Why did you choose a single-sex boarding school for your DS ??

[Trix2323]

I would like to hear from other who have (or have had) a DS at an all boys boarding school. Why did you go for that option (compared with co-ed)? Were you happy with your choice? What did you particularly appreciate about it being an all boys school? Was there anything that you were not happy about?

Interesting. I'm wondering where average boys go to boarding school! All the ones people talk about on MN only take very intelligent boys. Ds is currently average to above average so won't have what it takes to get into somewhere requiring stellar levels of intelligence.

Yes MollieO! And ff on from another thread, where do the clever but shy/timid boys go to that are on par with aforementioned schools.

MollieO in answer to your question im guessing one would be forced to go
Co-ed!

Most are being forced to go co-ed now as the boys schools are being eroded, and yet all-girls schools seem to remain. I am very pro single sex education of boys but most schools are super selective or oversubscribed. Make sure his name is down for Radley MollieO. Sherborne is also very good for choral music although HG hates it!

Mollie and Nokissy - Schools to which shy or clever would-be Harrovians are directed to include Shrewsbury, Oundle, Oakham, King's Canterbury, St Edwards. I expect there are others.

I did a quick ranking by the absolute size of the boys boarding community - beginning with Eton at 1300 - if anyone is interested.

Ds is most likely moving from a single sex school to a co-ed to take up his choral scholarship. I'm hoping he will be ok in a classroom with girls! I've agonised over whether he should stay where he is, move to the co-ed or pursue an alternative move to another single sex school where he has the strong possibility of a choral scholarship.

I like the look of Radley (seems strong in music and art, which so far are ds's talents) and I'll have a look at Sherborne. Our closest boarding school is Eton but I doubt he'd pass the pre-test.

I liked Radley - it is one of the few schools I did manage to visit.

We missed the registration deadline by several years.

Ds is in year 3 and we've been told ds would be put on the waiting list if we applied. I didn't realise about the early registration but will still apply in the hope that all the bright ones on the list will be off to Harrow, Winchester and Eton

Ds is in year 3 and we've been told ds would be put on the waiting list if we applied.

And there was me thinking that the GSG was having a joke when advising " a call from the labour ward" !

Radley told us a year ago that DS could sit a scholarship exam and if we get a scholarship, great, but if we don't, we might get a place if there happened to be one free.

They made it sound like a bit of a long shot.

You must register him MollieO because he should be offered a place. We put DS name down at the end of Year 2 and he was put on the waiting list but offered a place in Year 6.

MollieO, I'm just guessing but if your child is at a certain school in Egham then I wouldn't move him to the choir school in Windsor which is academically inferior.

He's at a school in Maidenhead which is, I think, on a par with Windsor but probably not as academic as the one in Oxford. Yesterday he was offered an audition at Westminster Abbey but I think we are going to turn that down. No idea what that's like academically.

Colleger: did I get this right, you waited four years to move from the waiting list at Radley?

Is that your second choice now? How long will they wait before you confirm? (Just out of interest, as I am in a similar situation.)

No, I waited less than a month to be moved as places are only offered in December/January of Year 6 and we were given a place in January of Year 6.

We were told to confirm by the end of next week but if we turn the place down by the end of December then our deposit will be returned. I suspect there will be more places come up between July and December when Win, Eton and Harrow offers are sent out.

Talking to some people the other day both their son got offered places at Radley of the waiting list so I don't think it's a lost cause.

We are thinking of this too. We have our 11 yr old at a paid for single sex boys school, for all the reasons mentioned of distraction, one upmanship etc, but are now pondering yr 13 sending him to mixed weekly boarding. From talking to people who have boys at mixed (public) schools they don't find the this problem at all with not doing poetry etc - is it a myth? With hindsight it seems much better to be with girls as early as poss. My brother had girls for the first time in the 6th and no-one could concentrate at all for the first year!

Also don't know whether to send him to boarding school at all, I totally hated it and said over my dead body etc. But as an only child, sporty desperate to be with his pals etc, loving all these PGL camps, needing a very firm hand, too over analysed by us etc etc I am beginning to think it would be better for him.

woofiehil its personal choice at the end of the day. Find a school that you and your DS likes, that is academically appropriate, thats convenient for you and offers the things that you son wants and is passionate about. If you are happy with weekly boarding you will have an enormous choice if it s single sex so be it ditto if its mixed.
You hated boarding but boarding has changed this is the 21 st century (Im beginning to feel like a stuck record) many children board and are very very happy I know not only do I have a DS boarding but also work at boarding schools I don't see endless unhappy children. Some do get home sick and the occasional one hates it so much they leave but the overwhelming majority love it and all the opportunities it offers.