Will dd make friends if I only send her to boarding for sixth form

[Peachyvelvet]

We are from England and originally planned for dd to attend a boarding school from year 9 but we instead moved to another country and am now looking at boarding schools for her to do a levels at.

one of the main things I’m worried about is will she easily make friends moving back just for sixth form or will dc already attending be in existing friendship groups without much room for new incomers? We live far away from the U.K. now and I want to make sure she’ll be ok and happy etc. I plan to be in the uk as much as possible when she’s there in case and I’m sure she’ll get her grades etc but I also think it’s important to have a social circle she can rely on.

@Vadazdeli thank you for your reply. I think I’m being an anxious mother. Dd has always had friends I’m quite sure there will also be dc from her original prep at the schools we’re looking at so maybe that may help. your reply has made me feel better already!

She boarded at her prep and loved it and can’t wait to return to England so that also helps.

Lots of people move from private or to private for 6th form. Or from day to boarding or vice versa.

I think as long as your dd is happy with the decision then the rest will sort itself out.

It depends on so many things - but the first would be to ensure you find a school that has an established system for a large new sixth form intake, rather than just letting in the odd one or two. That way they’ll have organisational structures, and staff, geared to successful transition and integration.

But unfortunately no one here can predict whether any pupil will make friends (at any age) because that’s so dependent on the specific cohort they join.

I went to my school’s (tiny) sixth form and made quite a few unexpected new friends with girls I already knew from earlier but who I hadn’t got on with before. It was a really different vibe, much more grown up, and we all grew up a bit, and it was so small you sort of had to be friends with everyone!

Better if school has a lot of new sixth form girls
and keep in mind
many girls who already there likely desperate to meet new girls.

she will be fine.