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!

I think Oundle and Christ’s Hospital are both great options. I think it’s true that they aren’t the top academic schools out there but they still have a reputation for attracting bright children.

On Charterhouse I felt the same way when I heard they were going coed that they’d remain quite boy-heavy. But at DCs prep school in London I’ve been seeing quite a few girls leaving for there, so I think my initial impression may be wrong. I think it’s worth a look though as it’s so close to London. Then again many boarding schools close to London I feel do have more children go home for the weekends.

And with Roedean, they have had the recent reputation of being filled with Asian boarders but they’ve been taking steps to reduce the numbers apparently. We went to look around recently and I was surprised by how many local/British girls were in the younger years compared to what I’ve heard. I believe they’ve been giving out many scholarships to alumni’s children and local girls. Although this has led to a few more day girls but it’s still a mainly boarding. I also noticed that for the first time in a few years a girl from DCs prep school is leaving for there next year (can you tell I have a DD who’s almost 11?). It’s also such a gorgeous school IMO.

Thanks for the further messages ladies. I looked at Oundle but it is just not in a great location for us - we have no family or any ties to that area so I think we're more comfortable with the south east and M4 corridor area which we know well and have family dotted along all around there as well as north and south. As for Charterhouse, I'm tempted but worry that it is so close to London so will have loads of weekly boarders and it just won't be that full boarding experience I want. I'm tempted though, especially as my dad went there! Roedean, I agree, looks so gorgeous. We were seriously tempted but have ruled it out now as just too far away from my mum in the north.

So we've come up with a shortlist finally! WA, DH, CLC and Marlborough! Only problem is that I can't get a tour of Marlborough so we are relying on the virtual tour. I guess we'll get to see it at some stage during the application process and just hope that it's what it seems!

Thanks everyone for all your advice. It has been seriously useful!

All 4 great schools. You will be fine at any! Don’t worry too much about tours. There are only so many dormd and sports pitches you want to see in life! More important to drill down into the weekend boarding position if your child is an expat. Remember if there IS an option to go home, they all do (well those with family or friends) leaving any overseas and friendless behind!

The bullying at DH is off the scale and the school don’t act or deal with it.

Also the foreign students stick together from their respective countries of origin.

Due to the issues around bullying it has pretty much become a weekly boarding school with anyone who lives in the UK heading home leaving the international students at school.

Having international students is only an issue if they all come from one place and stick together. That's why I suggested looking at Sevenoaks upthread - even though it's day/boarding, there are still tons of boarders because it's a big school, and because it's full Saturday school with lots living overseas, most of them stay all weekend (including plenty of the British boarders, I think). Loads of international students, but they come from all over the place, and there'd be lots of expats in exactly the same situation as your daughter. My kids are there as British day kids but love the fact they've now got friends/classmates from Europe, Dubai, Japan, India, Nigeria, America, Australia, Shanghai etc etc. And it would fit your criteria for close to the airport, and is more academic than lots of the other options.

Not read full thread but has anyone mentioned Caterham? It's only 20 mins from LGW.**

The problem will always be that loads of British Dc go home as often as possible. So international students are left in. If they want to speak their home languages, the British Dc are a minority.

Greshams North Norfolk is excellent

Queen Anne's Caversham in Reading, so near Heathrow. Lots of full boarders - and very much run for full boarders. they have a local scheme placing girls with families for exeats/ half terms.

Has a good reputation for all round - sports, drama, music, but not so very pushy on the academic front, still gets good results

The definition of full boarding is kind of confusing nowadays.
(In which school do students only go home during half term and holidays? I think Harrow operates like this?)

Even at WA, despite only having 10% day boarders, during the weekends many full boarders go home. The school kind of operates on a 3-week rotation: Closed weekend (you must stay), Open weekend (you can leave) and Short Leave. There are only 3 Closed weekends a term. And some international students go and stay with their friends. Oh and many Chinese actually have family and homes in London or the home counties. So they also go home too.
This is the problem with the schools that are closer to London.

But greshams is not at all academic and only a handful of children stay at weekends (the small number of overseas they have). Not even many weekly boarders. It’s a day / flexi at best. Not at all appropriate for the OP. Also terrible transport links to airports.
nonetheless a lovely school just wholly inappropriate for the OP.

finding a school that does not allow boarders home at weekends except for half term and statutory exeats is key for the OP. I think Marlborough might fit the bill.

Slightly outside the box but have you considered Mount St Mary’s College? Near Sheffield and near the M1 motorway so very easy access for families. Very strong in sports and music, academically challenging but non-selective, and has a fantastic atmosphere. They offer loads of different boarding options as well. Definitely worth a look

finding a school that does not allow boarders home at weekends except for half term and statutory exeats is key for the OP. I think Marlborough might fit the bill.

Definitely Uppingham then.

No. Friends at Uppingham now. They do get the occasional flexi weekend when they can choose to come home. But it’s almost fixed full boarding. One of the better ones.

Yes. So why did you say no?

i said no in reply to you saying defintely Uppingham for a school with only fixed exeats. Uppingham has some flexi exeats so it’s not always the case that everyone stays in every weekend.
although it’s pretty close to that model as flexi exeats are not very common there. I think it’s a good proper boarding school although children and families can be pretty chummy with each other , many pupils whose parents all went to Uppingham so it’s can feel a bit tweedy/countrified to the newcomer without a shoot and two thousand acres. That’s the vibe I get from visiting and from pupils I know there. A nice happy school though. I do like it. Wouldn’t be a choice if I was an expat though as I feel there is less integration there with international pupils compared to some other schools.

Are all Uppingham parents this argumentative?

Reading this late and noticed no one has mentioned Wellington College which is really not far from Heathrow. Good luck!

Wellington has lots of weekly boarders. Anywhere with weekly boarding is not best for full boarders. Schools that offer weekly boarding are best just for weekly boarders.

My daughter goes to St. Mary's Cambridge and has had a fantastic time and well rounded education, they are a good academic option however are very good pastorally too, they really look after the girls - my daughter has chosen to stay on for sixth form as loves it so much and we have been very pleased with it. The boarding options are good with lots of activities although we live near Cambridge so she doesn't board. Fab transport links to Cambridge too. I would give it consideration

Surely that depends on your DC....let's say you're a pupil in a boarding house with 65 others. At the weekend there are 10-15 students left. The staff still put on some sort of activity, it's more chilled, there are people to talk to but less overwhelming. If you're more independent or introverted, it might actually be nice. The intensity of a full boarding school isn't for everyone.

Rugby is a proper full boarding school with great academics (though certainly not a hot house) and a fantastic range of sports, drama and music. Day pupils have their own houses too. Train station is really close by, direct to Euston in under an hour (Oundle is 25 mins to Peterborough station). Rugby offers both A Levels and IB in the senior school. Very few 'tweedy' types, a great mix of professional parents. The children that come out of Rugby are very well rounded as the programme certainly develops the person, being the 'whole point'. You will always find students that move schools, we know of a few that moved to Rugby as they didn't like Oundle. Very few students leave post GCSE, though if you do not get the grades at GCSE (or at the high academic schools mentioned above) you cannot continue to A Levels / IB so that may be why the students you met were leaving. For proper full boarding you have a small choice of schools - look in The Good Schools Guide. Wellington is another academic school to consider being close to London though it empties out at weekends.

Bromsgrove School.

Well linked to the motorway network, close to the airport. Offers full boarding and over holidays too if that is relevant.

Strong academically, sports, drama and music. Good mix of boarding and day pupils. Oversea and "home" boarders too.

King's Ely may be a good fit.

I doubt it. It’s nearly all day and weekly. Almost non existent full boarders.