Radley College versus Canford, how much has Radley changed

[handsfullallthetime]

Trying to decide between Radley and Canford for our DS, more on the introvert/arty side than extrovert/sporty. We loved the art & design facilities at Radley - much better than Canford, but are worried about how he fit into the general mould there. Has anyone had recent experience with Radley for non-sporty boys, who have not lived in the UK? Is their art and design really as good as it looks, or the product of a well polished presentation by the head?

roguedad the greater freedom of choice of sport away from rugby is a recent change of direction at Abingdon. The previous headmaster there believed (as does the Radley set-up) that allowing boys to divert to other sports such as football in the main games sessions risked produced weaker rugby teams. It appears from what you say that is not always the case.
Radley does offer major benefits with its full boarding programme compared to Radley. IME most boys who have experienced boarding at their prep prefer the full-on experience at Radley.

handsful best of luck with your decision. Do some research with present Radley parents to select a housemaster or house team who would take the time to talk to your DS since he needs that. Have you excluded schools such as Sherborne which are more full boarding than Canford?
PreU does seem a good preparation for university but ultimately it is the quality of the teachers that matter and Radley does have excellent teachers.

'compared to Abingdon'

Summersend, you were cautioning so much about the choice of socials for Radley. Would you recommend any in particular who for those who never boarded before/less of the mould? We met three HMs and DS is down for C social, I know he will only be there for two more years, but he was the only one who knew what Minecraft was!

handful much better to get that sort of information from the horse's mouth ie current boys and parents but in any case having a new housemaster could be exciting. but also that only one of 3 housemasters knew about Minecraft considering they spend so much time with teenage boys.

I had the definitely impression that minecraft was only something that Shells played, the larger boys showing us around where a bit disdainful about that. I guess if DS goes to boarding with only older role models around, he will change quite a lot ..at the moment he is the oldest at home, so more in tune with younger brothers... Summersend, you introduced Sherborne. Interesting as a Dorset friend mentioned it as well and said there might be space.. Recommended for someone creative, introvert, Science and Design?

You might be better starting a new thread for Sherborne as there as some posters who have direct experience.

Radley is the more academic of the two but Sherborne could suit your DS better as a full boarding further option compared to Canford. Its location in a town and links with the girls' school are an advantage and it has a reputation as an arty school. I'm not sure though how it has settled down after the departure of the previous head.

According to Raleys website which I tried unsuccessfully to link in Rugby is the major spirt for the Michaelmas term. It appears sculling is the only other major sport offered and then only to those who are not required for a team. Radley are known to play hard although fair and are the ones to beat on the circuit. At most boarding schools major sports are practiced/played three times afternoons a week for at least a couple of hours. The Michaelmas term is a long one, shells in particular find it very long because everything is new, they often get a bit homesick especially if they've not boarded before, pick up a cold, and by November are exhausted, you then add in rugby, in all weathers don't forget. This can be great for those who love it but can be miserable for those who don't. So my advise: if your DS is not keen on rugby I would look into this.

Rugby is also it appears to be the major sport at Sherbourne! What about St Edwards Oxford art/music/drama are very strong and I believe you can opt for squash, rowing or sailing instead of rugby in the Michaelmas term, you obviously need to check this. A happy caring school, based of course in a city, Oxford, and at least 80ish% are full boarders. Results are improving with the new head.

With regard to your comment about the Pre U it's a significantly harder qualification than A level and carries more UCAS points for equivalent grades. I'm also told it's more joined up and less prescribed and suits those who genuinely love a subject but this does not mean it's for all.
The good thing is that there is no exam at the end of he 12 (although I believe the boys at Radley do their As's at the end 13). It's also very well regarded by North American universities particularly those in Canada. Apparently for an MFL it's definitely a better preparation for university. But very few schools (probably only one) offer it for all subjects so if I was you I wouldn't make it your main priority when choosing a school.

summerends - thanks - I was not aware this was a recent development. The irrelevance of compulsion to the quality of performance was emphasised nicely in the last season, when both Radley 1st and 2nd XVs lost to Abingdon, as did the first 3 teams at U16 level. I think the 50-7 thrashing given by the U16A Abingdon team to the Radley conscripts was a perfect illustration that a good cohort of committed boys playing by choice can be a lot better than having at atmosphere of compulsion. I trust F Lusk's successor at Abingdon takes note and does not try to take things back to the bad old days. I wonder if Radley's director of sport has learned anything from such outcomes? I fear not.

