St Edward's Oxford

[Lilico]

Hi there. I'm a parent from Asia. We're currently looking at Teddies and wondering if it'd be a suitable school for our son. He's a little bit above average in academics and he enjoys playing drama (hasn't studied it as a subject yet). He isn't a sport person, not really good at any particular sport but he'd try in PE class. Would a kid as such thrive at Teddies or the vibe of the students there too robust or sporty to him?

I read somewhere else that most students in Teddies are white. I'm wondering if it'd be difficult for an Y9 Asian kid to fit into, as the cultural backgrounds are very different.

And one more thing to ask, since Teddies is one of a Rugby Group school and the fee is quite high in the private sector, are the students there posh or... snobbish? As we're from overseas, we totally have no idea what kind of students or families are in the schools. Hence it'd be lovely to hear comments from some insider and locals.

Sorry for my bad English as it is not my first language. Thank you in advance.

Hi Lillico, Teddies is generally quite easy to get into, especially since the term "average academically" in the UK often differs from other countries. The school does have a strong drama department, though it’s worth noting it’s quite white in terms of diversity. If your child is academically strong, schools like Shrewsbury, Radley, or Marlborough might be better options to consider.

Thank you for your comments. Are most boys in Teddies sporty? Like if one isn’t doing any sport, will he be difficult to fit in?
Are the kids there from middle class and they usually have high level of spending?

Once again, thank you in advance.

Most boys at Teddies (St Edward's School, Oxford) are reasonably sporty, with sports being a big part of school life, though the average skill level is moderate, not overly competitive. Participating in sports can help with fitting in socially. While many students come from affluent backgrounds, there's a mix of middle-class families, and though spending can be high, there's no pressure to overspend.

@Lilico I can reassure you that most boarding schools have DC from Asia. Your DS would truly be accepted by dc in any school. I would look at Rugby School too but we really liked St Edwards because it’s in Oxford. It’s a great place. We have friends whose DSs went. It was second choice for DD for 6th form. She narrowly preferred another school.

Also to reassure you: dc don’t have to be with large numbers of DC who are perceived to be “bright” to flourish academically. DC in schools like Teddies often do very very well by being near the top! They enjoy school and don’t feel too much pressure to keep up. Do come and visit Oxford.

On top of the question I posted previously, I have a question about the GCSE curriculum at Teddies. I read that the school has a curriculum of its own. I don't understand this part. So do the students take GCSE exams? Does the school still offer a full set of 9-10 GCSEs, so that a student has studied enough subjects to put on UCAS when applying to universities?

Students take GCSEs plus one or two of the schools own ‘pathways and perspectives courses’. Most do about 8-9 GCSEs and 1-2 of pathways/perspectives.
https://www.stedwardsoxford.org/academic/middle-school-programme/

Our son is totally not sporty, not musical and academically variable across subjects. Most are slightly more sporty but few pupils are brilliant all rounders - they tend to get picked off by more competitive big name boarding schools.

Quite a few Asian pupils- there are in all oxford schools.

Thank you Redpanda. I’m not familiar with GCSE system as I haven’t experienced it. Do students in other private schools usually take 9-10 GCSEs? This is what I heard from other people. If students from Teddie take 8 GCSEs, would that affect getting offers from university? Or narrow choice of A Levels? Thank you in advance!

Yes most students take 8-11 gcses both in state and private schools. , I personally don’t think that the number of GCSEs matters that much - frankly it is better to do fewer and get solid grades than more and less good grades. Having said that, I previously sat on an admission panel for an Oxford college for several years and we never really considered GCSEs/equivalent qualifications at all, either in number or the subjects. There are applicants from all over the world at Uk universities and they will have very different qualifications that are hard to compare.

Any school will advise on which GCSEs link with which a levels if there are specifics required e.g. Latin a level it is probably advisable to have done some Latin before…

my ds will probably do 10 GCSEs unless he drops French (he is a terrible linguist and has no interest so it is flogging a dead horse really) - he is academically middling with some stronger and some weaker subjects.

I would choose a school that fits your child in terms of ethos and what they offer, academic and non academic, rather than on very specific elements. A happy settled child in the right place will do better than one who is unhappy or in the wrong environment. We have ended up choosing very different schools than those I would naturally be drawn to (ie high up the academic league tables ) because we don’t have kids that are super bright all rounders, one has ASD and the other is very shy. Neither would flourish in huge academic hothouses even if they could get in.

Its a happy school, when I visited the children looked happy and relaxed and relatable. It wasnt very diverse but I took my time to look at all the kids and honestly I really really liked the positive vibe. it is not a hot house but its a good school