Confused over boarding school options: Winchester, Wellington, Charterhouse, Radley

[teaandroses]

Hope this is the right place to post this - this is my first post on MN Talk - but I have just met the headmaster at my son's current school and, alongside a (very limited) range of day options, he recommended three boarding choices for senior school: Winchester (aspirational), Wellington, Charterhouse and Radley (via the Warden's List). He believes boarding may be a better option for my son because it offers a broader education, which appeals to his many interests (he is into, but not great at, music, art and sports, as well as being academic).
But I am puzzled both about boarding in general (my son is very clingy, dependent and somewhat insecure at the moment, although obviously he may outgrow all this as he gets into the tweens years) and about the range of schools in particular. I may be wrong but they strike me as very very different from one another? As in if one fits my child, the others probably won't?
I haven't visited any boarding schools yet - my focus had been on day schools until today and obviously plan to do so asap, but in the meantime I thought I could tap into MN's collective wisdom.
Winchester College is obviously the school with the strongest academic reputation, but it might be aspirational for my son (while his CAT scores are well above average, they are not exceptional, although his academic results are very good). The HM thought Wellington would probably be the best fit for my son but at the same time told me it still has a 'tougher' environment than other schools, which I don't really think it would suit my son at all - does anyone have children at Wellington who can give me an insight on the school's culture?
He suggested Charterhouse and Radley as back-up options (again, I was surprised as I didn't think either would be a back-up to Wellington, but maybe I am not well informed enough?) and said that Radley in particular has the best pastoral care, which could make it an especially appealing option.
I'd really love it if anyone who has children there or knows these schools well could give me some feedback/info on them!

I dont understand why people dont name change more regularly. It is quick to do. Stops an awful lot of hassle.

To be fair to seeker. I think I am right in saying that there are genuinely[if everything that someone writes on the internet can be believed], not many options education wise, where she lives?

GooseyLoosey I completely understand where you are coming from. I think peers and teachers become more important anyway in the teenage years and that the stronger relationships that DC form with teachers in boarding school can be a very positive influence and extend their horizons. I also don't feel the quality of relationship between us and my DS has changed, especially as we are all very close ( including our fair share of strops and arguments). However there is no getting away from the fact that I would like to see my DS much more than we do (I think I will continue to feel like that during university years ) and there are times, particularly when he is tired that DS yearns for homelife and us. He however most definitely not want to change to a day school.
If the school was right I would probably choose weekly boarding (for us as a family) but interestingly children I know who flexi board actually choose the weekends to stay in rather than the week.

To lighten things up a bit. A friend of mine had a CM who didnt agree with boarding. When she did the school run she often let slip that she thought boarding was an awful decision which was a few years away.

She had a young toddler herself. She said she wanted to have a cup of tea with them every day after school when they were teenagers to chat through their day and discuss any issues and problems they might have.

Having a 16 year old now....

THERE ISNT A HOPE IN HELL OF THAT HAPPENING!!

Handcream i think when the dc were small we all imagined what your friend said at one point ......i wanted to him to come home everyday with his friends, satchels bouncing on their backs as they all rushed in for lemonade! We would cuddle up and giggle on the sofa as ds1 and 2 told me all about their day........fast forward to monosyllabic ds1, frowning into his room, doesn't want to watch tv or sit on the sofa, wants to "hang out" with his friends, ds2 doesn't want a kiss and a cuddle when i pick him up from school, "its embarrasing"...aah!

Lol at a cup of tea every day after school! That's made my day

I think different DC have different types of interactions. I have teens who are both very comunicative. They always do have a cuppa when they get in and tell me the gossip. Tbh one is a bit of a nightmare and would tell me the ins and outs of every moment of her day !!!

Its one thing you the parent initiating it, but quiet another for your teenager to actually want it.

But don't close families always want to chat and catch up, whatever their age? I'm 45 and still like to speak to my mum every day.

