Girls Boarding School’s Reputations and Recommendations

[Mumthisis]

Hi all,
I’m considering girls full boarding schools for my DD and was wondering what they are like.
Such as,
Downe House,
Wycombe Abbey,
St. Mary’s Ascot,
St. Mary’s Calne,
Tudor Hall,
Benenden,
Sherborne Girls,
Cheltenham Ladies College
Heathfield, and
St. Swithun’s.
Can anyone share:
What the reputations of these schools are?
Such as what are the girls like who go there, are the nice and down to Earth, very rich and out of touch, academically pushy, are the girls more from country preps or London day schools?
Also how full-boarding are girls boarding schools these days? Mostly international girls or instead more traditional local British girls, is there much to do on weekends?
Which of these schools lean towards more traditional versus more modern boarding values?

What about some of the smaller girls boarding schools or ones that don’t have as many girls full boarding? Such as Mayfield, St.George’s Ascot, Malvern St.James, Roedean, and Queen Margaret’s School?

I agree with the view that Calne town is fine, nothing more or less. But I also think the town is not really a relevant consideration unless you plan to live near to DD. My own personal experience of full boarding is that the quality of the town is neither here nor there provided it is safe; 100% of the focus should be on the school and whether it is a good fit for the child.

Now that Winchester is taking girls in the sixth form I wonder what impact that will have on St Swithun’s (assuming Winchester will expand its girls’ offering to all year groups, which is what happened at most or all other boys’ schools that started with sixth form girls).

I assume there will be an effect on st swithuns - tbd if enough to drastically drop numbers.

Motorway?

Calne is not that bad, and how often are they off the school grounds anyway? The SMC campus is really lovely. ( No motorway 🛣)

St Swithun's is by the M3 motorway, not St Mary's Calne.

Yes that’s what I was meaning. ( I was replying to a poster who suggested St Swithuns as a nicer location than St Mary’s Calne. I’m not sure it is.)

Ah apologies.

Honestly my biggest irritations are road noise and pylons. It would drive me up the wall the low hum of the M3.

I also don’t think it’s very healthy. Maybe better as things move electric?

Also St Swithuns is not very sheltered from wind. I wouldn’t choose it just because if it’s location.

Would you consider co-ed boarding for your DD? Out of curiosity why all girls? My DC goes to a co-ed.

We kept an open mind and looked at what schools would offer and how it would fit with our DD’s talents and interests. In the end, we had a girl and a co-ed option and she chose the girl one, as it happened to be the one offering the educational range and pastoral care she needs. My instincts were co-ed as it’s representative of society; but am coming round to the idea of a girl school as this particular one fits her so well. And they do plenty in joint academic, sport and social activities and trips together with a couple of leading boy schools where she has friends from her co-ed prep school, so I hope that will provide a good balance.

I am going to take a good look at St Mary’s for my twin daughters. They will be starting in year 9 in September 25; is there anyone who I can speak to who has a daughter there?

It’s definitely worth a look although haven’t year 9 places for 2025 all been allocated in the year 6 process?

No, they still have places. x

Then do look. It’s a lovely school.

Thank you so much.

I have also heard good things about St Mary's. Let us know your thoughts after you've been...?

We had a lovely tour at the school today- its facilities are very impressive. My daughters are keen to go!

Wonderful!
Did St Mary’s mention anything about a male housemaster? I have heard that the year 8 girls are getting a male housemaster. Not quite sure if that is a good or bad thing. Just passing it on in case they mentioned it or it might be relevant.

I was at WA in the 6th form and hated it. Yes very academic but VERY pressured , church played a big part of school life - and life was very restrictive .
I was made to feel I wasn’t good enough to be there ( academic scholarahip) yet got 5 grade As a levels. I was not alone in hating it either.

Things may have changed

@Crispheadthey didn’t mention a thing about it. Thank you for the information though!

No problem. I hope your girls have a great time there - it does seem like a wonderful school.

Does anyone have any more insight into Benenden? It is one of our closest options
so would be handy for watching matches (v sporty dd) which is important to her. We also liked the feel of St Mary's Ascot but we are not Catholic (Cof E) so imagine unlikely odds. Benenden seems quite warm and friendly from our tours, but every school will try to push this narrative. Is it really? What the new head like? New heads make me nervous as we haven't got on with our new prep head at all, v v progressive but accademics seem to have been dropped. We definitely want a traditional girls school head kind, keen on opportunities for girls but still very much academically minded. The more I have worked with DD this summer the more I think she would be in a lower set at the likes of WA or Sevenoaks (a local day option) which I think would undermine her confidence. She is such a hard worker but always keen on being seen to do well so we thought it may be better to be in a slightly less academic cohort and feel like her efforts were paying dividends/take a bit of pressure off. She is kind, quite gentle and empathetic, v sporty (county level and also a v good swimmer), loves art and science. She isn't really a trend setter and we have so far managed to avoid the social media and beauty product obsession. She and her friends swap books (book mad), craft, SUP, bike ride, play tennis and cricket to give an idea of hobbies. We would love a school where a somewhat bookish but friendly, sporty girl will be embraced. A few of the schools we looked at I got the impression she would be rather uncool which socially I think would be hard particularly if she boarded. However, although I think an environment with a bit less pressure might suit I would still want a school that keeps all academic options very much open if she needed a bit of stretch down the line. Other ideas?

SM Ascot might accept if baptised CE. Benenden might be a good fit from all you’ve said & what I know but my exp about 3 years ago.

I should add DD did love WA and personality/ interest wise seemed to gel with the girls there. We met a lovely guide and they just chattered away together non stop, DD was v inspired. So I suppose a slightly less academic version of this? Currently DD has some v wizzy friends (they will be going for Sevenoaks / Brighton scholarships etc ) she adores them but she does compare herself unfavourably. I worry that if she was in a whole cohort of girls like this she would take a bit of a confidence knock and we want her to feel like she is thriving (mental health is v important to us). She has also been clear she would prefer all girls to coed.

Will give a call to st Mary's Ascot as she is baptised and we are regular church goers but know the percentage of non Catholics is tiny.

Not in my exp from our prep a few years ago.