Kent College (Canterbury), Dauntsey’s and Kings Canterbury

[Nomad85]

I’ve found the whole process of finding a school incredibly overwhelming and stressful. But I think I’ve narrowed the shortlist down to three schools. Should I register her with more? I’m worried about putting all my eggs in too small a basket. My daughter is 10 years old and will be starting Year 7 full boarding next September.
Shes bright and loves STEM, not sporty but loves horses and the outdoors as well as the arts, especially singing. She’s a very gentle character so
pastoral care is important. Shes never going to be an Oxbridge scholar but she is quite academic.

Does anybody have any opinions on those three? We loved Dauntsey’s and visiting the other two soon.

Don’t bother with KC. Dauntseys & Kings both excellent. Check equestrian facilities & riding options & D of E provision if she’s outdoorsy. Central Canterbury location would be preferable as the city is very inspiring & lovely for downtime.

Can I ask why not to bother with KC?

@Nomad85 I'm guessing you are overseas because of the geographical spread of those three choices. Can we take it that you are flexible about location? If you are doing this at long distance can I suggest one of the most important criteria is how'full' the boarding is at each school. What you really don't want is for your DD to be in FT whilst her schoolmates disappear at weekends. If you are Military or Diplomatic your networks there will be good to tap into as other parents will know which schools are genuinely full boarding, and there's something to be said for identifying schools with good numbers who are in similar circumstances.
I don't know any of these three personally. But having lived in Wiltshire, Hampshire and the SW I'm aware there's a lot of love for Dauntseys. It's under the radar compared with grander Wiltshire and Dorset neighbours, which might be good for your 'gentle soul', but I believe it also has lots of day and weekly boarders, not ideal if you are far away.
If DD would be okay with all-girls, St Mary's Calne might be worth considering. It's a relatively small school in a small town, and I've never heard a bad word about it, and I think will have lots of horsey girls. Similarly, Sherborne Girls has a good reputation for a happy and positive culture, decent academics and full boarding- again, less glittering than some of the powerhouse girls schools, and imo mone the worse for that.

King's Canterbury is a great school by reputation but I don't know it. Oundle might be worth a look if you are keen on co-ed full boarding and geography doesn't matter.

Good luck with your search and remember it's a buyer's not seller's market so approach your search with confidence and be ready to put admissions teams through their paces.

We will be overseas soon as we are moving to France but keeping DD in the UK for school as we will be living in rural Auvergne.

I am very glad to hear that there’s lots of love for Dauntsey’s. We really liked it.

Do you know anything about St Edmunds Canterbury or St Lawrence College?

I don't know anything really about those two, sorry. I'm SW based so the Kent schools are mostly not in my line of sight. Will your DD travel by train or fly? If proximity to either Eurostar or airports is a factor that will help others to share relevant insights.
Already I'm wondering about Christ's Hospital which is handy for Gatwick and certainly has lots going for it. @LondonMummy66 is it you that has DC at Christ's Hospital or a different London Mummy?

How lovely to be moving to the Auvergne- what a wonderful adventure.

I had one at Christs Hospital - now left but had a good time. DM me if you want more info.

@Nomad85 - as DD is horsey then Beneden would be worth a look - also in Kent.

If horses are a very big deal for her, have a look at Stonar school in N. Wiltshire - you can bring your own horse. Good pastoral support and welcoming children.

Bryanston also v horsey

King’s Canterbury is around 70% full boarding, 30% day. This is a good mix for a student whose family are overseas. Location excellent for commuting to France (Eurostar, Tunnel) and a number of students do this.

Academically Kings it is a tier above Kent College. A number of children transfer to and from KC at 11 depending on which school is a better fit. If your daughter is academic, she is likely to be better suited to Kings. Sport is taken seriously (riding is on offer) but is not the be all and end all and music and the arts are equally valued. The end of year King’s Week is an example of this. The choral opportunities are great and some of the musicians would not be out of place at specialist music schools.

The Junior School is on a separate campus which is nice for younger boarders. They also get a chance to play a leadership roll in the Junior School before they move on to the Seniors. The ratio of day to boarding at the Junior School is different - predominantly day. But the smaller numbers in the girl’s boarding house means that the girls get a lot of individual attention while they find their feet.

If your daughter is accepted into the Junior School at 11, progress to the Seniors will be automatic.

I don’t know anything abot Dauntseys but unless you have family nearby, I would have thought the logistics might be more challenging.

PS: The increases in VAT mean that you will get a boarding place at at least one of these schools so do not bother to register for more. King’s is more competitive than KC.

Agree with Kruella that Kings is much more academic than KC and a step above socially. I wouldn't bother with KC and St Eds for an academic child as they get similar results to the local Grammars. Much better for getting the best out of the lower achiever at Primary than the higher.

Can't compare to Dauntseys and don't know St Lawrence as a bit out of the area. Not many other options for horsey girls in Kent other than Benenden as pp said.

I can help with all of the schools above - but really you need to think about what type of school you are looking for and what are your priorities? There are lots listed above, but they are all very different and the locations are also quite spread out! Please PM me!

Popping back to say that I have recently heard lots of good things about Mayfield which is all girls and horsey but in E.Sussex.

If you're going to be living abroad, try to ensure that the school is full boarding (not weekly - whatever they tell you - otherwise your daughter will be left behind at the weekends when others go home. Academically, look for the value-add and try to make sure she's just about in the middle (worked for us). Then she's not struggling to keep up or bored because she's at the top (and there's no competition). What does her current teacher say about what sort of school would suit her? Many schools will already have done a pre-test for September 2026 entry. My advice would be to contact https://gabbitas.com/, who have been brilliant for us when we have used them.