I’ve noticed that a lot of people still tie their egos to the school they went to. Honestly, it’s bizarre—and increasingly outdated. I think Oundle is a wonderful school but am VERY happy to outline where I think it misses the mark and happy to write on here for any parent.
The old-boy-network thing is fading fast, name-dropping Eton isn’t the social currency it once was it’s genuinely quite an ick to do it and being rude about another school usually just screams insecurity. It’s a strangely desperate behaviour, clinging to an identity that doesn’t matter nearly as much as people think.
I actually considered Marlborough myself.
And for what it’s worth, I would completely ignore anyone who says bigger schools are worse. In my experience, the opposite is true.
Large schools like Oundle, Eton, and Marlborough have far more social space within each year group. With more pupils, you get more variety—more personalities, more niches, more pockets where people can be themselves without getting swallowed by one dominant vibe. They’re less homogenous, less ruled by “the cool group,” and they tend to encourage individuality rather than prescribing a social hierarchy.
Take somewhere smaller, like Tudor. If you’ve got a year of 40 girls, and 10 of them are… let’s say, not great, it can completely define your experience. At Marlborough, the same 10 girls are just 10 out of roughly 230. Their impact dissolves into the scale of the place.
On top of that, small schools often end up forcing students into activities simply to fill quotas—sports teams, orchestras, plays, whatever needs bodies. It sounds good on the surface (“everyone gets involved!”), but the reality is that it can smother genuine preferences. You end up with cohorts of identikit “all-rounders,” kids who can do everything adequately but haven’t had the space to specialise, develop an actual passion, or discover what they want to pursue long-term.
Big schools don’t work like that. They have the staff, the resources, and—crucially—the numbers to let students gravitate toward what they really enjoy. If you want to set up a niche society—anything from astrophysics to paranormal investigations—there will be enough interest and enough teachers to support it. Unusual interests don’t get stamped out; they get oxygen
FWIW we considered Marlborough but I think it’s a bit of a hype school. Remove the designer label status I don’t think it would have nearly as many applicants and I truthfully think Oundle is a stronger establishment with a little more pace (and a little more charm and parents with scruffy puffas haha) But I don’t think it would suit your weekly requirements.
Good luck.