Good boarding school with strong music dept for musical DC?

[TeddyBear7]

Must be co-ed and full boarding. DC top end of class academically (not top top, but well above middle). Sociable, not terribly sporty, loves reading, loves music, loves keeping busy. Looking for somewhere where it's not looked down upon to enjoy school. We live in SE. No further north than Peterborough or Rugby. Any recommendations?

Also, DC not at prep - does this matter - would I need to get tutor? Can anyone talk to me about the CE process as I'm new to all this - should I post separately about this?

Thanks very much.

Pepperpot - thanks - do you think Oundle would be good for a sensitive child? I get the impression you have to be full of self confidence to fit in there. How did you go about scrutinising the pastoral care and the children on your visits? I'm not sure what to ask or how to gauge things . Thanks for the music link - very impressive!

Send I have looked up the residential summer courses at Uppingham - thanks so much for that - I think that would be a great idea for DC.

Gruach - I'm just wary of too many moves and don't want to have to do it if it is not really necessary. I can see the benefits - but would it be wrong to think that staying at DC's academic school to do the 1st 2 years of senior school might be good enough preparation with some extra specific familiarisation of the CE/school's own entrance papers? Also, that way, if something goes wrong then we still have the school place and haven't lost anything.

However, have had a look (online) at some boarding preps and it is a very appealing idea -so many opportunities! Will have to go visit some I think. On the list are Windlesham House and Bilton Grange - anyone have any comments / knowledge / other suggestions?

Happy - yes we definitely want full boarding at senior - so the list currently looks like Kings Canterbury, Rugby, Uppingham and Oundle. Not sure about Marlborough - I may visit if I get a Boden twinset for my birthday

For prep boarding though, there is nothing day that meets our needs, and boarding should probably be weekly rather than full.

Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts - so helpful!

TeddyBear

Do you have reasons for co-ed and weekly boarding? (Wanting younger children to follow for instance?) Or are you just keen to go somewhere that's as close as possible to a "normal" day school?

(I only ask because (ime) the really exciting opportunities and experiences come from single sex and full boarding - perhaps more at senior than at prep level - but for some boys children a single sex school from yr 5/6 really allows them to develop aspects of their personality that might be a little squashed in a mixed prep.)

Windlesham has an excellent reputation.

If you are trying to minimise change, and can make an early decision on the senior school, do go and visit Junior Kings Canterbury. This would allow you a very smooth transition to senior Kings with a large group of friends made in the last two years of prep. They will not accept your DC at 11 unless he will be able to get into the senior school. So it really takes the pressure off.

JKS has fantastic music - they have just opened a new music school.

www.junior-kings.co.uk/school-life/creative-and-performing-arts/music/

You can weekly board at the prep unlike the senior school. They do have Saturday school but you can go home after games on Saturday and there is an exeat weekend every three weeks.

The prep is in Sturry rather than Canterbury itself and the train station is just 200 meters from the school gates so older DC can travel up to London on their own.

If you are considering Uppingham and Oundle, then also go and look at Oakham as well.

They're all a bit beyond Peterborough, about a further 20 minutes drive to Oakham and Uppingham. And if transport links are important, worth noting that there's a train station in Oakham.

Oakham has a mix of day, flexi and full boarding. So you'll need to find outing what numbers and what goes on for a typical Saturday evening and Sunday.

Oakham btw has a small year 6 entry as well as 11+ and CE entry points.

Definitely look carefully into the number of full boarders at Oakham I met a parent the other week who was saying what a great school it is especially if you want some flexibility around boarding but most full boarders are from overseas.

Gruach - weekly boarding would only be for prep - because I think that would be a good introduction to full boarding at 13+ . I know that Windlesham is full boarding but as Happy says, it's a great school and also it's not a trial to get to so worth considering.

I don't mind single sex at prep level. But for secondary I really do prefer co-ed. Why do you say the most exciting opportunities and experiences come from single sex ?

Ms Margaret - I like the idea of Junior Kings (as the senior is one of my favourites) but I have the same concern about the boarding at Junior Kings that Happy mentions re Oakham, but if DC is weekly boarding then perhaps that would be less of a problem. I'd have to visit and see how things are there, but also our location means that it might be more problematic if we have to do the travel on a weekly basis.

If DC were to go to boarding prep then I'd need to do my utmost to try to ensure that the experience is a good one so that DC is not put off the idea of continuing doe the next 5 years at senior level. IYSWIM.

Edith Oakham is not on my list because of the mish mash of day/weekly/flexi/full. We want full boarding only. Or full with a very limited number of day.

Yes JKS is a large school and the majority of students are day. The ratios flip when you get to the senior school. But there are significant numbers of boarders in Year 6 and more in Years 7 and 8. There are also a lot of international students and expats who stay in at weekends so there is no question of your DC being one of a handful left behind. It is all pretty full on until Saturday after games anyway with everybody there.
It is a pain to drive there from London unless you are in SE London which I suspect you are not. We always used the train. And our DC travelled up and down to London on the train alone once they were in Y7 - though there is an accompanied group for the formal exeats. Direct trains to Charing Cross/Waterloo East from Sturry or change at Canterbury or Ashford for St Pancras.

Oddly enough I'm not at all sure that weekly boarding is a good introduction to full boarding.

Boarding isn't just a matter of sleeping at school. There is an ethos, a way of life, an emphasis that you get in a contemporary full boarding environment that isn't replicated anywhere else. Inevitably with weekly boarding a good deal of the impetus must be towards going home at the weekend rather than, as it is with full boarding, weekend activities being part of the rhythm of relaxation, sport and extracurricular life. Saturday evening films and pizza, a full Sunday for rehearsals, orchestra, rowing, painting, dressmaking or whatever. There is, simply, more of a feeling that school life is to be embraced for itself.

Also, of course, with a full boarding school (going home every 3 weeks or so) pupils are more likely to come from further away or be non-UK residents - which makes for a more interesting experience for all.

(The worst structure must surely be one that mixes full and weekly boarding, with everyone feeling they're missing out on the other option.)

As regards the benefits of single sex education - there are a million threads so I probably don't have anything new to add. Can only say that for the teenagers I know it offers an unthreatening few years to try out things that might, in a mixed environment, be perceived as belonging primarily to one sex or the other.

I would also add that you need to beware of the term "full boarding" at preps. There are hardly any preps in which all the children stay in at the weekends. Probably just Ludgrove and Cothill.
Windlesham for example has significant numbers of day students particularly in the early years and while there are a lot of international and ex-pats there who do stay in at the weekends, a lot go away on Saturday nights. Full boarding just means there is no option to pay less for weekly boarding.
Windlesham is a lovely school though! We looked at it for our DC back in the day as we had friends with DC there. We decided against partly for logistical reasons and partly because we had already decided on King's for DC1 and did not want to chop and change. It Would get your DC into all the schools you have mentioned.

MrsHale you are not quite correct. There certainly are other full boarding preps (very well known and established) where it is the norm to spend weekends at school. But it is true that at prep level no child will be able to spend more than roughly 2 and a half to (at most) 3 weeks at school without a compulsory short leave.

My DC are day/part boarding at a boarding prep. Full boarders (of whom there are a good number) do one all in weekend (everyone stays), one optional (fun stuff going on, lots stay) and one exeat (everyone goes home/ to friends / to guardians) from Friday lunchtime to Sunday evening, in rough rotation.