!!!URGENT!!! Recommendations for UK boarding schools with excellent art results (A-levels)

My son attended Lancing prep & was all set to go to the senior school & I can confirm their art facilities are outstanding. In the end my son chose to board at Bedes school which also has an amazing art department with a broad choice of artistic choices. I don't know how this compares with Lancing though? What i do know is Bedes art department is award winning & was well led when DS went there. This schòol is also in Sussex & about an hour away from where Lancing is situated.

It depends on the atmosphere that you want, so choose carefully. Bedes is a nondenominational school & has more pupils that are around at weekends. Whereas, Lancing is an Anglican school with compulsary chapel attendance on around 4 Sundays a term, (may be more or less now?) Check how many students head home at weekends because I believe this is what most do? It is a great school though & if your choice is that or Queen Ethelbergas, I would choose Lancing 100%

Oh dear ...

OMg do NOT go to Ethelburgha's!!!!!

It is a joke school with made up league tables.

It has a dreadful local reputation.

It is in the middle of nowhere. Please please please please please please please do NOT go there!!!!

Lancing is great.

Bromsgrove has amazing boarding facilities. Most joining at 6th form join a mixed 6th form boarding house but there are occasional places in other boarding houses. The 6th form house is more like a university environment. It is a more flexi-boarding environment but there are no exeats which international students like as there is no need to go to a guardian. Bromsgrove is close to Birmingham which has a good selection of art galleries and it is relatively easy to get to London using public transport. Bromsgrove is also a more forgiving school if academics are not the highest.

Bedales would be well worth a look, I think, (If your parents are happy with the fees!). You will generally need 50 points to get into the Sixth Form, but there may be room for a little adjustment if you were very close, and your chosen A Levels had good grades.

www.bedales.org.uk/bedales/curriculum/art

Their Art Department is stunning, with dedicated specialists in all the art subjects, and very good preparation for moving on to Degrees.

Hurtwood House School excels, loads of expats including Chinese. Very expensive though

www.bedes.org/senior-school/academic/departments-and-courses/art-and-design/about-the-art-school-at-bedes.aspx

We looked around Uppingham for DD for 6th form. Art was our focus. The all new girls boarding at Uppingham was the worst in the school and immediately labelled the new girls as a separate body of people. It was never going to work for my DD and it’s certainly not an inclusive way of getting new girls to gel. Avoid if you prefer to mix with all the girls in the 6th form. Looking out on blank walls from some bedrooms was enough for my DD to think it was awful. And the journey home. And no art scene anywhere near!

Op - some of the schools you mention are just dumping you in the country. My DD was at Heathfield. Ta is to the airport are cheap - it’s a few miles! It now has a few day girls but otherwise it’s full boarding. However, no full boarding school keeps 6th formers under lock and key at weekends! They have a pretty free rein. Therefore unless you are happy to be stuck in the school with the other overseas girls, you won’t find huge numbers of 6th formers around. Shrewsbury and Uppingham are just too remote really.

There are several schools mentioned on this thread that do well at art. We looked at several others including Stowe and St Edwards, Oxford. Oxford has a good art scene. Heathfield has very few overseas girls. It means you are not lumped in the “Chinese” or ex pat group. You have very quick access to London and the art dept runs trips there all the time. You can explore whilst you study. I would also consider Brighton because it’s a very arty place. It’s vibrant and fun. Shrewsbury and Uppingham are the polar opposite.

Therefore think about what you really want out of studying here. Art facilities in a school do not necessarily make great artists or mean the schools have the best teachers. Look at the A level results and destinations of the pupils. When DD was at Heathfield they had a fashion designer in residence. Their art department gets the highest results and girls exhibit art regularly in London. You will make the best contacts. It’s all worth considering.

Not "parsing" school but boarding school

Have checked and both Oundle and Uppingham have two week half tem holidays (13-28 October) so you'll be able to go home. You'll probably want to after your first 6 weeks away.

How is your English? Are you reading this fluently or are you using Google translate? Again, you might want to look at schools that are used to looking after Chinese children do ask the admissions people / registrar how they will look after you.

I really would look at Uppingham as it has a girl's boarding house specifically for girls who join the school for sixth form. Otherwise, you will be looking at joining existing friendship groups.

Ok, my daughter was at parsing school in Yorkshire and shared a room with a girl from Hong Kong. There are a few things to need to look into:

1. Holidays - you need time to go home. A one week half term is not long enough for you to go home and come back. You'll spend that time with your guardian. Oakham School has a 2 week October half term and I'll look into Uppingham for you (probably the same). Oundle School is alsoin the same area so I'll look into that.

2. Travel - my daughter said that the overseas children all caught taxis directly to the airport even if it was 200 miles away. Don't be limited to London.

3. Find the art school of your choice , i.e. Glasgow, Slade (part of UCL) and then go back to the schools. The schools will have a list of leavers destinations so you can as the admissions team how many children want to art school and where they went. This will help you to make a short list.

Brighton College or Wellington. Bedales is slightly more bohemian, so might suit better.

Are you an Expat. If so you may want to factor it into your choice. Lancing no idea. Uppingham no idea about Art but full boarding so lots of people at the weekend for company. Shrewsbury also full boarding so plenty going on. Bromsgrove v good arts and textiles. Not full boarding but plenty stay in over weekend, no exeats so always open and lots of expats when I knew it. Great Sixth Form boarding house. If it's Brighton College seems v academic don't know if this extends to or hinders the Arts. Not full boarding.

Ukiset doesn't look so complicated. There are samples online and it covers verbal reasoning, non verbal reasoning, maths and english comprehension, all of which are standard entry tests in independent schools. At least it is a universal test rather than needing to prepare for several individual ones. I wonder how broad a selection these agents really cover, the same suggestions seem to come up whatever the circumstances

I'll say Uppingham (again).

Which country are you in?

What do your parents think?

Uppingham has a really great art department - highly recommend.

I can also recommend Heathfield in Ascot - it’s a lovely school.