Page 3 | Weekly boarding schools without Sat lessons?

TurkeySoup · 2024-03-18T12:10:24+00:00

Hello wise mums -- I'm trying to compile a list of weekly/flexi boarding schools that are within striking distance of London that do NOT have Saturday school lessons. Saturday morning fixtures are fine, just not Saturday lessons. I'm aware of Brighton College. Are there any others?? There must be! Thanks in advance!! x

Original poster

TurkeySoup · 08/04/2024 19:43

SuiGeneris · 08/04/2024 16:37

To add to what @Madcats wrote, I would really recommend you ask each school you are considering as to how they organise themselves.

I have two boys in secondary school, neither of them very sporty but each of their London day schools run A-H teams in each year in the main school sports, which means even my unsporty and not very skilled, quite clumsy boys are expected to be playing most Saturdays.

Home matches can start any time between 8.30 and 1pm (older kids seem to get the later start times, maybe to match their sleep cycles) and away matches can be a leave at 8am with the school coach to return around 2pm, so basically don't plan anything before 3pm on a Saturday.

Music and drama productions often have general rehearsal on a Sunday. Quite rare to get a whole weekend away from school unless it is a term where the kids are doing an individual sport (tennis is on offer for example in the summer term).

But most of all do ask detailed questions of the schools themselves. I stupidly assumed two broadly similar schools in the same market segment would have a similar approach but they don't. One of them for example sets the kids in a team from week 3-4 of term and from then you know exactly which matches they will play when. The other one mixes up the teams every week and you have no idea until Friday afternoon as to what your Saturday will look like.

Oh wow, that's really helpful, thank you! It would drive me bonkers to have no Saturday schedule until the Friday afternoon. The variation in these schools is making it very, very time consuming to research and try to even narrow it down enough for tours!

OP posts:

Chickenrunning · 08/04/2024 19:49

St George’s, Harpenden, has state boarding but probably only about 10 boarders per year.

St Edmund’s, Ware has day, full boarding and flexi boarding. Not terribly academic though.

Librarybooker · 08/04/2024 19:49

If it’s the sports element that appeals, then look at those with a sporty profile. If academics still matter to you look at that side of things too as some sporty schools will be aimed at prep school kids that are not academic.

SuiGeneris · 08/04/2024 19:50

One point to note: things may be more stable for sporty boys who are A-C team material as almost every school has those teams and so probably there are fixtures every week no matter what. My DS in the school with weekly team re-mixes is more of a E-H team boy and so gets Saturdays off when the opposition don't have as many teams.

BookShark · 08/04/2024 20:15

I really wouldn't rule out day schools. DS currently does some form of after school sports training 3 times a week (would be 4 if he rowed), plus an additional conditioning session once per week, and then PE and games lesson on top. Generally at least one match on a Saturday, sometimes another one midweek. And also squeezes in being a member of a local club with midweek training and Sunday matches.

This is just a day school, not boarding. He's not a sports scholar, just loves playing. I'm not sure boarding would give him any more sports opportunities, but maybe we're just lucky that his school has so many sporting options.

Original poster

TurkeySoup · 09/04/2024 07:06

BookShark · 08/04/2024 20:15

I really wouldn't rule out day schools. DS currently does some form of after school sports training 3 times a week (would be 4 if he rowed), plus an additional conditioning session once per week, and then PE and games lesson on top. Generally at least one match on a Saturday, sometimes another one midweek. And also squeezes in being a member of a local club with midweek training and Sunday matches.

This is just a day school, not boarding. He's not a sports scholar, just loves playing. I'm not sure boarding would give him any more sports opportunities, but maybe we're just lucky that his school has so many sporting options.

This is exactly the level of sport my DS would need at minimum to feel fulfilled. This school is not in NW London by any chance is it? 😂The boys we know that are in day schools near us seem to predominantly come home right after school and hop on their consoles but it may be that they are just not signing up for things...

OP posts:

Original poster

TurkeySoup · 09/04/2024 07:07

Librarybooker · 08/04/2024 19:49

If it’s the sports element that appeals, then look at those with a sporty profile. If academics still matter to you look at that side of things too as some sporty schools will be aimed at prep school kids that are not academic.

The problem is, we want one that's really good at both... just not soooo good that DS doesn't make it into the school or the squads 😂

OP posts:

NewCComer · 05/12/2025 13:14

TinaYouFatLard · 20/03/2024 22:06

Sorry I don’t have any more insight as don’t have DC at BSC. I know it’s fairly good academically and know several day pupils who are very happy there. I have a DD at Haileybury (which was mentioned by a pp on this thread) and was quite envious that BSC dropped Saturday lessons, which was why it’s on my radar!

@TinaYouFatLardis your dc still in haileybury? how do u rate haileybury? do your dc board?