Secondary Girl Boarding Schools

Re: St Mary's Calne and Leadership.
It seems to me that some parents fear change at the top. Personally I think it is a good thing! It's refreshing ; so difficult though to prove onself and make changes as a woman in a top girls' private school where the former head was so well liked!
Having two girls in the school who are happy and thriving I recommend it highly. My girls board and do not need any tutoring simply because all their teachers make themselves available for any extra help they might require. They also have some inspirational teachers who come from a wide variety of backgrounds.
I find the new head has a healthy attitude to building confidence in young women and she has made great yet discrete improvements to ensure that more girls enjoy the sciences at A level. I do not buy the previous person's comment that the new(ish) head doesn't mingle!
Schools always loose pupils after GCSE's for a variety of reasons. It's natural for some pupils to outgrow their school and want a change for the Sixth Form.
As a product of the state sector myself and with children who have been to a Girl's private day school, son at a top boarding school I see that no school is perfect. My feeling is that a girl can pack in sport, music drama all to a very high level
and still manage to produce excellent results in a healthy and happy environment at St Mary's.
In my experience, the tutor system works very well at St Mary's Calne. The girls see their personal tutor 1:1 every week and discuss academic and personal issues. I am frequently in touch by email with my daughters' personal tutors and feel heartened that they know my girls so well and are able to help to support them with any issue.
As a boarding school parent I do not expect the school to do it all- I'm still a pretty hands on parent and take an interest in what my girls study and try to attend concerts and sports' fixtures.
Btw Eton does have teachers who have come from the state sector too!

Does anyone else have information about Westonbirt potentially closing? We are moving to Stroud and it's our first choice for the prep and then presumably the senior school so it's a bit of a concern. We really liked it and would probably go for it anyway for now but any information would be gratefully recieved!!

The observation and point being made is that St Mary's Calne it is not a typical private school. It seems to have a socialist philosophy. 'Employment of so many teachers from state sector' just making point that it may not be typical of most well known private schools, but was certainly not intended to have a dig at state school teachers. Assisted places are called bursary places now - grey hair gives it away. Anyway, in response to the question for any comments on St Mary's Calne, Leadership appears to be an issue right now, and as before good if looking for a fee paying state school. This begs the question, since so many good state schools, not sure it would be my choice.
Crossandcrosser- agree about Sherborne.

I'm quite local to several mentioned. If I had a DD & was considering independents I'd go for Sherborne.

Bbmmas16 lots of excellent teachers from the state system are being recruited in top positions in the better independent schools. CLC for example has a new head of sixth form from the state sector. The assisted place pupils may well bring the academic standards up as well as benefiting the community as a whole. Without knowing St Mary's Calne, your remark makes me feel more admiration for the headmistress than otherwise. I hope that your social attitude is not prevalent there

Teachers from state schools?

Don't want to derail the thread but where do you think qualified teachers train, Bb?

The assisted places scheme went donkeys years ago, btw.

Re St Marys Calne, I fear the Head lacks leadership skills, and out of her depth. She doesn't talk or mingle with parents at school events and seems to lack confidence for this- unlike the previous Head who made it her job to talk to every parent. Not sure whether the school is trying to become a 'socialist' school, but from Head's talks, employment of so many teachers from the state sector, and encouragement of so many girls on assisted places this is the message. Good if you may be looking for a fee paying state run school.

