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Original poster

Boarding school sports

27 replies

m123m · 30/11/2020 09:38

Hey,

My daughter loves football and is keen on going to boarding school in hopes of going to a school for football since where we live there isn't much of the sport for girls, anyone know good schools or have opinions on the following? ;

  • Millfield School
  • Royal Russell Croydon
  • Lincoln Minster
  • Bede's School
  • Kings College Taunton
  • Haileybury
  • Oakham School
  • St Josephs College, Ipswich
OP posts:
NeedingCoffee · 30/11/2020 10:43

Pretty sure I read that Bradfield have quite a big girls football programme too.

NeedingCoffee · 30/11/2020 10:45

Just checked; they do have. And girls football scholarships too.

Original poster
m123m · 30/11/2020 10:57

What are their academics like? Because she is focused on sports but also wouldn’t like to completely compromise academics.

OP posts:
Zodlebud · 30/11/2020 11:47

Are you looking at full or weekly boarding for your daughter as that should also be a big consideration. Royal Russell, for example, has only about 10 boarders in each year group pre sixth form, and all full boarders are pretty much international students.

Are you specifically looking for co-Ed schools?

TheTeenageYears · 30/11/2020 12:11

KCT was the top performing independent in Somerset for A levels in 2019 if that gives any clue on the academics

Original poster
m123m · 30/11/2020 13:01

Full boarding and preferably co-ed but if there are options for single-sex which were good we would definitely consider them!

OP posts:
NeedingCoffee · 30/11/2020 13:18

V v few coEd “proper full boarding” options these days. Only Oundle springs to mind (or is it Uppingham?). Other posters will be able to confirm. Vast majority are effectively weekly boarding with swathes of pupils leaving after sport on Saturday and returning Sunday night or Monday morning, even if they claim otherwise.

TH22 · 30/11/2020 13:23

@m123m

What are their academics like? Because she is focused on sports but also wouldn’t like to completely compromise academics.
Speaking from personal experience, you do not send your children to children to Bradfield for academic purposes!
thekingfisher · 30/11/2020 13:24

@m123m

Hey,

My daughter loves football and is keen on going to boarding school in hopes of going to a school for football since where we live there isn't much of the sport for girls, anyone know good schools or have opinions on the following? ;

  • Millfield School
  • Royal Russell Croydon
  • Lincoln Minster
  • Bede's School
  • Kings College Taunton
  • Haileybury
  • Oakham School
  • St Josephs College, Ipswich
Know about/of a few of these

Millfield - great sport but 'dead' at the weekends once core school time ended. Lot still head home for the weekend. good academics although it is not super selective

Oakham is more focussed on full boarding in that the weekly boarders are in their own house... This is also not super academic but has a strong push on reaching for own limit and strong advocate for IB.

St Joes high on sport but it has a poor reputation more locally compared to other similar schools. Academics are very much broad church. Def not full boarding and not huge amts of boarding full stop.

Original poster
m123m · 30/11/2020 16:38

@NeedingCoffee Agreed! I noticed that many of the schools which are single-sex usually excel in academics too! But usually those don't usually have the best sports (for girls at least)

OP posts:
Original poster
m123m · 30/11/2020 16:42

@TH22 do you know if the students who show promise be pushed or would that not be the case? Our issue with picking schools is although she loves sport, she knows how difficult it can be and would like a strong backup plan.

OP posts:
Original poster
m123m · 30/11/2020 16:47

@thekingfisher Millfield seemed to have a better balance than some of the other schools but we have heard a few things about the sport, including that many are put off sport after arriving at Millfield or they were not given what they were promised. For example, our agent was telling us a professional football player for Aston Villa, Tyrone Mings went to Millfield and nearly quit football because of his experience there! But it seems like quite a nice school from what we have seen on the internet (their website etc).

OP posts:
thekingfisher · 30/11/2020 16:51

[quote m123m]@thekingfisher Millfield seemed to have a better balance than some of the other schools but we have heard a few things about the sport, including that many are put off sport after arriving at Millfield or they were not given what they were promised. For example, our agent was telling us a professional football player for Aston Villa, Tyrone Mings went to Millfield and nearly quit football because of his experience there! But it seems like quite a nice school from what we have seen on the internet (their website etc).[/quote]
i think it not being what is promised at the outset. A Friends child was really incredibly bored at weekends and promised activities relating to their sport never transpired. So given then little organised at the weekend reinforced loneliness - all seemed a waste of time and they left after a term and a half.

there really are ver few proper boarding schools of the type you are looking for especially if you are overseas. Someone mentioned Uppingham and Oundle these are two in our neck of the woods and def have the academics (maybe too much so for Uppingham) but know nothing of the sports/football for girls

Original poster
m123m · 30/11/2020 16:55

@Zodlebud Preferably co-ed but if there was a same-sex school which gave good opportunities, it would definitely be taken into consideration!
And yes that's what we were thinking about Royal Russell too and had a fear that many of the boarding pupils may be EAL students, but they had a strong football program and quite good academics.

OP posts:
TH22 · 30/11/2020 17:00

[quote m123m]@TH22 do you know if the students who show promise be pushed or would that not be the case? Our issue with picking schools is although she loves sport, she knows how difficult it can be and would like a strong backup plan.[/quote]
Honestly? I think that's down to the individual teacher, rather than the general ethos of the school...

Londonmummy66 · 30/11/2020 17:38

Christ's Hospital? Very sporty co-ed and academics are quite strong although I gather they are dropping their IB programme. It is full boarding with a few day pupils. Don't know if they offer girls football via the curriculum but pretty sure they'll have a club.

It is usually seen as tough to get into but I suspect not so bad if you can afford full fees.

Soma · 30/11/2020 20:27

@m123m , if you're considering St Joseph's in Ipswich, then Royal Hospital School, Suffolk should be on your list. There is girls' football, but they are not playing matches against other schools at the moment.

Springcatkin · 30/11/2020 20:30

Second Kings in Taunton. Good school, plenty of boarders, good sports and co ed

XelaM · 01/12/2020 13:23

Out of complete curiosity (and not having any experience with boarding at all) but how do teachers stop inappropriate conduct between teenage boys and girls who all live together 24/7?

cortex10 · 01/12/2020 13:33

Repton is very strong on sports
www.repton.org.uk/sport/sport-at-repton

Original poster
m123m · 01/12/2020 14:04

@XelaM From research, either the girls and boys have seperate boarding houses and may mix in common rooms or do not live on the same floor if they are in the same boarding house, besides that they cannot really do much to prevent this but the girls and boys are not allowed in eachothers rooms, but many break this rule

OP posts:
kalidasa · 01/12/2020 14:11

@XelaM from personal experience of a mixed boarding house, they can't and don't! (Was a while ago admittedly.)

@m123m - Marlborough? Wellington? Both co-ed and still at least fairly full boarding I think with at least fairly sport reputations and strong academics.

Tartanshores · 01/12/2020 19:27

Uppingham is full boarding, coed and does football for girls .
My DC went there and were very happy - great support for academics, sport and pastoral care.
House system very strong - all go back to their House for Lunch and Tea etc Music and Drama ( House and school ) also very strong.
Is a great school

Lululatch · 01/12/2020 20:59

Bedes has a lot of weekly boarders and day pupils. But strong on sport.

CaraCruise · 02/12/2020 22:02

Oundle is full boarding (1 day house) all boarders are in at the w/e. Definitely have a girls football (and rugby) team. Brand new sports centre too.