around a house and at every bed said "was this boy in all weekend?" the so called 50% dwindled to 15%!

It's about 125 miles north of London, but worth having a look at Oakham. Coed, offering both A levels and IB, it's very good all round. It's about half and half boy/girl and about half full boarding, but with Saturday activities and a lot of flex boarders too it is a proper community.

Plus state schools don't often have Saturday school which IMO is important as it pupils have to stay at school and there isn't a mass exodus on Friday evening. Great if you live nearby maybe but potentially disastrous if you are the full boarder left behind.

Following on from what HG said about Millfield I too know people who are very happy with it. They said not to be worried about the size of it 1200 as it is broken down into small groups. The houses are the same size as other schools as are the classes. Yes it is excellent for sports but there are numerous activities that pupils take part in that aren't sports orientated.Music and drama are taken seriously too. I believe there is also a large intake at sixth form (100 approx) and a solely sixth form girls house that takes all the new girls. The sixth form is 600 strong I think but you'd need to check.
Agree too about Cranleigh. Great school but full of weekly boarders.
Good luck with your search.

The problem is that many state boarding schools only have a relative small number of proper full boarders and I am going to keep saying this because we've been in this position if your child is going to full board then full boarders need to be in the vast majority. If there are mainly full boarders the whole school is geared up to children being there 7 days a week. Also without turning this into a state versus private debate although state boarding is cheaper the facilities at a school like St Edwards et al re going to be vastly superior.

Have you considered State Boarding Schools?

Meant to say St Edwards also has a good mix of overseas and UK studentts, Having full boarded my DS's now for over 7 years if your child is not able to come home at weekends for what ever reason only consider a school where the majority full board because whatever the individual schools websites will tell you it's much harder and lonelier to be "in" at the weekend when everyone else has gone home.

I would second goinggetstough suggestion St Edwards it is either full boarding or day over 600 out of approx 750 children board but the school is more flexible about coming home for the odd weekend than others, exeats every three weeks, a broad range of abilities, it has a reputation for being very sporty but also fab drama art etc. The standard of pastoral care is becoming legendary and many are trying to copy it. It is more liberal than others and IME less formal which may or may not suit you. Oxford is lovely and many children come from London.
Kent College/King Rochester doesn't have many boarders relatively speaking but we've friends at both with day children and they're happy. Friends at Bryanston are delighted with it although primarily weekly boarders but good links into London, I've recently heard worrying things about Bedales. We know children at Cranleigh it's very sporty mainly weekly boarders and they're very happy, Milfield is of course very sporty lots of negative postings on MN but a friend who has four children there is pleased with it, another friend with 3 DC's at Kings Taunton is pleased. But I would start with St Edwards if I was you.

sue52 - Kings Rochester doesn't have boarding for girls (not when I was there anyway), and very few students board.
I wouldn't send my children there - and def. wouldn't recommend it!

Benenden and Kings Canterbury are good, but as said before, very academic.

Eastbourne College?

Shrewsbury and Charterhouse have the advantage that all the 6th girls will be new and therefore keen to make friends. Haven't visited Shrewsbury School but know the town and surroundings, and it's lovely. Less 'metropolitan' than schools nearer London with the problems that can bring.
We did visit Charterhouse with DD, and whilst the facilities were 4* I was put off by boys hanging over the bannisters giving girls marks out of 10 for looks. And it's very focused on academic achievement.

Hi there,

Have a look at Queen Anne's caversham (Reading).

Really fantastic all round school with brilliant music, drama and sport facilities... Even though an all girls school, has events with local boys sixth forms too. Great for boarding in sixth form and a really friendly and happy environment! I know cos I used to go there! :)

Have a look at Ashford School: 35 min from St Pancras with good music etc.

Have heard varying reports about Shrewsbury but only have friends with boys there.
Also have friends with both DSs and DDs at Malvern and they are very happy - DCs are of varying academic ability, lots of sport.
Charterhouse again is quite academic and does a number of pre-u courses.

Have you looked at Bryanston? Lots of DS's sporty/musical friends are going there this September. I know nothing else about it personally, apart from the fact that it looks lovely.