Can anyone recommend an excellent co-ed independent day school outside of London?

[WelliBob]

Hi, we live in an area where there are excellent senior schools available both grammars and independents. However, the best ones are all single sex and I really want co-ed. DH works a lot from home so we’d happily move for the right school. I have a geeky academic son, an academically gifted Daughter who is also very sporty and another daughter who is average academically (maybe slightly above not a high achiever) However this daughter is superb at sport. I want somewhere they can all go to school together. Somewhere sporty for the girls but also high achieving academically for DS and DD1. Any ideas?

Agree with the recommendations for Oakham even though I disagree with the fact that it is not particularly academic. With almost 150 students a year it caters for all levels of ability. It is boarding as well though.

Rutland is beautiful. So much sport at Oakham. They are also very strong at art and music. Pretty much find a niche for each and every pupil.

I was one of 10+ who went to Oxbridge.

I highly rate it.

I second Solihull as an option. Academically not as strong as KES but has good music and hockey (ex England players as coaches). However, Solihull suits children who have a strength in music, academics or sport. If not, then then you are effectively sidelined by the school. In the area, there is also Camp Hill which is a co-ed grammar school and Bromsgrove which is independent with a mix of day and boarding but neither dominating.

Bishops Stortford college is not super academic and is partly boarding. It is pretty sporty and does take a wider range of abilities than some schools so may suit / accept all 3 children but you are making compromises.

Sevenoaks, Perse and Brighton college are the top three co-ed independents outside the M25.
Pates and Colyton are the top co-ed grammars.

The Hertfordshire partially selectives might be worth a look, e.g. Dame Alice Owens.
Just inside the M25, but well out of the city and fairly green/rural, are Bancrofts, Chigwell, Caterham, City of london freemans.

St Edwards in Cheltenham.

Actually Brighton college is set up more for day pupils with lessons finishing at 4pm with optional activities afterwards. There's no Saturday school, although there are matches. It's a small city campus.
Of course there's no guarantee all siblings will pass the entrance exam

Just shows that there aren't that many that are purely day schools and co-ed, especially if you want them pretty academic.
I've heard Heads speak at Boarding schools and point out that Day pupils get a lot from a school being Boarding too - all the facilities and set up of staff being available for longer hours, the activities and everything else are also available to day pupils. And in many boarding schools, the numbers boarding or full boarding are pretty small. So the boarding element just adds an extra dimension and experience for the day pupils too. Often more expensive as a day pupil in a boarding school than in a standard day school though.

The ones you might want are sometimes those that were state Grammars but went independent in the 1970s. They were often Independnet before they were ever state grammars anyway.

Bancrofts School in Woodford Green, Essex

I was going to say Sevenoaks but think academic standards for admission are v high there. I know people who got 2 DCs in and then not got slightly less academic sibling in.

Move to Winchester
Go state
save a fortune
kids will get academics, sports, arts
you'll get great holidays and a fab lifestyle

Lewes Old Grammar ?