Any recent experience with Godolphin?

[occa]

Just that really, my mum went to see it yesterday for my DD (12) and she really liked it, but I was wondering if anyone has any direct experience with it?

For background, DD would be full boarding, and is currently in an IB school. She was recently sent for educational testing by her current school as they felt there was something not right. Turns out she is just 95th centile in most areas and maybe a bit bored, so I'm looking for a move, but this would be a big culture shift for her and I'd like somewhere with a decently supportive culture where she won't be lost.

I'm also looking at CLC (where I went) and maybe Teddies and Malvern, but open to suggestions.

Just bumping this for you.

Where do you live? I think nowadays you don't want to have a long drive to boarding if possible.

CLC definitely a good shout for academic challenge. My daughter is there now in year 8.

I have recent experience of Godolphin as a day parent. It is an excellent school. My DD started at 12 and had no problems settling in. They have quite a big intake in year 9 too. It is big enough to allow them to flourish in their chosen fields or field, be that academic, music, sport, art etc , with a bit of healthy competition but small enough that everyone is known and pastoral support is excellent. It has a real mix of girls from all over and being located in a town has the advantage that when they are older they can go out and do some shopping etc. I would say boarding numbers are smallish but there are quite a lot of full boarders, both overseas and UK based. I think academics are very good, sport is excellent and the music department is fab. Not so sure on art / drama as wasn't my daughters scene. It probably isn't as swanky as some of the bigger schools, but it makes up for that in other ways.

If your DD is a bright girl you should look elsewhere. Godolphin (as in the Salisbury school?) is fine but academics are not strong, facilities are average. It’s not really a top boarding school these days. My DD has four friends from her old prep school
who are current students. We have lived 10 minutes from the school for 20 years so have come into contact with staff and students many times, been to matches over the years. It’s an underwhelming school but might suit a shy nervous girl who needs time to get going. Your Mum should visit Marlborough College (coed) and compare.

St Swithun’s in Winchester is more academic. Teddies (coed) and CLC would be better choices too. I don’t know anything about Malvern.

I don’t want to panic you but if your DD is 12 it’s pretty late to be choosing a school. I imagine many year 9 (age 13) entry schools have closed their lists by now.

Going coed and joining a schools group - just announced today!

CLC is probably a good option, also worth looking at Sherborne Girls, and perhaps St Mary's Calne and Tudor Hall. With Godolphin you might want to ask about the proportion of FB from overseas (my impression is that it's high but I could be wrong). At 95th centile your DD is clever enough for the academic powerhouses (Wycombe Abbey, Downe House, St Swithun's) but I don't know how far they match the gentle/supportive culture you are looking for. Ditto Marlborough- but a great place for a strong confident girl.

I'd say the outlier on your list is Teddies, which is a perfectly good school but not sure it will provide the academic stretch. And Oxford is quite a racy town for a teen boarder- lots of temptations and distractions!

There's a thread somewhere saying boarding at TH isn't going well for someone..