You grow back into it talking to your parents, but honestly is there anyone out there with a teen son who is talking about his views on girls he meets, any porn he might see via the web and his fears and aspirations for the future...

Really - anyone??

If you know who was around she would probably say that's because he goes to boarding school....

Once I left home at 18, I didn't regularly chat to my mum until I fell pregnant nearly 10 years later. We never had a chatty relationship during my teens/20's.

I went to the local comp btw

I Don't believe chatting and catching up has to be everyday. My dc don't want to have that kind of conversation everyday, so i leave them alone, they usually then initate it themselves maybe at the weekend or a few days later, i of course then make the most of it. We are a very close family.

Handcream, both my DD and DS do talk to me about anythings that you mentioned even boyfriends or girls, whatever the topics come up. I remember telling her about the penis beaker thread in Mumsnet, and she and her roommates had the best laugh reading the thread.
And my DS, whenever he is home on holiday or Exeat, he will tell me all fun things happened at school, and he will show me his Facebook pages so I can relate to his friends, plus all the girls/boys he still stay in touch with from his previous Int'l Sch.
Both of them are very independent, academically driven, motivated young people, I'm very proud of them and I think boarding school environment have really helped them, also with us global trotting do make them see the world differently.
It may not be ideal to be thousand of miles away, but with Skype, and BBM, what apps. I think I'm still pretty close to my kids. Whenever we spend time together is always quality time!

Is this thread being deleted? Given that one post has been, but then a million more connecting the poster to her name change have now appeared...

She said she's leaving anyway. No doubt will pop up again with another name but the same chip on her shoulder.

Well the topic of conversation tonight with DS was Fulham V Liverpool ...and yes, he did have a cup of tea ...

Hello, we are based in Asia and our DS recently got an unconditional offer from Radley and Charterhouse for Sep 2017 Y9 entry. Radley suggested DS to sit their academic scholarship exam in March based on his entrance exam results and interview with the Warden. DS is quite social and well-rounded, plays rugby and hockey as major sports and cello at Grade 6 level. I have been keeping an eye on this forum for quite some time and would appreciate any input you may have. I understand Charterhouse has a larger cohort of international students than Radley, which is more traditional, but that the school empties out on weekends. Is this true, and are overseas students pretty much left on their own on weekends? In particular, I would greatly appreciate your views on 1) the pastoral care and 2) academic standards (i.e. is one school considered more academic than the other) at these two schools. Thank you in advance!

My son will be going to Pilgrims school in Winchester after which we are looking at Winchester college/ wellington and charterhouse. He is well rounded very sociable, towards the top of his class at the moment . He loves drama and plays the guitar and piano. Am confused about which other schools to apply to. Pastoral care is super important and mixture of nationalities .

atthestroke And these are yours:

A kiss on a bumped knee, a cuddle with a warm towel and a playful tickle to a shivering child after a bath. Kissing the raindrops off a wet nose. Little wrestling games on the sofa, singing a lullaby and sniffing the sweet hair of a sleepy child.

I guess it comes down to individual style

zero you crack me up.....
This reminded me of one of the songs in Sound of Music actually. Maybe one of your talented musical children could set it to music!

As for the subject in hand, as I've said on another thread, I weekly boarded at an early age and full boarded later, with day schools in between. All at different schools. Wildly different experiences. Loved full boarding the most. However at that point, it was my choice where I went and whether or not I boarded and that probably contributed to how much I loved it. So I'd definitely explore the options with your DS. Schools can have such hugely different feels to them. I'm currently looking at registering my boys for day and boarding preps. I'm hoping they'll like boarding but would probably go down the flexi boarding route if we can.
Will you update us OP?

Oh crap .... majorly zombie thread!

Looking to send my 11 year Child to either Wellington Academy or Duke of York Royal Military School. Any pointers and advise? Which is better?

ARBL - this is an old thread - repost in Secondary Education and start a new thread? good luck