How academically selective are Sherborne and Millfield at Year 9 entry?

[tachetastic]

Our DS is currently at an independent Prep school in Somerset and we are turning our minds to identifying a suitable senior school for Y9 entry. We are talking to our HM and schools in the area, but would be grateful for the views of Mumsnetters.

DS is a lovely young man who always scores highly for effort marks in his school reports, but bless him he is not academic in any sense. He is however, gifted on the sports field. I'm not suggesting he is going to play for England or is heading to the Olympics, but across all sports he is among the most talented in his year group and I am confident would hold his own at most if not all schools. Whatever school he goes to, he will be a full boarder.

The two schools that stand out to us at the moment are Sherborne and Millfield.

Sherborne appeals because of the traditional approach (we are aged parents), the fact it is full boarding (so does not empty out at weekends) and I think DS would enjoy the all boys environment.

Millfield on the other hand appeals because it is without a doubt the most sporty school in the country, which DS would love, it is still 75% boarding (and given its size that is a lot of boarders), and it also scores highly in supporting students with additional academic needs. DS does not have any specific need such as dyslexia, but may benefit from learning support as it gets closer to the GCSE and A-level years.

I understand from speaking to the schools and visiting their websites that both are selective, but that neither rely on Common Entrance other than for setting, instead using the ISEB or other computer based tests, together with interviews and references. This leads me to suspect they may be more open to boys who are not going to be mathematicians, doctors or lawyers, but are quite sporty and easy to get on with. I must say my interactions with both schools have been very positive.

It would be great to hear from other parents with experience of these schools (or other options in the Somerset/Dorset/Devon region) and the chances of a not-that-academic boy making the grade. I don't want to put him through the pressure of interviews and testing at schools that are at best a long shot.

Thanks. 😁

Would you go further afield for the right school?

Somewhere like Rugby could tick a lot of boxes - full boarding, broad spread academically, very good with SEN, big sports offer and you don't need to be a future Olympic champion to make the A team.

My apologies, I must have missed the post where you said he had to board.

I think what you said about taking advice from his current school when they know him better makes the most sense. Logically they'd have a pretty good idea about where would suit him as they deal with so many children.

Also there is nothing to beat going to a school and getting a feel for the place, though this is not always possible on a formal open day. Even if what you hear about a school is appealing, you sometimes find when you visit that it just doesn't feel right.

Not King's Bruton unless you really want 'small and nurturing'

Hi @OhCrumbsWhereNow and thanks for making a new suggestion. We did look at Rugby, but they do require minimum grades at CE, whereas the other schools we mentioned only use CE for setting, which means you know upfront whether an offer is secured. I guess that doesn't mean that the schools I listed have a lower standard, but it may reduce pressure on kids if they secure an unconditional offer 18 months earlier and can go into CE without a major consequence hanging on the outcome.

Eek!!! The term damned by faint praise comes to mind! Would you mind explaining why you say this, in a DM if that is easier? DS is in a Somerset prep where a number of kids go to King's, so there will be an inevitable conversation about the school when the time comes.

Following on from PPs' suggestions for other schools in the southwest, friends of DS, all dyslexics, attended Claysmore and Milton Abbey recently. In their opinions, boarders at the former were in a minority and fairly local, plus nearly everyone had come from Claysmore Prep, which made it hard to integrate if you arrived there post Common Entrance to board.
Re Milton Abbey - less academic kids v,happy there, but ano DC left as they said that they would not have managed to pass any GCSEs if they stayed there and chose to move to a more rigorous school.
Fully agree with PP that you think that you are good at sports until you start at Millfield, which can be somewhat lowering.
Sherborne were happy to offer my dyslexic DS a place, but he had already set his sights on another school, so I am sure that your DS could get in, if that is what you decide?

Have to say that I also think that its preferable to have your DC boarding no more than an hour and a half away from home, if at all possible and you are not an overseas parent, so I would be inclined to stay with your own choices of Millfield and Sherborne.
Secondly, you may get more opinions if you move this thread to the Boarding board?

I fully agree with that - I'm a rugby/hockey/cricket dad and never miss a weekend match to cheer him on! Where we are we could access Blundells, the Taunton schools, Millfield, Sherborne and all of the Someset/North Dorset schools within 90 minutes. Probably also Mount Kelly in the opposite direction.

Top tip on moving the thread. Now I just have to work out how!!!!

Of the 3 Privates in Taunton, King's is the most sporty and in the top 10 indies for sport.

What about Monkton Combe?

Thanks. Kings is sporty, but I think it is Taunton school that is in the top 10, as it has been at number 7 for the last two years.

When we were looking at moving preps we needed a boarding school and the HM at our previous prep was not flattering about the Taunton schools. I won't repeat what he said as it was just his opinion, but we got the impression that he thought we would be moving down a tier in terms of the school. He got much more animated when we told him we were also looking at boarding prep schools further east in Somerset/Dorset. I wasn't so influenced by his comments but for my partner that killed those three off as options. Funny how one comment can make all the difference.

@tachetastic ^^ Yes, my mistake.

Sherborne and Millfield are not particularly difficult to get into. My kids prep school send 6-10 every year to Sherborne and a couple to Millfield. Sherborne is the more difficult of the two academically. As long as their maths and English are reasonable they should be fine, basically anyone other than the bottom sets.

Millfield deserves its sporty reputation and your DS will probably be average at best sporting wise as the two kids I know (current pupils) compete internationally in their sports.

