Sixth form boarding from abroad - Millfield or Bryanston?

[Amle1972]

Hoping for a bit of insight on these 2 boarding options for my 16 year old. She will be coming from an International school in Portugal, and she is half British although has never lived there. We are looking at Bryanston and Millfield, mainly as they are near to family in the UK. I like the cosy feel of Bryanston and she likes the size of Millfield. But she's not into competitive sports and is more of a solid all rounder rather than excelling in any particular area. I'm concerned Millfield might be a bit sink or swim and without a sporting credential, she may feel a bit lost in the middle. Is Bryanston really so alternative and liberal? Does anyone have experience of either at 6th form, particularly joining at that point and / or from abroad? Are international students well integrated/accepted? British private schoolers can be hard to integrate with in my experience. thank you in advance

@Amle1972 If you have family in the Somerset-Dorset area might it be worth looking at Sherborne Girls? It's more full-boarding and less sporty than Millfield and less 'out there' than Bryanston. The town is really nice and you have the benefits of being single sex but closely linked with Sherborne (boys) so there's shared co-curricular and lots of social mixing but still just girls where it matters.

How did you land on those two schools? There are also others in the same area that could work. Millfield is very sporty. Bryanston brilliant for creative types. Canford is probably more academic. Sherborne is an all rounder but not necessarily standout anywhere. You also have King's Bruton, Downside, Clayesmore, Milton Abbey, Leweston, plus the three Taunton schools and probably many others.

Sorry, I have no experience yet at sixth form but will follow this thread with interest for when we get there................

To clarify, is the intention for her to spend most weekends with family or do you want a school where good numbers stay in at weekends, as that would affect my recommendations?

I don’t know Millfield well but if she’s not into sport I don’t see the point of sending her to a school which pretty much lives for it. Bryanston is not as “out there” as it was or as many believe. It suits well motivated “self starters” well, although if she is someone who benefits from a lot of structure it may not be such a good choice.

PP mentioned Canford and if that’s not too far east it’s definitely worth considering. It’s about 35% day but still feels v much like a boarding school with good numbers in at weekends. Huge campus but walking distance to Wimborne which is a nice little town. It’s more academic than either of the others but still fairly academically diverse. It also expands at sixth form so there will be some other newbies.Unfortunately if she goes this year I think she will just miss their big new sixth form centre.

@Amle1972 My DS and DD both went to Bry. The younger sat her A levels this summer and has now left and has started Uni.

Other than not having a uniform but a dress code (no jeans, crop tops, hair dye, tattoos, etc) Bry is really similar to the other big coed boarding schools. It’s not ‘alternative’. You can sit the IB instead of A levels if you prefer but I think that’s pretty normal. Teachers are addressed as Sir or Mr/Mrs (not first names as I have read on Mumsnet before). There is a strict timetable and a code of behaviour. Kids who repeatedly break school rules are expelled.

Everyone has a tutor they see on a one to one basis every week. My kids had a great relationship with their tutors. There is an E chart where you can see every single prep graded and a note if it was handed in late. The kids are monitored a lot. It does attract un snooty but well off parents. Very strong in art/drama/music as its reputation. Sports very good too. Horse riding, rowing, kayaking on site. Fair amount of international students. There is a programme in place for new joiners at sixth form, they get a buddy to show them around and help settle them in, all the usual stuff.

We were very happy with Bry. Great teachers and a happy atmosphere. Both my kids got v good A levels, the top sets have a high standard but there are lots of sets to accommodate different abilities.

My only criticism is there is vaping amongst some of the kids which they haven’t stamped out yet. I expect a lot of schools have this problem now? It’s a big safe campus (400 acres I think) in the countryside. I have visited Millfield for matches and as I remember it has some public roads going through the school grounds and was more in the town. I have a friend whose two boys went there, one very sporty and one dyslexic, both were happy. I think Millfield might have more international students but that’s just the impression I got.

Hope this helps.

@RubySkies your post is really helpful at dispelling some of the popular beliefs about Bryanston- which I've certainly been guilty of- so thank you!

I have a few friends with kids at Bryanston and I don't get the impression its that liberal either.

We are local . I don’t think Bryanston is that liberal. Millfield is hugely sporty so maybe not for her if not very sporty. Agree that there are others to consider. Canford has quite a big 6th form entry.

I think people have different things in mind when they describe a school as liberal. Some people think it means arty and creative. Others think it means open minded and alternative in terms of teaching method. Still others think it means it allows kids to get away with stuff. I know several families with kids at Bryanston who love it (not at sixth form). They are not particularly alternative but are all exceptionally posh. Don't know if that's also a characteristic. Others will know that better.

The one thing everyone says about Bryanston is visit it once and you'll know if it's for you.