Sixth Form IB: Ardingly, Bradfield, Bryanston?

[Intmom]

Considering moving our 15 year old to start Sixth Form next year , full boarding at one of these schools for the IB:
Ardingly
Bryanston
Bradfield

our child is a good student and bright who wishes to study social sciences at a Russell group university or US equivalent . She has global outlook and love for horses and sport in general. Also into drama . Has never boarded and we do not live in Uk primarily although we do have a base there so can see her over long weekends etc.

we are looking for good support (pastoral but also academic ) as she needs to be motivated at times to do her best as can get distracted by all her other interests and friends .

Anyone with current experience at these schools willing to share their thoughts ?

thanks

Watching with interest as dc thinking of doing IB at Bryanston.

My concern is whether : a) smart and ambitious students are adequately supported to do their best (ie is their tutoring system designed to do this , and not only support learning difficulties ) and b) as there seems to be a big gap in results between IB and A’Levels in favour of the former , is the total cohort a real mixed bag academically/ambition wise …

any views welcome

Avoid Bryanston given what you have said. A wide level of outcomes from there. My friend went to UCL from Bry but he is diligent and tbh, on reflection, didn't look at other schools and wished he had gone to them instead e.g Marlborough or Wellington. Some of his other friends have failed to get into uni from it. I have never met a single Bryanstonian that holds it in high esteem on an academic/push level. It's a nice school but you have other options and they are just as nice.

Ardingly slightly more academic results wise than Bradfield. Both are decent and should provide the level of support you require but I'd choose Ardingly . Warning however, depends how much you are in the UK but both of these schools empty out at weekends. For IB, Rugby is good and full boarding.

😀

Agree with @easternenergizer that I wouldn't send an easily distracted student there. I think Bryanston does really well with DC who aren't necessarily academic big hitters but who are intrinsically motivated in whatever they're focusing on. I do know some old Bryanstonians who have done very well in life but they tend to have done so despite not following the typical "brilliant A levels, Russell Group, blue chip grad placement" route. The school kind of gives them that space and confidence to pursue the road less travelled but of course that is not risk free. It sounds as though your daughter might do better in a school with a more academic peer group where she just needs to run with the pack to get pretty decent results (DS is exactly like this- happy to share school but it's not IB).

What about Sevenoaks for IB, albeit Rugby also good choice for internationals due to genuine full boarding? Sevenoaks is majority day I think now.

Thank you both easterenergiser and anonnynonno for your perspectives. Unfortunately Wellington is oversubscribed .. I suspect Rugby is too although worth a try. We are also on the list at Bromsgrove that is full boarding and no exeats and has highest IB average results . Does anyone know it ?

Genuinely give them all a try. Wellington again is weekly boarding. Bromsgrove is not full boarding really either. With fee hikes etc, there is a much higher likelihood of spaces.

I would ask to have a video call with the IB teams at each school - we were really impressed by Mr Pyke at Bryanston.

@Intmom my son went to Bry, he left 2 years ago and is at university in the US. He took A levels but Bry does have excellent results for IB. These results are all published so you should take a look. I think there are around 700 children there with more or less 50% girls. Bry has been coed for decades.

Bry is campus setting, huge grounds with stables. Lots of girls ride competitively and have their horses at the school. It’s a great school for art, music, drama and sport. There is a river going through the grounds so rowing (taken very seriously) and kayaking are on offer too. We really liked our son’s housemaster and the teaching standard was high. All in all it was a happy experience.

Academically it takes a range, the top sets work to a very high standard, I think my son’s cohort had 7 sets. I think it is fair to say that Canford has a higher academic standard (I don’t know if they do IB), then Bry is average with Bradfield lower down. I base this on entry requirements 8 years ago or so when my son was looking at senior schools. Hope this helps.

I haven’t referenced Ardingly as I am not familiar with this school.

@TelexMachine thanks for your insights. Did you son board? and if so, did he find the were enough students staying at the school on weekends?

Also, how did he find the school's university counselling for the US? At our current private school the service is so poor we would defintely have to hire a US consultant for the entire process.

You are welcome. Yes he did board. However we live 45 mins from the school so he came home probably 1 or 2 weekends out of 4. He came home on Saturday evening (after morning lessons and matches) and was back in school Sunday evening. I don’t think many schools are full time boarding nowadays in the sense of being in school for a whole term, there are a lot of exeat weekends and more and more weekly boarding. I do know Bry has changed boarding somewhat even since he left. You will need to check the website. There are always some students with parents overseas who are in school every weekend (bar an exeat weekend when they go to their UK guardian or a friends house). What the percentage is I couldn’t say, maybe 20%, I’m really not sure.

The school had a teacher who was also responsible for overseas university applications. We found her very helpful. She had been doing it for a few years and was knowledgeable.

Bryanston is 100% boarding and good for riding, but will have a wider ability range as it has a more comprehensive intake. Historically it was a very relaxed school, but it’s more mainstream now. On the whole, the best riding schools are not the most academic schools, but that doesn’t mean your daughter’s results will be any different. Teachers can teach both very able and less academic children to reach their potential.

