Boarding for sixth form?

Just to confirm you can choose to do a language from beginner level for the IB (usually Italian). In fact DD and her friends wished they'd picked that option as would have been a lot easier than standard level Spanish.
Oh and we love Pangbourne - and just like Gordounston's reputation is probably outdated and doesn't reflect the current school, then the same is so for Pangbourne. It is not a military academy and definitely does not have a military ethos. Yes they keep the uniform and occasional sunday parades but that's is where it ends. The pastoral care is outstanding and has a sense of belonging and family atmosphere of a small school where everyone knows everyone. They also have a sizable intake of girls in sixth form. Where it might not suit for you is it is mainly weekly boarding or day, There are a small number of full boarders, and probably more in sixth form than lower down the school, and of course the distance !!

Pangbourne is a hell of a way from you. Its got a military ethos is that something that appeals to your DD? I personally can't think of any thing worse except maybe an RC boarding school. You will obviously need full boarding do interrogate the admissions dept check very carefully the actual number of full boarders, schools lie are notoriously economical with the truth when it comes to actual numbers of full boarders. Most schools have had to offer weekly boarding as this is what UK parents want, only a handful are primarily full boarding usually the very big names often boys schools. It can be very hard to be a full boarder in a school where the majority go home at the weekends. Amongst our friends with DC's at boarding schools once they've stopped moaning about the fees their second commonest complaint is that they thought or were lead to believe that X was full boarding only to discover its mainly weekly boarding with a small number of full boarders, they feel they are not getting what they are paying for. A school which offers a mix of weekly, full and day will have totally different ethos/feel to a school which is basically full boarding only school with maybe a handful of day pupils.

If she isn’t sporty you don’t have to worry about matches! There should be other visiting opportunities though.

Yes I know happygardening - it was a tongue in cheek response! Not to be taken seriously.

I have no problem with anyone being happy at Uppingham. My DD was shown a room in the new girls’ house that looked straight into another girls’ room and was dark and dismal. It felt outdated in comparison to other schools we looked at. Parents might like quaint old boarding houses but sometimes girls are a bit more discerning. We looked at a lot of other schools to compare and no other school separated out new girls. Horses for courses though. We also heard a lot of the boys had unflattering nicknames for the girls, from a girl we knew there. That was not a culture we were looking for either. Another child we knew there ran away because he was bullied. I know it’s improved since then, but it needed to.

frankly anything I have heard about Gordonstoun is horrible.

"doesn't Gordonstoun do cold showers and x country running before breakfast?"
Long gone but from what a few friends have experienced not great pastoral care/teaching etc.

Bubbles it’s not really surprising you didn’t get any of that at your girls school as I’m sure you are aware it’s the famous boys schools that have long histories that have medieval windows and large assets/bank balances to bank roll Olympic facilities and boarding houses that increasingly look more like hotels.
They can also have a brilliant ethos that works for you and your DS but it’s easy to be so blinded by the first that you can’t easily see what their ethos actually is.
“academically aspirational”
This is my definition of the term. Many schools that would a few years ago have been considered virtually non selective, moderate to severe SEND asisde, are now increasingly becoming selective in an attempt to improve their results. The bottom line is that most parents are paying for better results than they believe that their DC would have achieved at the local state school. The dilemma is where does Tim nice but dim go to school as increasingly there are less decent options available to him. We have a school local to us that often mentioned on here, 5 years ago a place was virtually guaranteed now it’s not, the entrance exam has become increasingly difficult and colleagues worry that they DC won’t gte it despite tutoring.

I see the conversation has moved on to Scottish boarding schools , which seems the best option , considering where you live!
Can I just defend Uppingham - the new girls are not put in a crappy building , they are in a lovely old building . They are also not sidelined . I speak as a current parent , not someone who has looked at the school and decided not to send their child there.
There was a documentary about Gordonstoun on tv a couple of years ago - think it has changed since the days of cold showers etc

yes it might well be an outdated perception..:)

doesn't Gordonstoun do cold showers and x country running before breakfast?
Is it really a realistic environment for a home schooled child to move into?

at least for Italian looking at the website.

They just do the IB. MFLs can be done ab initio.

She could even join earlier for at least part of the preIB year that international students do to help the transition.

