Looking for feedback on Wymondham vs Royal Alexandra and Albert vs Holyport

[tachetastic]

We are looking at state boarding provision for our 13 year old DD and wonder if anyone has recent experience of boarding and KS3-4 education at Wymondham College, Royal Alexandra and Albert School (RAAS) and/or Holyport College. DD is pretty confident and extremely sporty, so I think she will enjoy the boarding experience.

Wymondham seems the strongest and most consistent academically, but the mixed boarding houses do not inspire me, and I worry that an individual will get lost among 600+ full time boarders. RAAS seems to have the strongest facilities but on average is the weakest academically (and Ofsted recently downgraded its academic provision to Requires Improvement). That said, I guess academics come down to the individual and whether they are willing to put the work in. Holyport looks like a different animal and a bit of an experiment, albeit a very successful one so far. It does seem to be reliant on local big hitter Eton as well as the local authority to provide facilities for sports and activities.

Does anybody have recent direct experience of any of these that they would be able to share?

My daughters have all been to Wymondham. One as a boarder and two as day boarders. They have all enjoyed their time there and we found each child flourished in their own way.
There is a new headteacher starting. We've been through three since our eldest started.
My daughters aren't particularly sporty but have friends who are and they enjoy the facilities on offer.

Our eldest was ill during YR8-10 and we couldn't fault the school with the pastoral care and the effort to keep her schooling at a manageable level for her. She was under Great Ormond Street and the school liaised with them to ensure they were doing all they could, but not in a way that could be seen as stressful.
Hope that helps.

Thanks a lot for your reply ButnotforLola. That is really helpful information. I had not realised the head was leaving. The pastoral side does look strong. I have heard people say that due to the size of the school, individual students can fall under the radar, but it sounds like that was not your experience? I hope your daughter is okay.

Not a problem.
Yes, new head and is the first female headteacher that we will have experienced.
She was previously a vice principal at the college and then became a director of the trust that runs the college. Not a complete new person as she has a vast time with the college and trust.
In terms of a child falling behind, my youngest is facing some challenges in her GCSE years. The school and I have been in contact and they are putting some extra support in place.
I've only had a good experience with that side of things too, but I'm not saying it doesn't happen.
Have you had a chance to visit? I imagine there will be some open days coming up.

Thank you. My eldest is better now but kept us on our toes for a while!
She's now at Boardmasters on work experience for Uni so she's having the time of her life