full boarding options for expat kids

[EMRmum]

Hi, looking for advice on boarding schools please. We are British expats living in the Middle East looking for a great boarding school for our daughter from year 9. She is an all-rounder - academic (CAT4 average 139), loves maths, in the netball team, does a lot of dance and plays piano. She's self-motivated and is pretty competitive (mainly against herself!). We've been to see Wycombe Abbey (and we and the kids loved it) and going to see Downe House in a few weeks. We obviously need backup options but we're struggling to find another suitable option other than these two.

Ideally we are looking for a good all-rounder school that is academically challenging but also lots of fun with good drama and dance offerings and somewhere that is easily accessed by both sets of grandparents (one in the north west and one in south east!) and also from Heathrow or Gatwick Airport. Since we are abroad, one on the most important things is that we need it to be full boarding rather than weekly boarding so that she won't be left at school with just a few other overseas kids every weekend. We want the weekends to be really fun with lots of friends and lots of activities going on. Happy to look at co-ed but struggling to find any other option that is academic and also still pretty full on a Saturday night.

Are there any other expat parents out there going through (or having been through) the same decision making process or any other parents at these kinds of schools who can suggest other good options for me please?

Thanks so much for your advice!

CLC definitely has a lot of full boarders. My daughter is year 7 and in her dorm of eight girls 5 or 6 are there every weekend.

Brighton college empties out at weekends. Mainly weekly boarders apart from the Chinese full boarders.
Would second looking at Christmas hospital

And no Saturday school. So girls go home Friday and return Monday morning

Ok @derekthe1adyhamster thanks for this. That was what I was worried about! It seemed too good to be true! 😟

@DilettanteMum thanks, I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about CLC.

St Mary's is very Catholic, but does have some girls who are of other faiths (or none). Might be worth another look - it is very, very busy on weekends with the vast majority staying in.

Loving the typo - Christmas Hospital.... although each pupil does get 50p from the Lord Mayor each year 😂

they do!

Oh maybe St Mary's has recently changed their policy because we did have a lot of people tell us to apply anyway but when I enquired with admissions they said we were not allowed to apply if we're not catholic and you have to send evidence with your application! So we ruled that one out on that basis. Shame as everyone says its an amazing school!

😂

Sorry one more question... any Ardingly College parents out there? Views on it? 🙏

Ardingly good, super super sporty. Some bullying I have heard of.

Thanks for this. Hmm doesn’t sound quite right for us then.

Charterhouse is fab, not as academic as WA but the more academic students do very well and its extra-curricular program is amazing, which keeps a lot of children there at the weekends.

Roedean isn't what it used to be - and weekends are mainly Chinese boarders.

Sevenoaks isn't even vaguely full boarding. Neither is Ardingly. Both have a lot of day pupils.

Brighton empties at the weekend.

I think the deputy head from Mayfield is now the head at Roedean.

I think the key is to visit and get a feel for the boarding vibe. You can have a 'full' boarding school where most of the kids go home at weekends or come from just China, or one where theres a real mix of kids and everyone stays - equally you can have a day/boarding school where the day/boarding kids aren't very well-integrated and the boarders all go home at the weekend, or one where they mix well and most of the boarders stay full time.

Thanks for this rundown. I have a friend who also sings Charterhouse’s praises too. Good to know about the others not being full boarding / not good anymore. Very useful info - thank you!

Yeah I’d love to do that but since we’re abroad, it’s very difficult to visit more than 2 or 3 schools on a special trip to the UK so we’re drawing up the shortlist. I think we’re pretty much there though. This group has been super helpful!

How about Bromsgrove school.

About an hour and three quarters from Heathrow.

50:50 boarding and day pupils. Holiday boarding also available, if required.

Bromsgrove is a lovely school but not enough full boarders IMO.

