Sandroyd or Port Regis or other?

[Taylorlovestravis]

A member of my family is moving back to the UK from overseas and has asked me to ask you which of these two schools would be better for Y5 and Y6 flexi or full boarding? They will be back and forth a bit before they are back full time hence the need for a boarding option. Their foreign agent has recommended these two schools. Is there somewhere else around Dorset that they haven’t thought of?

I teach in a day school a bit further away so sadly can’t have them with me!
I’m also conscious that standalone prep schools are at risk in this climate (mine is!) - are both these schools solid bets?

Thanks. Posting in Private Schools too.

I mainly know these schools through the sports circuit, but I would avoid Sandroyd. It is achingly beautiful but often has to cancel matches because it doesn’t have enough children in a given year to make up a team, and when they do they very rarely win anything. That may not matter to your friend per se, but to me it suggests the school is struggling with numbers even before VAT is added to fees.

Port Regis is a different kettle of fish and to me feels a much stronger school. If it had to be a choice between those two I would go Port Regis.

Another option your friend should look at is Hazlegrove, which is just over the border into Somerset but only just. It’s a great school with a strong boarding community. I would say it is very similar to Port Regis in many ways, so may be good to look at/visit if only to see what another good choice would look like.

Hazlegrove is also part of the Kings Bruton foundation which makes it a safer bet in the future. Not that anything is guaranteed these days but every little helps.

That is really helpful thank you! And your knowledge about Sandroyd is exactly what they need to know. There is a new head starting I see which means a jump into unknown as well. Will tell them about Hazlegrove. Thanks!

I know all three schools and disagree about Sandroyd. I like PR but personally would choose between Hazlegrove and Sandroyd. All three are more day than boarding preps now - if you are looking for a school with lots of full boarders try Ludgrove. I would say Sandroyd has the most full boarders in the West Country as until recently everyone had to board in yr 7/8. Sport - no different to Hazlegrove. Parents of less sporty children say that there is one A rugby team per year and then children in the B team (with only 6/7 players) can feel a bit demoralised, but assume that is the same in lots of schools. Port Regis is sportier and more competitive but less attractive in other ways. The new Sandroyd head is hugely experienced (15 years at Eaton House or something) and had great feedback when she visited recently. Hazlegrove has a great headmaster too and he has been there a few years now. But definitely don’t discard Sandroyd - it is a fantastic school and was the West Country prep recommended by Radley and Eton admissions teams. You may not be wanting to send dc to either of those schools, but they see boys coming out of all the prep schools, so they know what they are talking about. All three are great schools, however, you can’t go wrong. Certain types of parent will prefer one over another - I think you have to visit before choosing a school where your dc will live for several years!

Highly recommend PR for boarders that age- good number of boarders in those years and absolutely amazing facilities.
Second that Sandroyd have had to cancel matches due to low numbers.

Another vote for PR. Sandroyd seemed a bit old school to me (think ponies on site, and you couldn't get a more rarified location) and is not big enough to be vibrant. Has a reputation for slight red trouser brigade too. Do agree with the above comment about the new headmistress, though, who is a class act and may bring in some useful changes. PR is great - over 300, great HM, generally strong staff, great mix of local, London, army and international families, good 2 night and full boarding options, cracking facilities, lovely kids and does seem to love up to it's unhurried and joyful childhood motto. Too much rugby to my liking given really quite present safety issues but most prep schools in the area are the same. Otherwise hard to fault the school which is deservedly viewed as one of the country's great preps (Hazelgrove, though also a good school, more of a regional play imo)..

PR is VERY military, no?

Have you looked at Canford School, in Dorset? Ignore reread and realised the children are Y5/6!
Out of the 2 you said Sandroyd would be my choice.

Port Regis has quite a few military boarders, but if you want a good FULL boarding population in the younger years, without predominantly overseas pupils, military children nowadays largely make up those numbers. Not sure the school itself is overly military? But not familiar with their co-curricular offering etc.

I agree that the majority of full boarders at most boarding schools (probably excluding the most exclusive or specialist schools) are likely to be from military families with 90% of fees covered by the MoD. It’s definitely the case at DS’s school. It can be frustrating for those of us paying full fees but the reality is that without military families may of these schools would need to close.

Think PR is around 15-20% services, 15-20% international, 60% local and 5-10% London (figures may be a little out but that's broadly right). Feels like a good mix to me actually: some preps, like Summer Fields, have gone too international imo, and if a school is just well heeled locals it risks being a bit culturally homogenous. The services parents I have met all seem very nice and I haven't spotted any way in which their presence influences the school negatively - indeed having a set of parents serving in the armed forces rather than just the inevitable bankers etc feels a nice addition actually. The only explicit military flavour I have seen in the school is the popular annual trip to Arnham to learn about the horrors of WW2 (which the HM leads due to a personal interest), though there is also a shooting hobby amongst the myriad of other extra curricular options!

That is not quite true about military discounts.
The Government allowance (CEA) that military families can claim is a fixed annual sum, regardless of how much a school charges for its fees.

In most cases, CEA is less than 90% of the school fee, and can be a LOT less - sometimes as low as 50%. However some schools advertise that they will make up the difference themselves between the CEA and the 10% of fees that military families must contribute themselves to qualify for CEA. (That difference is effectively a subsidy from full fee paying parents). Those schools are known as “90-percenters” and as you would expect are very popular with military families.

Thanks. That makes a lot of sense. I had always wondered how the discounts and CEA interacted.