International Boarders - Ludgrove School

[est09]

We are looking to send our eldest (age 6) to Ludgrove for year 4-8 (so when he turns 8.) Currently we do not reside in the UK, but we are UK citizens, and have a house in London. We have a relative with whom he’d stay with if we weren’t able to travel over for exeats (which would be our aim). Has anyone got any advice/experience with:

• Boarding at a young age
• International boarding
• Ludgrove School

Also, if anyone has any other recommendations of full boarding schools within around a 2 hour car journey (maximum) from a London Airport, please let me know.

Things we’d like to know about Ludgrove from other parents before we ask the school themselves:

• How often can boys contact their parents?
• Are they allowed devices?
• How many boys on average are in a dorm?
• Policies on children on social media/protection from the media?

In an ideal world, we would like to go from Ludgrove to Eton/Harrow. Our other sons would join him when they reach his age.

Thank you.

I see what you are getting at but I don’t think it’s possible to generalise about the boys themselves. They are still very young and characters will vary between year groups - a lot is down to luck whether your son finds a true kindred spirit in his dorm/class/year.

It’s a bit easier to generalise about parents as they are the decision makers. And you can draw whatever conclusions you want from that.

Ludgrove I think is the most “stuck up” of those schools, ie more of a performative, cliquey UK clientele. Current Y8 parents hoped/assumed their children would be at the same school as the royals when they signed up, which tells you something. And now are moving to Eton and Marlborough, herd-like, for the same reason. SF has a few posh legacy families but is a lot more day and more international these days - the international parents in particular want the same schools as Ludgrove but for academic reasons, not social. Papplewick - ditto SF except London families rather than Oxford based.

The fact that all preps have more exeat weekends than in the past is something to bear in mind Ludgrove has more boarders but everyone goes home every other weekend so parents will have to arrange somewhere for their child to go on a regular basis. Some less high profile preps such as Cheltenham College prep have more military boarders and do accommodate the needs of overseas parents much better.

My brother and sister boarded from overseas in the UK aged 10 and 8. With hindsight this was too young for such a distance.The spent exeats with my very lovely aunt and cousins.
My own kids chose to flexiboard from year 4 which they both really enjoyed. This is v popular now in the UK but totally different to full boarding. they board one or two nights a week usually the same nights as all their friends do it's more like a sleepover.
Our son has weekly boarded from year 7. He sleeps at school 4 nights a week and at home 3 nights a week. It enables him to attend a v good school but we can still be a family. Lots of kids in the UK board from year 9. My concern would be year 4 there will be very few boarders. The school will tell you there are lots but it may well not be the case.
I would say year 6 is plenty early enough. Otherwise move from SE Asia to the UK for a couple of years to get your son going at the school and then rejoin your husband.
There's a boarding schools annual report and you'd be surprised how few boarders there are in year 4.

So according to the ISC in 2024 there were 180 aged 8 boy boarders in the UK compared to 660 aged 10 boarders. I don't know how they define a boarder and whether this includes Flexi boarding or not.

A friend of ours started boarding at Cheltenham prep in year 5 or 6 and is very happy but home is 1.5hrs away.

Look at Bilton Grange Prep school - transport provided to London for exeats etc. Specialise in outdoor education - pastoral and academics are strong too. Feeder to Rugby School which is one of the best. Brand new boarding house with its en suite bedrooms and helter skelter slide is definitely worth a visit.