Top Co-ed senior school in Home Counties?

[GoInky]

Hi,

We have just started the process of looking for a senior school for our DS.

We have been advised he is the sort of person that would indeed fit at St. Pauls, Hampton Boys school or Winchester.

I know we should be happy and proud, and we are (a lot). Also this should make the process very easy. Right?

However we were quite keen to move out of London to the country, and I am not instantly keen on boys-only and/or boarding.

Surely there must be top-schools (co-ed, day) out there where you are?

We do have the Good Schools Guide, but about 60 schools fit my criteria...

Wellington?

"Best" is highly subjective when it comes to schools.

How about Bedales?

Brighton College?

onimolap is right, it's "horses for courses", you need to visit and find what's right for your DS. You don't want boys only but what about DS?

Epsom College?

Co-ed, day (and boarding) with many pupils Oxbridge and other RG university bound.

Surrey is countryside - apparently .

Bedales?!!! He is suited to Winchester and someone suggest Beadles! ROFL

If you still want an academic environment the Oundle would be your best bet for co-ed. However, Winchester is such a lovely genteel place and they have plenty of interaction with the local girls. The boys are always in the town having coffee with the local girls school and the town itself is very safe so if you sent him to Win Coll there would be very little to worry about.

I hate Wellington but I have to admit that it would be my next option if I wanted co-ed in the home counties. What about Sevenoaks, surely that would provide the academics and co-ed environment but it is in North Kent.

I would tread carefully with Wellington too. DS had a place there last year but we eventually decided no - headmaster is an inspiration but too many of the children didn't match the talk. If you are sporty and averagely academic then it's ok but I would be aiming higher if I were you. Don't sacrifice the best education just for going co-Ed.-

Brentwood (Essex)is a smashing school- co-ed but they teach the boys and girls separately till VIth form. Mainly a day school but they do have boarding too.

Fab sporting/ drama facilities and probably one of the best music departments in the country. Loads of extra curricular clubs.

Very strong academically too, (they stream from the middle of year 7) but they are also very good at supporting children who are struggling a little.

Millfield?

would recommend you take a look at New Hall School, Chelmsford. The school doubled in numbers in the last few years, to 1,130 (no other school has done this!) and has loads of really exciting developments. Just rated 'outstanding' in Ofsted and ISI inspections and was the top performing school in the UK of its type for A Levels 2009 and 2010. My friends 2 sons board and the facilities are first class; sport is a real strength too, which is great because they both love rugby and cricket (Nasser Hussain is in the PE Department). School is located 30 minutes by train from central London, but is in countryside, with a huge campus.

I think that CLFS (City of London Freemens) in Ashtead, Surrey is worth considering. It is a top day and boarding school but it is predominately a day school, and girl:boy ratio of 50:50..
Always gets excellent results and the best co-ed in surrey (every league table says so!), and not a hothouse either.
Sport is excellent - they have particular strengths in fencing, for some reason!
Also, music is strong - CLFS is really an all-rounder school. My DD (11 yrs) went there last year from an independent all-girls prep, and she loves it and is thriving in an academically selective but not pushy environment.

What about considering Hampton and LEH? Whilst they are 2 schools they are on the same site and lots of joint activities between the two. They even share the school bus service so you could live out west of the school, in Surrey or Berks and use the same bus for them both. There's a very wide bus service of some 32 routes into the two schools.

Thank you all for all these great comments. We will certainly look up all schools mentioned, as we are looking quite wide indeed. Also great someone actualy suggested Hampton and LEH, as we have just been for a visit and loved it. It seems to really suit him (and us), and then it did occur to me that perhaps we should just move to Windsor-area and we would have our 'country' side. I am slowly learning that co-ed tends to be less good (well known?) as schools with a long tradition seem to be single sex. I have also been told that you will not find a 'Hampton' in the country side as typically good schools in the country side wouldn't find such a large pool of academic boys around and would therefor be more likely to be boarding schools. Any opinions on this?

Does Oxfordshire count as home counties? If so Magdalen College School, Abingdon School and St Edward's School are at least as good as Hampton. Countryside is close but commute to London is lousy.

Hampton have a coach service from the Windsor area. Just food for thought!

My daughter is at Leighton Park and I will sell it to everyone! Wonderful ethos and they get the best out of every child. Not far from Windsor/Marlow/Henley....

I advise to go for Winchester! but if you're set on non-london coed there's Cheltenham College (girls in Sixth form) and St Edward's in Oxford. Both of these pale academically, in comparison to the best London schools and Winchester, Magdalen College School, Tonbridge etc.

I wouldn't describe Cheltenham as Home Counties, but Dean Close is normally regarded as the better of the two mixed boarding schools in town.

Cheltenham College is good for sport .... but as both are beaten academically by the comp [technically a secondary modern, as the grammar schools cream off the best few %] it's pretty clear that they are no great shakes academically compared with schools elsewhere.

I am curious to know where the OP landed ...

What about St Johns in Leatherhead?

Unlikely as original post started in January 2011, might be a good idea to check the dates where you're posting and the 'zombie thread' alert at the bottom in red

very funny thread even for a zombie! OP says her ds is suited to St Pauls and Winchester, people suggest Millfield, Bedales, leighton park etc as co ed alternatives. All very good schools in their own right, but clearly not the right fit in this instance. I too would love to know where op's child ended up.