What about St Leonard's in St Andrews if she is reasonably academic?
Not too far from Glasgow so she could weekly board if she wanted a bit more freedom but it looks as though there is quite a lot going on during the weekends at school, less isolated and outdoorsy than some of the schools mentioned plus an intake for sixth form.

Happygardening - what is an "academically aspirational" school? I've seen a few schools described as such recently.

Thanks

£35k a year didn’t get any of that at our girls’ boarding school! We got the ethos we wanted though!

“Academically selective schools do they pressure, do they pressure the children more into getting good grades?”
Independent schools attract pupils by getting good results, the more academic selective a school is the higher the grades the school and current and prospective parents expect. DS2 went to a super selective I can tell you that most parents expected top grades and expected the school to get top grades for their pupils that’s what people are stumping up considerable sums for. Even fairly selective schools will expect pretty good grades and apply pressure to their pupils to achieve these.
How much pressure a pupil feels under is very much dependent on the individual. I know many boys at my DS’s school did feel under pressure, DS2 in contrast didn’t I am the complete opposite to a helicopter parent but there were moments when even I wished he would have at least felt slightly under pressure and removed his feet from his desk at the very least! Luckily he pulled it out of the bag at the very last minute he did very well maybe he did know what he was he was doing. I suspect if your brightish and banging along at the bottom in a super selective with the school and your parents letting it be known that they are hoping for and expecting a string of top grades it must be pretty demoralising. Equally if you’re average at a not very selective but academically aspirational school (as many now are) and your school and parents are hoping for and expecting good grades that too must be demoralising.
I agree with WellthatsTurnip boarding is exhausting I’ve known some join in the 6th form from day schools and struggle especially in the first term, down time is in short supply, high levels of self study are the norm, they are expected to get involved in school life, usually 6th formers are expected to mentor and support younger pupils as well or have jobs within house. Shes likely to be living with others who’ve had at least three years if not longer to adapt to boarding understand how it works and just need to concentrate on their A level studies.
I’m not trying to put you off IME it’s a positive life changing experience, but I do think you need to think carefully.
You mention Gordonstoun I’m afraid over the years I’ve rarely heard anything positive about it (we know lots of families with children who board all over the UK) of course it suits some but it’s not known for great pastoral care.
Bubbles is tight about waiting lists we’ll certainly down here in the south, there’s usually a deadline for applying for a place, an entrance exam/interview and then a conditional offer of a place or not or you may get offered a waiting list initially as some will get 2-3 offers and then a place will come up but that is after any antrance exam interview not before.
Start looking now, draw up a list of must haves, visit them preferably not on an open day, talk to everyone ask difficult questions and observe both pupils and staff forget what ISI reports websites the good schools guide and dare I say it even mumsnet says about the school go on your gut instinct do you like the people you meet matron house staff teachers cleaners do you feel you DD could be happy here? Dont be swayed by polished highly articulate children telling you that there “school is the best” “has the best facilities” (it probably doesn’t) or the “best teachers”, there’s good bad and indifferent in both sectors that’s life, just listen and watch everyone going about their normal day, what’s going on, how do they respond to your questions, do you like what you see? Try and visit more than once get a feel for the place.
I always think of a father having a guided tour of a very very famous boys boarding school, we were being shown round immacualate boarding house and jaw dropping sports facilities. In a loud voice he said;
“For 35k a year of course they’ve got manuscripts going back to the year dot 100,00 books on three libraries, medieval windows in their chapel and an Olympic seized swimming pool but what I want to know is what’s the ethos underpinning this place.”
That OP is what actually matters.

Have a look at Lomond School. Much less restrictive with regards to weekend/evening expectations. More a home away from home

scotlandsboardingschools.org.uk lists them all. Lathallen has hardly any boarders. Fettes, Strathallen, Glenalmond, Murchison and a few others have several hundred and I would look at the schools more geared up to boarders. Strathallen may be sporty, as indeed was my DDs boarding in Hertfordshire, but that is not everything a school should be about. Any decent school will know not everyone is sporty but they should encourage fitness, which is reasonable. They should also have plenty of art and drama available. Lots more besides to broaden the education of all the students. It should never just be about sport and rarely is!

Independent learning is often a feature and you should look for good pastoral care and plenty of activities. My DDs were both ultra busy when boarding and that’s a huge advantage in my view.