Ludgrove , Horris Hill , St John’s Beaumont ?

[Arnold106]

Are there any parents that have their boys at either of theses boarding schools ?
We are also registered Moulsford and Cottesmore . Would like to hear what you think .... thank you

SJB is quite different from the other two. Smaller proportion of boarders for a start. What is it that you're looking for in a school, other than boarding?

Hello thank you for replying, our first choice is Ludgrove .
We are looking for a school with a strong academic influence , amazing pastoral care , we would like there to be a strong Drama,DT,Art and possibly offer gymnastics !
And a lot of space to run free as he has a lot of energy ,

I know SJB a little and I would say it’s a day school with boarders whereas Ludgrove is a proper boarding school. Having said that, I think SJB is well regarded.

Thank you very much , I would totally agree with you .
We have had a tour and loved the school tbh the only thing that worried me was the small amount off boys boarding and all the years well I think 4,5 and 6 share the same dorm.

Yes the boarding facilities are really poor compared to lots of other schools. However the Head is great, according to friends, and will do all he can to make your son shine, whatever their talents! Good luck with your search.

Thank you very much for your information, that’s lovely to hear and very encouraging .

We are yet to meet The Head but was shown around by a lovely lady I believe was the regestra .

It always used to be the case that the huge majority of full boarders were foreign - Mexican, Chinese, Nigerian mainly. However this is going back a bit! Would your son be a full boarder? I don’t see the foreign boarding as a negative, but if it’s been impacted by Covid then it would be worth checking how many boarders they actually have.

That’s true !thank you for that valuable information, However he wouldn’t be going until another 2 years ! Hopefully this situation we are in would be done and dusted ! Saying that
I think Ludgrove are more than likely a happy balance of British and foreign ?? Would you agree ?

I’m afraid I don’t know much about Ludgrove. I think there have been threads about it in the past so worth searching. I used to live in Windsor hence the SJB knowledge!

Oh lovely I am looking at houses in Windsor and old Windsor how do you find old Windsor? The house prices seem to be a lot cheaper and better value fir your money !

Yes everything that @PippinDog said is still correct about SJB (we used to have a dog called Pippin funnily enough!) SJB great but I wouldn't pick it for boarding. Ludgrove wouldn't suit us either as its fortnightly boarding and I'd find that a little much for my boys right off the bat at 8, but it's extremely well regarded and boys I know who've been seem happy.
HH I don't know anything about but it's also very well regarded.
If you're buying in that area, have you considered Papplewick, Sunningdale, Woodcote House?

@Arnold106 Old Windsor is great for transport links in that it’s right by the motorway and would be very handy for SJB but doesn’t have the charm and bars/restaurants/shops of Windsor obviously! I was child free living in Windsor and rented a flat right by the castle which was incredible but I definitely couldn’t afford a family home there now! A lot of SJB parents used to live in Ascot/Virginia Water.

I second @Delta1 about other options - I think Papplewick might tick all your boxes. Another fab head!

Thank you very much for your advice , I would definitely have to think about SJB for boarding ! It was the lack of boarders and the mixed ages in the same dorm that I’m not happy about , I visited Sunningdale and wasn’t impressed at all TBH ! I wasn’t impressed with the fact that lunchtime activités were charged extra on top of the school fees !!!!
And the dorms were partitioned into tiny cubicles you had to enter sideways 😬
I haven’t looked at Woodcote House but I will do . Thank you

Saying that my Daughter was at Heathfield Ascot !
Property there is slightly cheaper but it is kinda dead !!!
Another issue I have is the pastoral care, it is very important for Arnold as he has ADHD!

I'm really interested. How old is your DS? What makes you want to go for boarding at his age?

My son is 5 years old and he will be going at 8 years old , I do not want him going to a London day school , I don’t want him roaming the streets of Chelsea when his 13 . I would like him to have all the facilities and space he enjoys on his doorstep ! Swimming, gymnastics , Art , DT and a teacher at hand whenever he wants to ask all the hundreds of questions about the world on hand! Can I ask you why are you “really interested” ?

Because I am wondering whether I should board my 10yo DS. He is in a small village primary but probably going to a school with 13+ entry so we are trying to decide whether two years in a day school or a further away boarding school

Ahhhhh I see , he can do 11 + get used to full boarding and also have two years prepped for Common entrance , I would do that . Where would you like your sin to go to?

Just really unsure of whether boarding is the right thing for his age. 13+ no problem but trying to work out what would be best for him right now and whether he is emotionally ready for it yet. His younger sister is more independent than him, maybe he is a little young for his age or maybe he is going through a clingy stage.

I do believe you need to be very independent and a leader for boarding school ! There is a hierarchy at boarding school and you do need to be able to deal with them ! And it’s still very much there , you need to be tough for boarding .