Cheltenham Ladies or Uppingham or Sedbergh??

[Rosetti]

My DD is currently year 7 and we are looking for boarding school for year 9. Basically our three favourite - and I know they are totally different - are Cheltenham Ladies College, Uppingham and Sedbergh! She is very sporty and academic - we don't have a preference for all girls or mixed and just liked different aspects of those three schools. Now though we are stuck as we can't really directly compare them.
Has anyone recent knowledge of what the schools are actually like to go to? Many thanks

I know Sedbergh well, Uppingham a little and CLC not at all.

IMO Sedbergh is a boys school with a couple of girls houses. Location is glorious, some isues with poor teaching (Friends grammer sch DS rejected offer of move due to this). I just do not see as school where girls will do well. I know they are trying to change this but this will not happen in your daughter time.

Uppingham is fantastic. What put us off was the 'full boarding' and short exeats (impossible to get home and back in 24 hours!) Loved the houses, excellent sports, great music imo very good head.

Interested how you came up with such a varried list!

Having supported a few expat children at Cheltenham Ladies it is the school I would have chosen for my DDs if we had remained at home. They have all done very well, it is highly regarded by expats and often the school chosen by parents who are themselves teachers. I like that it has the feel of a normal academic school and they go back to their boarding houses through town.

I know one expat family who loved Sedbergh, and their sporty DCs have done well there.

My DS at Uppingham. He is very happy there - can heartily recommend it. Have PM'd you.

AnteaterAgain - reason we have the three - she is currently at all girls school so we looked at those first and she liked CLC the best, Sedbergh and Uppingham we came across through sports fixtures - as mentioned above location of Sedbergh is amazing and Uppingham just had fantastic sports facilities!!

I know children at Uppingham and they are very happy with it. Fantastic facilities for catering for all interests and yes, it is a truly all round school. Dining in houses is also quite rare these days but the children like it - I think it gives more separation from the school environment. It is notable for being a full boarding school - one of the very few - great if that is what you are looking for but not the sort of place if you are more interested in weekly or fortnightly boarding.