Uppingham School vs Rugby School

[TYTNmama]

DD, Year 10 entry in Sept 2024.

Which school do u think is better in general?

Please share your views, thank you!

Both Uppingham and Rugby are great choices and either would provide a top-flight education. Uppingham is a great school with great history and traditions, and friends who sent their kids there loved it. Our daughter started at Rugby recently (September 23) and as we're not new to boarding we had some benchmark from other boarding schools where her siblings are/were. The verdict: to date, Rugby is proving a fantastic choice, and DD is thriving.

A few observations:

First, Rugby is a very traditional school -I'd even call it old-fashioned (ie not flashy or fashionable) which gives it a very wholesome, relaxed, and normal atmosphere (suspect Uppingham is similar). Because the children come from across UK and abroad, and 40% receive some financial assistance, despite the school's fame, it doesn't have the elitist, exclusive vibe of many of its well-known rivals (again suspect Uppingham is the same).

Second, it is full boarding so there is no flexi or weekly boarding which in our view is a plus, but I appreciate that's not for everyone. As a result, it's a busy school, lots of activities etc...and the kids are expected to get stuck in. It's also a big school, 850+, which is not for everyone.
If your DD thrives on being busy and being part of a group, then she will fit in. Sport, music and drama are all phenomenal, and the teaching and teachers we've encountered are all approachable & enthusiastic.

However, Rugby is part of a Midlands industrial town that has seen better days, so it isn't a pretty market town with lots of boutiques, antique shops and tea rooms.

Third, whilst it isn't a hothouse, it's strong academically, and introduced IB recently. So you have a choice of A levels or IB post-GCSE that many of its rivals don't offer. And the communications from the school are first-rate, so you don't feel that you're isolated from what your child is doing.

Thanks so much for your sharing！😀

My dc at Oundle but have friends at U and R too.
their verdict - R very similar to Oundle in all ways. Little to separate them bar geography.
U girls (at parties) are the ones with the most make up and skimpiest outfits they say. I noticed the short skirts when we toured the school and copious amounts of girls in make up. We got none of that vibe at O or R when we looked round those two. We chose O for geography reasons closer to home.
all pretty similar schools with little to choose between them.
I do find U pupils fall into two camps - overseas (proportion and types just like O and R) but the UK ones are much more rural based that at R and O. A lot of tweedy parents at matches. R and O more mixed/cosmopolitan/ London and a far less farmer-y vibe.
all 3 schools produce few if any complaints from friends so there’s little to separate them bar geography really. R (and O) probably still more academic than U but not by much as U trying to lift academic levels.

I doubt you can go wrong at any of these schools tbh. All are great.

Would agree with leftandright's comments. One point to mention is that Rugby has inhouse dining - so each house has its own refectory, and no centralised dining. which makes for a really strong house system where they all eat together every day. I think Oundle has same. It's a brilliant feature that other schools have lost.

Thank you 🙏🏻

Right, I also notice their house system which I think is better than central dinning.

Thanks for sharing!

For co-curricular activities, I found the below info on Rugby’s website, is it the norm for boarding school students to be engaged in so many activities?

Just worry if students can cope with both academic studies and these activities:

• DURING THEIR TIME AT RUGBY SCHOOL, EVERY STUDENT WILLParticipate in physical activity three times each week of at least moderate intensity
• Participate in a theatrical production either on or behind the stage
• Participate in a musical event
• Serve in the CCF for at least one year
• Carry out a community service for at least one year (unless in CCF)
• Complete their Bronze DofE
• Commit to a weekly voluntary activity of their choice
• Attend a variety of Society meetings to enrich their academic curiosity
• Speak publicly in either the House, Chapel or to a wider school audience
• Sing on stage in front of an audience
• Be a member of a sports team & represent your House or the School
• Be in the audience for at least one theatrical production each year
• Be in the audience for at least one musical event each year
• Be a spectator at a minimum of one sporting event each year

I am so sorry to hear this. Your boy and the schoolmates who bullied him are all from UK?

@TYTNmama yes from the UK. White English.

I think all the schools mentioned above have these stated aims. Remember that all U, R (and O) all have house system and I think in fact all eat in house (U and O do for the most part I believe but I can’t remember what R do) - anyway with the House system comes annual house plays, music events and sports competitions all dc will play a part in these events in some form because numbers demand it!
I can only speak for O (but imagine others are the same), but you aren’t literally forced into much at all but there is just a consensus that you get stuck in with most things voluntarily. A lot of the things in that list can be ticked off with one event eg house music where every member of the house sings on the stage as part of the house and watches the other houses. This ticks off about 3 things in one evening!

Full boarding schools of this calibre all operate at a similar benchmark and for the right kind of pupil, it’s an amazing school life.

bronze d of e is done one year. Ccf the next (in the same time table spot) and sports is the same for all schools on Tuesday Thursday and Saturdays. You get to choose what activity you like doing - be it first team netball , golf or a dance class or just a general gym session.

the differences between these schools are very slim!

@leftandaright Thank you for your sharing!

Uppingham eat in house.

On the activities front, the schools offer a very similar menu. In terms of Rugby, this covers all 5 years, and whilst it sounds full on, in actual fact, most of the activities are (1) built into curriculum already e.g. sports lessons or drama (2) standard offer at pretty much all leading private schools (day or boarding): attending a theatrical performance, house singing, playing sports, joining a club, doing community service or CCF.

So I wouldn't read too much into Rugby's list. Like O or U it is a full boarding school, so they make sure that the kids are kept busy.

Academically, I would say that R & O are broadly comparable tho' O probably just edged it in recent years, with U a little behind. In terms of exit, rather than fixate on Oxbridge places, a better marker is the percentage of leavers that go to the leading Russell Group universities. R O and U will be broadly comparable.

One important difference between Rugby and U & O, is that Rugby has introduced IB to run alongside A levels, offering 2 tracks at 16 years old. Early days but indications are IB's introduction has been a success - first cohort came thro' last year & their results were excellent.

@Fevertreefan Thank you for your sharing!

bump - any more recent feedback?

Here’s some

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14386413/amp/Teachers-boarding-school-failing-pupils.html

Rugby is the stronger school and much better run than Uppingham.

And for Uppingham to fail that many areas of an inspection is honestly pretty shocking and quite a difficult thing to do.