Best co-ed boarding school for DD?

Ha ha
As if anyone could read anything into a single score in a single subject of a single child in two consecutive years. You'd have to be insane to choose a school on that basis!

They were probably produced by two grandchildren of Lucien Freud or something.

My DDs school produced the highest earning female actress in the uk for about 5 years in a row. Just because they educated Emma Watson doesn't make them drama geniuses. Pure dumb luck.

Happy (or should that be Snappy?), I said Canford had the highest Pre U score in the country, not scores. I have checked and yes, exactly as I wrote above, Canford had the highest pre-U Art score in the country for 2 years running. See their website, News Section and then select the Art filter.

"Has the highest Pre U art scores in the country"
According to their own website last year 78.57% of Canford students achieved a D1 (A**) to M2 (B) in art at Win Coll 100% achieved this. It doesn't really matter of course but I do hate misinformation.

Not sure why Canford considered non-academic or not able to deliver art, music or water sports! Has had the highest Pre-U Art score in the country for, I recall, more than 1 year and is on a river and offers rowing and sailing! Just happen to have Torygraph A'level league tables from 15 March 2014 on the coffee table in front of me and in terms of co-ed boarding schools we have:

1. Cardiff Sixth Form College
2. Concord College
3. Wellington College
4. QE (Faculty of)
5. * CANFORD *

Marlborough, Uppingham, Bryanston, Rugby way down the table...

I can tell you something about Shrewsbury. Admittedly the information will be about 4 years out of date, and there has been a change in head in that time. But I'll tell you what I know! Might be long, sorry!

Definitely a full boarding school -no mass exodus on the weekend which would be great for you. But willing to let overseas pupils leave a day or so early if needs be to get home at the end of term (which I know with flight costs can be a great thing!)

Shrewsbury only started taking girls in 2008, and that was in Sixth Form only. From this September they will start taking girls all the way through (I'll keep my thoughts on that to myself since it's not really relevant given your daughter's age!). What it does mean is that in Sixth Form you get a fresh new cohort of girls, so no long-standing existing friendships to break into which I know some people worry about when joining a school at Sixth Form. Also because you're joining at 16, you're treated very much as a young adult and I think that's great preparation for university and life!

Academics - the ethos is very much about getting every child to achieve their potential. So for a school that isn't super-academically selective, they get a good number into Oxbridge each year (if that's a measure you want to use!). Lots of support both in problem areas, but also in pushing DC further than the curriculum if that's what they want / need. Very enthusiastic teachers, who really embrace life at a boarding school. They run the Cambridge Pre-U as a replacement or alternative to A Levels in some subjects, which is seen as a good academic challenge qualification.

Boarding - the girls' boarding houses are lovely and new. Sharing rooms in first year (2s or 3s), then singles in Upper Sixth (with en suites in one house). Sixth Formers are allowed into town on a Saturday evening for a meal out (have to sign back in at a certain time). There's (I presume it still exists) a Sixth Form bar on site, where Sixth Formers are allowed to buy a limited number of set alcoholic drinks with parental permission on a Saturday night (beer/cider/alcopops/wine). Personally I believe it's a great controlled way to give 16/17/18 year olds a bit more independence and responsibility.

Pastoral care is great; good house boarding teams, as well as a personal tutor which the students pick themselves.

Sport - no sailing as far as I am aware. But there is a scuba diving club. Students have Thursday afternoons off lessons which is time used for structured extra-curricular activities, of which scuba diving is one. Wonderful swimming pool. Very strong rowing school - so perhaps a new watersports opportunity?! Plus all the usual school sports.

This has been really long - sorry!

What I will say is that a Shrewsbury girl needs to be confident and resilient. I feel the girls very much adapted to the Shrewsbury boys' way of life, rather than making huge changes to the ethos of the school. To me, that's a great thing but might not suit all girls.

Ultimately visiting schools helps so much in making decisions, but I know that's hard from abroad! Sometimes you'll just walk around a school and know it's right, or not, for you!

Please ask me any more questions, or PM if you'd prefer!

Westminster is a day school with some boarders and very few of them are in over the weekend

If she is very bright have you considered Westminster. Might not be water sports central as its central London. Water sports may not be so appealing in UK anyway.
Its a boys school with girls though not a coed school.

You might do better starting a new thread with the names of the schools you are interested in.

Oundle is def full boarding,the parents we know from the school have all been very happy,you should also as you say have a look at Uppingham,marlborough,I prob wouldnt,not as academic and although the head is trying to broaden its intake its london centric and wouldnt be first choice for an academic child and Im not convinced about it as a choice for girls,Shrewsbury dont know much but havent heard anything bad,know a couple that have gone and they were happy.

You are not wrong,some of the schools mentioned are not very selective,it sounds to me like Oundle should be top of your list.

I would agree with HG about Bradfield. There are full boarders but the majority often go home at the weekends. We loved the school when we looked at it but actually got to email some current parents via the school and they said it had changed from when their eldest boys had started. so we had to cross the school off the list as we were overseas and needed full boarding.

I only know it's weekly boarding because I was having lunch a few months ago with a friend who has sent her DS to Bradfield, their only gripe is that it's weekly boarding otherwise they're really pleased with it. This was not made clear to them before he started they were looking for full boarding and now they have to drive there every Saturday to pick him up. There are very few true full boarding schools left.

Unless Bradfield has changed a lot since I worked there (admittedly a few years ago) it was very much full boarding. In fact, we hardly had a moment and pupils were there at weekends.

Both Bryanston and Bradfield are weekly boarding not full boarding so not really suitable for the OP.

i would have thought the facilities at mill field were better for water sports than rugby

Also close to places for water skiing, sailing etc.

Bradfield is wonderful and only a couple of junctions from Heathrow. Lots of sport and a lovely swimming pool. Drama was very strong there and The Head of Music is amazing.

Bryanston used to be lovely, but this was a few years ago.

Oakham? They have Rutland Water only a couple of miles away, so lots of opportunities for water sports. Strong reputation for sport, but good all round. It's about 50% boarders, but a proportion of those do not stay for weekends, but it's a big enough school that there's still enough of a community left. It offers both IB and A levels.

What about Gordonstoun or Atlantic College.
I be live Royal Hospital School like their water sports too. Part of their naval Heritage!