Shrewsbury School versus Oundle

[NJK70]

DS has an offer of a place for boarding at each of these. Any recent experience which might help us make a decision.

I don’t know anything about Shrewsbury so cannot offer a comparison. I have one at Oundle, mid way through their time there, and it’s going really well and my dc and my dh are very happy with the school.
In a nutshell, I would describe the school as first and foremost a full boarding school with limited exeats. Not sure what S’s position in but anything that offers weekly boarding tends to empty out at weekends.
O is academic. You don’t need to be super clever to thrive but you do need to want to work hard and do your best. It’s not for avant garde types, it’s for those who are diligent and happy to be so.
With 1200 pupils, there’s a million things going on outside of lessons but things are not spoon fed. Children need to decide what extra curricular things they want to do and get on and do them.
Pastoral care, friendships etc have all been great.
O is quite an international school with children from the UK and around 25% from all over the world. Stems from the full boarding....
Hopefully someone can give some insights into S.
What was it about those two schools that appealed to you in the first place?
There will be difference between them which will enable you to choose between them.

Lots of my family are Shrewsbury alumni. Great school with excellent facilities and it's situated in a really lovely town. I don't know more detail than that but it's spoken highly of in my family - I only ever hear good things.

Thanks that helps

S is excellent. Also international with a strong cohort from lots of different countries. Definitely full-boarding not weekly, though obviously does have some day pupils. Full on activities and stuff to get involved with, very pupil led. Great ethos, just won School of the Year award, plus very community orientated and charity focused, so not a bubble. Maybe not as driven academically as O, but decent results for their cohort. Both situated in nice little towns, though O embedded whilst S is on its own site. O has had problems in the past with pastoral issues and bullying, but not aware how situation is now. Both schools equally awkward to get to, and are off the beaten track. O more hung up on rules and formalities, so maybe think about your family's attitude about such things.