Boarding school - close to London - boy or co-ed

[3boys0girl]

Hello,

Any suggestion for boarding schools for DS currently in year 5.
Has to be max 1h30 away from London with possibility to go home on weekends. Weekly boarding perfect. Boys only or co-ed. Sailing possibility is a +.

Looking for more ideas as my list is a bit short (wellington, tonbridge, Bradfield, Abingdon).

Thanks!!

Any preference which side on London. Could take that to get round M25
Hurst? DB look at it and liked it. Are you after big name, top academics, back up school?
Reeds in CobHam?
For sailing Royal Hospital school.
Don't know if Ardingly use the lake at all !

Should if added for 11+ or 13+

First three I thought of are already on your list. For a broader academic spread look at Charterhouse and Frensham Heights.

Does he sail at the moment? Is 11+ vs 13+ a factor?

Kings Canterbury ?

Shiplake, Lord Wandsworth College

Kimbolton? Sailing at Grafham Water, weekly boarding available, about 45 min from London to St Neots.
Uppingham and Oakham are both near Rutland Water but are both more full boarding and further north.

The Oratory, Woodcote?

Whitgift (Boys, Croydon) has just started boarding and I think are quite flexible.
Also Royal Russell (co-ed, near Croydon)

Sevenoaks is a keen sailing school.

Dauntsey's (school has its own yacht).

I'm not sure Dauntsey (no criticism I know it's very popular with locals) is an hour and a half from London especially on an evening, the M4 is pretty grim. I personally think junction 15 is the farthest point on the M4 you can get to in 1 1/2 hours.

Berkhamsted, though not sure about the sailing. Oakham and Uppingham are good for sailing, but probably too far north.

No lake at the Oratory but the muddy water runs ever deeper. Beware! Barge pole to the fore! Nail your pet moggy to the mast (www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10617439/Public-school-boys-skinned-live-cats-and-beat-younger-pupils-with-belts-tribunal-hears.html) and set sail for anywhere, anywhere, but there...

The tribunal found in the schools favour and complemented the school on its care. The claim was dismissed on every count.... But that doesn't get reported as widely.... Don't believe everything the DT/mail writes! They have some sort of sailing prize scholarship thing I'm told by our local sailing club lot.

The claim for unfair dismissal was dismissed, but no-one has suggested that the skinning cats/beating younger pupils didn't happen.

www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/news.php?id=39580

St Johns Leatherhead does sailing

Alad is right. But is the Henley Standard any better?: 'Mr Dytor said he decided not to tell the parents of Boy B about the attack after the pupil himself asked him not to because he was “embarrassed”' If this is true, when is it ever acceptable to withhold such information from parents? So what explanation was given to the parents when immediately after the assault the boy was hastily sent back overseas, never to return? How would you feel if you had sent your 13 year old little boy abroad to a private school and he had come home battered and bruised. Then you found out through through the international press that a lynch mob of 19-21 year old school prefects, had, late at night, dragged him out of the toilet and across the school grounds and then bound and assaulted him, causing him actual bodily harm? Would you really believe that your child, in the aftermath of such an assault, would not need your full support and understanding? Wouldn't you want to know why he was attacked? Wouldn't you wonder why Mr Dytor seemed so keen to cover up the real reason? What kind of school leadership is this?

I can't recommend Lord Wandsworth College. From first hand experience, their attitude towards the protection of young children is questionable - it resulted in us withdrawing our child at short notice. Make sure you look very carefully at their leadership, culture and compliance to their own policies. 'Edgy' isn't always good when children are involved.

Felsted, in Essex, would be very convenient to Stansted airport, and is easily 1.5 hrs from London.
No sailing to my knowledge, but you can stable your horse there.

www.felsted.org

What about City of London Freemen's in Ashtead?

It's co-ed and about 30/40 mins on a train to Waterloo/Victoria or London Bridge. Not sure re % of boarders though.

Epsom College is also about 30mins into Central London although I can't say I know much about it (have a girl).

Have a look at Ashford School, Kent. Very flexible, 35min from St Pancras, good mix of people, egalitarian, excellent record of university entrance, recently rated outstanding in every aspect of inspection.

Lancing College?

Bedford School?

Cranleigh?