@EMRmum I honestly think Oundle is a really good option. Three quarters full boarding and a large contingent of U.K. pupils (not just reliant on international boarders). This is exceptionally important as when it’s just internationals at weekends they do tend to “clump” according to native language. It’s important that you look not only for a large contingent of full boarding but also the mix of native vs non native speakers.

Oundle is in a small town so not an isolated bubble. Great academics and co-curriculars. One of the top performing coed schools in the country.

Benenden also a good choice.

CLC has a lot of day girls and a very large Chinese contingent as boarders. Ditto Roedean.

Make sure to follow a lot of these schools on Instagram. It will give you a good flavour of activities etc.

About a billion years ago when I was a boarding school child of Middle East expatriates, my parents got advice on this very subject from an organisation called Gabbitas. I just had a Google and they are still on the go. Might be worth looking at their website to see if they can help (I promise I am not connected to them!)

My DD is a full boarder at Bromsgrove School (year 12) and has never mentioned a lack of full boarders (I'll check with her but if I remember correctly, there aren't any exeat weekends).

We really like Bromsgrove. DD is doing the IB, which the school is very strong in, and we've found the teachers brilliant at motivating the pupils to want to really stretch themselves. The school's also super sporty (competitive in netball right up to national level) and offers a wide range of other extra curriculars, including lots of drama/acting activities. We've found the pastoral care great, and there's an onsite, well-stocked school shop and a super-efficient medical centre. Holiday travel arrangements are also very slick with transport options that cover both Birmingham and London. Plus, it's just a couple of hours by train up to the north west (where we likewise have family 🙂).

@Slon Sorry, my information might be a little out of date, but when we looked a couple of years ago then there were only two girls boarding houses (excluding 6th form) - one was called Mary something and had about 60 girls and and the other one had day girls in too. Day girls were definitely the majority.

The OP mentioned WA and DH. They are both full boarding schools with probably only 5 or 6 day girls in each year and no weekly boarders. They are a VERY different set up to schools like Bromsgrove and the one my DD attends (which I love, think is a brilliant school, but wouldn’t recommend as full boarders are in the minority).

Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong though as we liked Bromsgrove.

Marlborough is most definitely full boarding. Transport to Heathrow available too - coaches with drop offs. Plenty of expats.

I'd second the suggestion of Bromsgrove. Not as academically selective as many of the schools mentioned here so a broad range of pupils but still great for academic kids. IB and A-level available so no need to choose which one would be more suitable until Year 11. Some pupils achieve over 40 points every year in the IB and straight A* at A-level. Statistically their value added score is extremely good (meaning that based on CAT/other baseline tests, the pupils average higher scores than expected).

Great sport, including netball which you mentioned. Amazing drama and music and also Duke of Edinburgh, debating, eco stuff, MUN, Young Enterprise etc. Basically something for everyone!

Many day pupils and some local boarders, but definitely still plenty of kids around at weekends and a good calendar of trips/activities to keep them busy on Sundays. The day pupils or local boarders can also invite boarders home for the weekend or invite them to stay if there's a party to go to etc. No formal lessons on Saturdays but a big activities programme that many day pupils choose to attend.

It's located in the (small) town so they have more independence than at more rural schools - at Year 9 she would be able to walk into town with friends a couple of times a week to buy snacks, go to a cafe, or just have a change of scenery. When she's older she would be allowed to take the train/taxi into Birmingham for the day to go shopping on a Sunday.

There are lots of international boarders but not all from one country/language, plus expat/forces boarders. No exeats at all, you do not have to leave by 4pm on the last day of term (can stay over if flight is the next day, no need to be hosted by a guardian etc). Really excellent transport department to do airport runs to Birmingham, Heathrow, Gatwick.

A previous poster mentioned not that many girl boarders. It's true there are only 2 girls houses (Oakley and Mary Windsor) but they are both big. Oakley has day girls too. There is also a 6th form co-ed house; pupils can stay in their current house or ask to move if they want a change.

Definitely worth a look if you want a central location and great opportunities and are open to co-ed.