I have friends with children at both schools and they are all generally happy.

My children are at Bryanston. We are not at all snooty, most parents are wealthy but v low key in my experience. Bry tracks every single prep, you can clearly see if Chemistry has been handed in late, if they got an A or D, every prep, every subject, every week if you are so inclined. Teachers are excellent. Other than not having a uniform (strict dress code instead) it is a very sensible, normal co ed school albeit with amazing grounds (400 acres I think?)and facilities. Teachers are Sir and Mrs/Miss not first names. I mention this as Tatler have got this wrong before.

Tonnes of sports, rowing is on site and taken very seriously, rugby and hockey are strong, cricket and horse riding on site too. It’s a big school so lots of teams, plenty of room for everyone. I can’t list the extra curriculur sports as it’s too long.

Music/drama/dance/art depts have very high standards (my kids are not in the least arty) so lots of performing opportunities for kids who enjoy that.

My best advice is to visit 3 schools from your short list and you will probably find one of the schools feels comfortable. You have started your search nice and early so it shouldn’t be stressful. Hope this is useful.

It is really helpful thanks. And how hard to get into would you say Bryanston is, relative to Sherborne or Millfield, or others that have been mentioned?

Might also be worth a look at Wells - they do plenty of sport although not at the same level as Millfield but might make him more of a stand out. Also as it has the specialist music stream it attracts a lot of kids from accross the south of England as well as internationally so there are always lots of full boarders.

Not hugely academic (although some are very bright) and the SEN provision is good.

@tachetastic can’t confidently answer that. My eldest is first year Uni and remaining two are seniors at Bry, when they applied it was Common Entrance and ISEB dependent, there was also an interview and letter from prep school head. The minimum grades at that time were 55% or 60%, can’t quite remember. Common sense was applied and if a child was weak in Latin or History this would be overlooked but grades in Maths, English and Science were far less negotiable. I know 2 children who were turned down when my kids applied and both those boys were very weak at maths.

As of Autumn 2024 Bry are (like many schools) dropping CE and are doing GL Assessments CAT4 tests of which I know nothing other than they adapt to the child’s age and presumably are like all the usual CATs tests. My kids were around 128 -130 at CATS tests back in the day. Bry does do an early firm offer in year 6 for children who sit and pass the test which might suit you. Again, visiting a school is absolutely the best way to start forming an opinion. If you visit both Bry and Sherborne I am positive you and your partner will like one and not the other as they are quite different. Nice choice to make.

Thank you @Chalkstream !

Bryanston is not hard to get into particularly on the academic side if the child has other talents .

When you say your son is good at sports, is he county team good? Or just good compared to the others at his school. I think if you want him to shine at Millfield sports, he needs to be potentially at county level.

Having said that, there are so many opportunities in so many different things at Millfield, there's a very good chance of uncovering his talents.

I was there myself many years ago, I went for the music tuition, but made the sailing team and got my 2nd team colours which made me extraordinarily proud as I'm hopeless at running so the usual team games at school had been a nightmare for me.

"anyone other than the bottom sets"

Oh dear! Well I hear he is at the top end of the bottom set in maths, so I guess that's something to build on!

What happened to the day when you could just buy your way into school??? 😀😀😀

OP - I may have been heard to express the exact same sentiments five years ago, when DS was deemed insufficiently academic/too dyslexic for several schools. He too struggled with maths. But, as they say, there is a school out there for everyone and what parents like you and I are actually paying for is for our DC to be 'supported and stretched,' which not all schools can be arsed to do, to be frank. However, I do know quite a few of my DS' prep cohort who are supported and happy at both of the schools in which you are interested and also Bryanston. Remember that the prep head's report will also play a part and encourage a senior school to take your DS and it sounds like he has much to offer a senior school but has not as yet reached his academic potential. I don't know how old your DS is, but don't write him off yet, if he is well taught and inspired at a senior school, he may yet decide to become a doctor or a lawyer, if not a mathematician.

Thanks a lot for that comment, which precisely reflects my concern.

When schools talk about online tests, interviews, assessment days and conditional offers it takes me back to when I was applying for university and first jobs (though in those days nothing was online). That was incredibly stressful and I want to protect DS from that. At least until he is of an age to handle it. These are children.

We decided to go down the private education route to maximise our DC's opportunities, not their level of stress. They will have enough of that later in life.

And I am definitely not writing DS off! He will find his wings and soar, I am confident of that. However, as a lawyer with many doctor friends, I would probably be recommending him against those choices!!! 😂

Pm'ed you, OP.

OP, in a single sentence I would say that these schools are great for name recognition (=more likely to get an interview) but probably some of the least academically selective ones (+Stowe) for starters amongst the big big blue chips.

Hi @PerSeer , by these schools you mean Sherborne and Millfield? That is good to hear. Stowe also looks amazing and from their website they also seem to have dropped the requirement for CE, so I will add that to the list.

The only downside of Stowe is it is three hours from where we live, which is not a problem for drop offs and pick ups, but would become a slog for matches on Saturday and I do like to be there to cheer DS on from the sidelines! Sherborne and Millfield are both around 90 minutes, which is only slightly further than his current prep.

Where schools rely on ISEB, does a child take the test once, or does each school run its own tests? A lot of websites say the tests are taken during a visit to the school, but it seems duplicative and also a bit unfair if some boys are taking the test for the first time while others are on their fourth or fifth time. I know they say you can't prepare for the tests, but familiarity with the kinds of questions they ask must help.