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. 😁

@tachetastic ISEB is a shared assessment, the child sits it once and results are available to the other senior schools once you give permission. ISEB have their own website, it’s pretty helpful. There are a small amount of sample questions as I remember.

My son is at King's Bruton in the sixth form. I did consider both Sherborne and Bryanston but Kings suited my son who has been happy there. It has actually been oversubscribed the last couple of years and has a great headteacher. I think it is around 60% full boarding. It is non selective and has a range of abilities. If you want to dm me please do. Ds has friends at Sherborne and Bryanston.

Millfield is not academically selective, yes there are children there who are academic, there are also children who excel in other areas like music and drama, which may not be nurtured as much as some other schools.

You are right that the sports teams are difficult to get into unless you are particularly gifted. Your son is only year 4 though, so he may start shining at a particular sport over the next couple of years.

The amount of boarders at Millfield does mean that weekends aren't lonely like I have heard about some other schools. There is bit of a culture of designer brands and 'look at me', like another poster has mentioned, but this is probably true of lots of schools, after all they are teenagers, and teenagers like designer brands and social media.

@tachetastic I'd be interested to hear your currents head view on the Taunton schools. We are considering two of these as boarding schools, dc are older than yours but sound a similar make up.

Any sporting talent he has will be really nurtured at millfield. They have a pool so big it has to be blocked off to make it just Olympic sized. Plus a separate pool for water polo. Wonderful coaches and alumni have gone onto be Olympic athletes.

I think you've sort of decided you're not interested in Mount Kelly? They do participate in a lot of sports as well as swimming (which is obviously something they are known for!)- and they do have some experience of supporting elite athletes. However, I do think it's the sort of school where your son could join in with lots of teams and be recognised for his achievements?

In terms of fixtures, you can see some of their fixtures here: https://twitter.com/MountKellySport

They're obviously not fully boarding, but the majority of pupils board, and they have a full weekend program for students- my understanding is a lot of the day pupils come in for fixtures on Saturdays etc, anyway?

That said, I don't think they are as much of a "name" as Sherbourne or Millfield, but perhaps worth considering as a back up if you feel it's needed?

Biased, but out of the Taunton schools (ie King’s, Queen’s, Taunton) I think Taunton is the best.
My parents vetoed Millfield.
My Mother still regrets not sending me to Sherborne.
Not really very helpful 😂