Ardingly has very strong results for IB, with European kids joining in sixth form, but most kids will be local and either day or weekly boarding. It’s not a school for a keen rider.

I can’t tell you anything about Bradfield.

There are many other IB schools. Also, you can have a global outlook without studying IB. Depending on the range of subjects that interests her, A levels can suit many children better. They have just as much global recognition and give the child the choice of any combination of subjects, instead of choosing from groups.

I have a DC very happy at Bradfield in the sixth form and I think it's a fabulous school, but possibly not for you.
No horses really - lots of kids ride, but they go home to do so, everyone bar a small handful go home every Saturday night, and it's in the middle of beautiful countryside so you can't pop into town if you're staying in school. That said they are very keen to encourage IB and it tends to be a bright cohort which does it. You're more likely to get in if you want to do IB too. But I think for a first time boarder it'd be much better to be somewhere that more kids were in school over the weekends.

@Genevieva Bryanston no longer 100% boarding. Is about 25% day plus quite a few who flexi board 2/3 nights a week.

Interesting. They have been changed by the current headteacher in the last few years as it was 100% boarding 3 years ago. A good move. Long overdue.

*that must have been changed

Bromsgrove is absolutely not a full boarding school. They have a lot of day students and weekly boarders. They do have a large number of full boarders (mainly military and international) though and offer a full boarding programme. If you want full boarding, Bromsgrove is not your school.

Thank you @Genevieva @NeedingCoffee @RatherBeOnVacation for all your insights . We visited Ardingly on Friday and were very impressed. Next is Bryanston. Fyi , all those years ago I switched from European style 12 subject education to A’Levels for sixth form and , while I found it a relief in many ways because I could finally drop much hated mathematics, I’ve always regretted not having a broader range of at least senior school level education . I’ve been catching up throughout my career pursuing lots of post-grad courses and reading (which I love) … everyone o know whose children have done the IB and land places at top universities around the world (are always telling me their children find they are the best prepared in their cohorts and don’t find the jump to tertiary education as daunting as perhaps what I found reading Law at UCL did for the first two years. My son is just about to sit the IB , and I’ve been really impressed by how he has developed cross disciplinary critical thinking which I think is key for future careers.

@Intmom
My daughter did her IB at Bromsgrove as a full-boarder from 2022 to 2024. While it's true to say that Bromsgrove is not a full-boarding school, the majority of the sixth-form boarders are housed in a dedicated house (a gorgeous old building known as Housman Hall) just off the main school campus. It accommodates - if I remember correctly - well over 100 students. Of these, about 80 to 90 were around at the weekend so there was very much a busy, boarding school feeling, and also a weekend programme of activities and trips. The school is also in Bromsgrove town so they can get out and about easily.

The Bromsgrove ethos is very much one of expecting kids to try their very hardest and give their all. It's about each child reaching their own potential, whatever that might be. As you'll likely know, there is also a very strong sporting tradition and a new, large drama centre.

As far as I recall, DD had meetings with her academic tutor twice a week. I'd need to ask her but I think one was a one-to-one session and the other a group session.

I'm also an IB fan. I did it myself (at a time when it was scarcely heard of!) and I wanted it for DD. Yes, it's academically rigorous but most rise to its challenge and I personally think it hits the sweet spot between too few subjects (like in the UK) and too many subjects (like in the German system). DD is also now at a "top" uni and coping very well, so I do think it has helped her. (Incidentally, Bromshrove has a very good careers service and quite a number of kids from there go on to US universities).

Feel free to PM me if you'd like any more info.

I would say that Ardingly is a great choice - my son is really happy there. Also it has loads of boarders there at the weekends (lots of European boarders, attracted by the IB) and you aren’t actually allowed to flexi or weekly board in the sixth form (which is annoying for me as my son is a flexi currently!) but I think the reality is that teenagers have more fun with their friends at that age - rather than coming home to hang out with their parents :( My son will do A levels but I know the IB is v strong there. Good luck with your decision!

I’m surprised at your choice of those three schools, as none is known for its academics.

Are you set on IB? My eldest changed his mind about doing it, although a genuine all-rounder, as it seemed to make applying for Oxbridge / Med School trickier, as there was less data when planning strategic applications. That and the schools offering it weren’t enough of a draw. We did look at Wellington but it seemed rather shiny and empties out totally at weekends, as does Bradfield.

For what it’s worth, I know of two girls who left Bradfield as they didn’t feel it was ‘cool’ to be clever. I do know a few who’ve done well from Bry, although it’s not known for its academic results, it does seem to do well with hardworking conscientious types.

another thought, the EPQ does help to broaden A levels, esp if doing STEM subjects.

Agree with this sentiment. Wellington is amazing but it is a brand, ethos, company, not just an education. There's an ego to that school - if you are overseas and want IB, Rugby now do it and that is full boarding and really lovely school for all I know who went recently.