Frankly I think the more you look at the more confused you'll become. Where does your prep school head recommend? Are you looking for boarding for all of you children? I would be aiming for one school for all of them unless you've got some really really different individuals.
We only looked at three schools for DS2, four for DS1 neither were going to be happy in each other's schools as they are completely different and DS1 would not have got a place at the sort of school we were looking at for DS2.
You need to decide what sort of ethos you're looking for, a Quaker ethos is admirable or do you want somewhere more pushy. Ethos is important and often difficult to work out. DS2's school is surprisingly liberal that suits us as we're slack liberal parents, but your not allowed to pick them up a day early at the end of term etc, frankly it doesn't bother me, but it might bother some, friends with DC's at other schools tells me about things that go on that would drive me up the wall particularly in relation to uniform (my particular loathing) but it's doesn't bother them. Do exam results/Uni/academi matter more than anything else when the chips are down or do you have other priorities? Perhaps regular Scheidiphones lessons are more important. If you have super bright DC's do you want super selective? Is there any particular sport your DC's and you want or don't want rugby is increasingly becoming an issue. What about extra curricular activities I listened to a mum telling me her DS is a mad keen basketball player but the particular school she choose doesn't offer it and a term later she's moaning about it! She like many just assumed they would. Do you want full boarding or weekly, surely your location will partly decide this? Proper full boarding is not that common now a days. Do you have good public transport links? Would this make your life easier if your DC's could get home by train on exeats/Saturday/Sundays etc I know it would make mine a million times better! Could you drive to two different weekly boarding schools every Saturday and back on Sunday evening? Do you realistically have the time to do this? We've couple of friends with DC's at weekly boarding they hadn't really grasped the fact that the schools were basically weekly boarding and moan about having to pick their DC's up every weekend. Do you want a big name, e.g. Marlborough often with matching fees stunning facilities or somewhere less well known and cheaper. Where does your prep traditionally send pupils too? What age are you DC's we only looked at three schools because they pre tested at 11+ if he'd not been offered a place at the two we eventually chosen them we would have looked at other but we felt there was no point in looking at less selective schools until we knew if would be necessary. Frankly I'd forget single sex or coed issue for the moment and decide exactly what you want and what would work for you.

Bryanston is basically a weekly boarding school friends have just removed their DC because of this.

Day not Fay who ever she is!

Interesting choice of very different schools e.g Sidcot, Quaker School with a Quaker ethos, fees £24k + a mix of day flexi boarding not particularly selective, only 400+ pupils in senior school only 160+ boarders and Marlborough a big school, academic, nearly 1000 pupils, basically a full boarding school with a handful of Fay pupils, uber smart, lots of Aristocracy/ European Royals and fees 33k+ is this just a distance thing or are their reasons behind you choices?

Girls' schools in the independent sector include those with the better academic results but I suspect from what I have heard the selective girls' schools give more homework and work them harder than co-ed or boys' schools. Since girls are mainly wanting to please and do well that regime may work best without the more slack boys .

I think a confident, strong minded girl would fare well in a co-ed environment. If she had a leaning towards physics for example then she would not have to mind being in a relative minority of girls doing that subject in the sixth form. However there may be a larger pool of potential friends in all girls' schools just because of numbers. IMO girls' schools allow more variety of characters to develop without being self conscious and therefore actually have more 'non-girlie' girls.

I also thought girls doing better in girls schools boys doing better in coed didn't apply to the independent sector?

Re girls doing better at all girls' schools, I just don't think that is the case (sorry, don't want to open a big debate on it). The evidence has never seemed that convincing to me once you get through the difficulty of comparing like with like and allowing for other factors. Why not visit some co- ed schools. That will enable you to judge the girls' schools against a wider benchmark. Also, ask them the question and if they can't produce examples of girls who have achieved what you would want for your daughter then fair enough.

What's Monkton Combe like? I have friends with boys there who seem happy enough, although they're day pupils. I think it's quite churchy.

Sorry if I'm bombarding you, Op!

OP wouldn't it make sense to send both to the same school? Life surely would be so much easier for you. Only one school to visit for matches, parents evenings, school functions, picking up at weekends end of term etc.
What about Dauntsey? It seems popular with many in the area. Or Sherborne (I know little about it) of course has a boys and girls school I believe they come together for socials but also in the 6th form?

Oh yes, just seen it further down, sorry!

And her ds1!

Massa OP is looking for a school for her DD!

Fair enough happy. Op is also looking for a school for her son; I was thinking the proximity of Royal High to Kingswood might be useful, especially if they're going to be weekly boarders.

30 miles or whatever in opposite directions would be a real pain I'd have thought.

Op, I don't have a child at boarding school so mine isn't an informed opinion.