Boarding in the North

[vinoandbrie]

Hi there,

We are tentatively looking at boarding for our eldest daughter at 13+. She is currently in the prep at an all through, academic, independent day school in Manchester.

Can anyone recommend girls’ boarding schools in the North? I’m after an academic school, and have looked at Harrogate Ladies College (only online, not visited yet).

She may stay where she is, or swap to another day school. It’s struck me though that we may need to get cracking sooner rather than later for a 13+ entry if she does choose to board.

TIA for any responses.

Would you consider mixed or are you looking for girls only? St Peter's in York is academic but mixed. Could look at The Mount or Queen Margaret's ........

Thank you, noted. I would consider mixed, yes.

Queen Mary's.
Ripon Grammar - state grammar school with only boarding fees to pay.

Moreton Hall has a great reputation and we loved it (but alas too far away from us). Don’t just limit yourself to very academic schools - look at everything your daughter loves. Schools like this ensure girls reach their potential but not at any cost. They produce rounded, happy girls with Stirling exam results.

Thank you - I may be focussing too hard on the academic side. My DD is bright, but unhappy where she is. Perhaps I need to broaden what I’m looking for. The key is for her to be happy and challenged.

Moreton Hall really fits the bill then. Full of bright, happy, motivated young ladies.

Another vote for moreton hall. Dd would have gone there but it’s just that bit too far for us. The head, sadly, is retiring, but I have the impression he’s hand picked his successor.

Queen Margaret’s in York is lovely.

I wonder if you're not missing a trick by limiting yourself to a specific geographic area - given that you'd have a much wider choice if prepared to travel further afield. Two to three hours journey would encompass many more schools.

Nothing wrong with the area you mention of course - but surely one of the advantages of boarding is that it allows a much greater geographical choice.

Rosssll
Stonyhurst ?

We're in the north and DD boarded at Rugby for sixth form. She loved it, good academically, excellent drama, sport and pastoral care. There are fixed exeats which worked well for planning family life. We found the drive there fine and dropped in frequently for shows, matches and to take her for lunch.

There was a northern group that often got the train home together for exeats, which seemed like lots of fun ( it must have been because she often chose that, over us driving!)

Ok I may be stretching the definition of the north a bit here but here’s what I suggest.

I would say if you want an academic girls school then you should look at Cheltenham Ladies College.

For mixed boarding schools but less academic look at Shrewsbury (now taking girls) or Repton in Derbyshire which has been mixed for a long time. However Repton is very sporty so not sure whether it would suit a less sporty child. I think they are easier to get to from the Manchester area than Rugby but the school does have a good reputation so may be worth the extra travel.

From Manchester how about Malvern st james? It’s middle rather than north, but not that far to get to from you?

I've heard good things about both Queen Margaret & Harrogate Ladies as I have friends with DDs at both of them.

Thank you so much, all advice / info / suggestions have been taken on board, and I will now kick off my research in earnest!

Bootham in York is also mixed but I have had several good reports from families with DC who go there.

Rossell used to have a bit of a reputation.

There's Kirkham Grammar School whose boarding house is highly recommended by people I know with good pastorate support, and I think St Anne's College Grammar School in St Annes on sea now has boarders. The latter used to be not very academic and went through a tough time in the 80s/90s, but I believe it's doing better now, that's when they changed from "St Anne's College for Girls" to "St Anne's College Grammar School"
Both are mixed.

You have plenty of time, it’s not like London schools, certainly St Marys, HLC, Queen Margarets all will have spaces for a suitable girl.
Having said that would agree with other posters to cast your net a litle wider and look at eg Repton, Oundle.
Bootham has recurring issues with bullying, and failure to address that by staff from many personal reports.

Hi, I may be replying too late to your post so please accept my apologies. My daughter is boarding at Ripon Grammar School and she is really happy. There are four girls to each dormitory which is cleverly designed to give them their own private space within the room. The house parents are caring and always available if anyone needs help. If you would like any more info please get in touch. We moved back from France and wanted a boarding school which had a good record of academic achievement and lots of extra curricular activities. It is a wonderful school full of hard working dedicated teachers.

Sedbergh School. Fabulous setting. Properly boarding - not just tagged onto a day school. Strong academic and extracurricular. A lot of heritage. I like the fact that there are little cafes in Sedbergh where students can go in their free time.

If you said Sedbergh had strong sports then Id agree,but you really cant say its strong academics..better than it was certainly, but no one is picking it as a first rate academic school..
Lovely setting,nice kids but its not an academic school.