I am not sure where you get your information from Happy Gardening but our children are boarding at Canford and it most certainly does not empty out at weekends! The new Head introduced a weekend programme full of activities and there is always plenty going on and lots of boarders around. It is a shame that others seem to take your views as accurate on this site as they are often very misleading.

"It is a shame that others seem to take your views as accurate on this site as they are often very misleading."

Others - except me!

And the Rugby at Radley is a non issue. Compulsory for 1 term only, and even then not all boys play it.

1805 - It’s interesting that you suggest that now not all boys have to play rugby in their first year.

I’d be very interested in the details of how Radley has implemented giving new 3rd years a choice about whether they wish to do rugby or not. For example, Cokethorpe Director of Sports introduced an online form to allow new boys to elect rugby or a collection of other activities. Is there something analogous for Radley you can point us to to show how choice has been introduced?

I note that the web site still says that they field 7 teams at U14 level, which given the reserve needs of a squad, time out for concussion and other injuries, and the general admission level of 140, suggests essentially all boys have to play, so if things have indeed changed I think it would be helpful to know how it works. It would be welcome news to know that compulsion has gone, but I think we need the details - thanks.

MarieSarah the information I've posted about Canford was gained haven spoken to three friends with DC's currently there. One for example had a DC at Canford and another at a full boarding only school they choose Canford because there was flexibility to bring this particular DC home at weekends, when I spoke to their DC he said on weekends when it was not compulsory to be in school the place was pretty empty, I cannot see why either parent (who seems pretty sensible) or the child would lie to me. They had no axe to grind they were generally very happy with their choice of school it was doing what they wanted it to do.
In my experience of schools and in fact life in general two people can have remarkably different experiences at the same place. We very recently stayed in a well know hotel and reading the reviews on Tripadvisor posted by people who were clearly there around the same time as we were it is sometimes hard to believe we all stayed in the same place, particularly the comments about the swimming pool which is one of the main reasons for staying there.
I sure some on here will be pleased to know I'm bowing out of the education section of MN, my DS has left school (just the exam results left to go) schools no longer seem important, any knowledge I have will quickly become out of date especially as most friends are in similar situations and schools are constantly evolving. In case anyone wonders I have actually been working in a number of private schools in my area for the last 5 years as the hours fitted in with picking my DS up from school for exeats etc), but I have now returned to the public sector, with all its associated problems because ultimately for me it feels like the right place to be.
I may lurk/post on the higher ed section, and read the doghouse. I wish all of your DC's (whatever age) happiness at school and more importantly outside of school and beyond, my DS and I have learnt through the sudden and untimely death of a his dear school friend that when the chips are down its not where you went to school, who the schools alumni are, what their position in the league table is, what exam results you have or what university you go too, as the mother of this child said "I now realise that none of these things matter". Being alive and part of your family and friends is actually the most important thing and what matters she says we need to remember that. I think it's easy to loose sight of this.

Rogue - officially, yes, rugby is the compulsory sport in the very first term. There is no official opt-out.

However, for the boys in team 7 - and I use the term 'team' very loosely - there were no matches and the training sessions were pretty low key. Some of the boys had no interest or enthusiasm for the game at all, and they survived just fine.

What I want to get across to people reading this thread about Radley is that it is NOT all about rugby, and if your son does not like rugby, it is no reason to worry at all.

My ds was is teams 6 and 5 for rugby, and is glad to not have to do the sport again.

Roguedad.

The sports policy of Radley College states that rugby is played by the majority of boys in year 10 to 11.
It will be interesting to see whether that changes now that the choice is there to opt out from year 10 or whether those not playing rugby will continue to be a fringe minority group. fluencycontent-schoolwebsite.netdna-ssl.com/FileCluster/RadleyCollege/Mainfolder/Files/welcome/PDFS/Policies/Sports.pdf

I think ds has put down for squash, badminton and something else for next term. He will be y10.

sendsummer: I read that sports policy PDF - thanks for posting it, and it says: Shells: Rugby is the major sport and is played by all Shells.

