Advice/experiences please for boarding schools with very strong drama and dance - current list - Hurstpierpt, Teddies, Bedes, Charterhouse

[MSally]

Hi, Hoping for help from the hive as I feel like we may be looking for a needle in a haystack! A school with very strong performing arts - including dance (though know we may have to cover the dance - all styles outside of school), academically strong but not a hothouse, ideally girls football too!! It will be for sixth form with interesting A’levels options. Have looked at Tring and Hurtwood but they are too narrow - trying to keep a breadth rather than channeling too much into the Performjng Arts. On our current list - Hurstpierpoint, Teddies, Bedes, Charterhouse, Lancing - any experiences of these - good or bad? Many, many thanks. (Oh - co-Ed and in the south… close’ish to London and good pastoral care!)

Might fail your distance criteria, but Uppingham's theatre offering is amazing, they have 2 dance studios and they've got girls football as well. Pastoral care and academics all excellent from all I've heard and recently beefed up SEN provision as well.

Might be too far but Millfield would fit your criteria. Known for sports but dance and drama strong too.

I always understood that Sevenoaks was a drama powerhouse but that might be a while back - have a look though.

Sevenoaks is IB for sixth form.

Thank you all - shall start researching them… maybe I can find that needle!

Bedales (although don't know about girl's football):

https://www.bedales.org.uk/bedales-senior/approach-learning/sixth-form

Millfield

Definitely visit teddies in Oxford - incredibly strong on arts, certainly do girls footie (no idea of standard) and big push on pastoral side things atm. Very broad school in terms of offering. Weekly coaches into London sat afternoon and return sun eve for those who want weekly boarding or to go home some weekends.

Christs Hospital near Gatwick - v strong for music and drama - has a theatre that is a mini replica of the Globe - do several plays and a musical each year. Dance groups and girls football (my DD went for 6th form and did both). They recently dropped IB so that they could offer a broader range of A level subjects. Although not the top of the league tables there are a lot of v bright kids doing very well and most leavers going to uni in the UK go to Russell Group. https://www.christs-hospital.org.uk/about-christs-hospital/information/subjects-offered/

Its very easy to get to from London with direct trains from Victoria to its own railway station is co-ed and has good pastoral support.

Definitely Bedes for dance (legat) and girls football

Hurstpierpoint offer girls football in senior. Not
sure in VI form but has strong dance and drama. Pretty academic now but not too hot-house like. Worth a visit. Lots from London (esp. South) trains to/from Clapham for weekly boarders.