1805: I take your point that squad 7 is not required to take things too seriously - thanks for explaining what happens. But I also see that Midgets team 7 has matches scheduled for this coming term on the Radley site. I rather get the feeling that the school is still some way from meeting the basic standard a of providing an informed choice and a constructive planned alternative.

Roguedad the emphasis on rugby and other traditional sports plus good coaching and a mentality to win (without awarding senior rugby scholarships) is a positive for parents of boys who have enjoyed the traditional prep school experience of sport. Perhaps it is too small to do what Eton does and offer boys a true choice plus very competitive teams in most team sports. It may shift emphasis on rugby in the future but one presumes at the risk of alienating some of its traditional demographic.
Abingdon like other sporty day schools is not reliant on school coaching for their teams but benefits from boys having term time external coaching by clubs, academies and county sides.

sendsummer - I do not all see the logic of your last point. What is to stop any boarding school making use of external and/or part-time staff in order to extend choice? Radley could access a similar group of local talent as does Abingdon, in order to extend choice, given that it is just down the road.

Also, there are many ways of getting the positives of good coaching, a winning mentality and also team values, without putting people at the risk of head or other injuries, or making violent collision with other kids a core elements of a sport. Most such sports do not also have, in the position of a lead role model, an England captain with about a year of bans for diverse acts of violence and verbal abuse.

I think compulsion remains a serious issue, though if a kid has genuinely enjoyed playing the game at a prep or junior then it's clearly not a problem. But at Radley, as 1805 put it so very well,

"Some of the boys had no interest or enthusiasm for the game at all, and they survived just fine."

So why are they being forced to play? Did their parents every actually ask them if they wanted to do this? And why for that level of fee income is "survival" the metric on things being OK, when positively enjoying a sport ought to be the outcome. My son "survived" junior school rugby, but we moved him to Abingdon so he could choose what he wanted to do and get some real enjoyment of sport.

Roguedad
One of my points is that for those keen on rugby (and indeed many other sports where they tend to win regularly) Radley coaching adds value. Since most boys selecting Radley will want to play competitive rugby even if not in the first couple of teams rugby remains the majority sport. I would agree though that first year rugby should not be compulsory for the significant minority who select Radley for other reasons .

My other point is that day schools like Abingdon may have a strong first team in some sports but only part of that comes from added value of coaching provided by the school itself, much is from the teams the boys play for outside. However Abingdon does have the facilities and timetable slots to allow boys to enjoy what sport they prefer.

rugby is not the only sport played at Radley during that compulsory first term. The boys chose other sports they want to do as well as rugby.

Rogue dad - you are not going to persuade me that the rugby at Radley is an issue for 'non-rugby-boys'. It just isn't. Radley is about so much more that rugby. I really don't understand MN's obsession about Radley and Rugby.

I just think it would be such a shame for someone to be put off a school by reading a thread like this and then thinking the school would not be suitable for their ds.

My New Zealand nephew has only just graduated from Yale in business and he had two Radley boys in the rowing team with him. They won the Harvard-Yale boat race this year. My brother and sister'n law said that these young men from Radley were very down to earth and lovely people. I asked if they were arrogant at all and was told that they were not at all. I know that Radley is extremely strong in rowing and has an amazing indoor training facility. I hope this helps.

Also, the rowing scholarship my nephew had for Yale was worth US$46,ooo a year. For Radley to have two boys, out of a rather small-ish highschool, there for rowing, is a huge achievement because I know that the accademic marks had to be very high as well. Another nephew of mine was a top rower but his English marks disqualified him.
My nephew who did go was told he was only the 7th New Zealand to ever go to Yale. I knew New Zealand is small but it puts things in proportion perhaps. I also know that my brother would have told me if he thought that the Radley boys were not good guys because he is very honest about such things. My son is presently at Holland Park Comprehensive in London if any parent is wondering.