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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

Charterhouse school?

12 replies

TheBookAddict · 23/04/2014 08:00

Hello,
DH and I are looking for a co-ed boarding school for sixth form 2015. We stumbled across Charterhouse school but don't know much about it.
Can anyone tell me if many of the students do the IB? Also wondering if the sixth form house offers co-ed boarding?
If anyone could let me know about their experiences/ knowledge of the school it would be very helpful.
Thanks!

OP posts:

noddyholder · 23/04/2014 08:03

Don't know much about it but ds best mate at uni went they share a house and he spent Easter here and was a delight! He did the IB and their course had 700 applicants for 60 places and he and my ds didn't do trad A levels and both had unconditional offers

mummytime · 23/04/2014 11:28

Not co-ed in the houses, I believe all the girls are in a separate girls house (not sure if day girls are in the day house). It does both IB and Pre-U no A'levels.
Its a British Public School - great facilities and History. I think the Head is still a clergyman.

I wouldn't recommend it for a quieter girl.

happygardening · 23/04/2014 11:44

mummy according to its website it offers A levels in some subjects, Pre U in other and the IB.

tastingthestars · 23/04/2014 12:18

The girls are 'attached' to a boys house (I believe this is the case still) - I can't remember the extent of what they do there... Maybe meals, prep and some responsibilities (i.e. Overseeing younger boys prep).

I'm sure it will mention it on the website.

The point is to integrate the girls with the boys, but they still have their own boarding house(s).

Great school, need to be a fairly confident girl. Used to be the case that sixth formers tend to go home on Saturday night, so that might be something to factor in.

ZigZapZip · 23/04/2014 23:58

Your DD needs to be very confident, able to stand her ground and put up with immature boys who are pretty nasty to the girls at first (but come round after a few weeks).
They do Pre-U which is something else to consider.
I'd look at Wellington if you want somewhere more integrated and where boys are more used to girls! But then at least at Charterhouse all the girls start new together I guess.

Original poster

TheBookAddict · 24/04/2014 02:42

DD is very confident (although a little quirky) and I think she would be fine in that situation. If she went she would be doing IB, not Pre-U.
On the website it does say girls have separate boarding accommodation, I was confused by the phrasing, sorry.
Does anyone have any experience with the school which they could tell me about? Thanks!

OP posts:

mummytime · 24/04/2014 07:37

The best I have is someone I know's DD went there a couple of years ago. She did well, during her gap year she got offers at Cambridge and an Ivy league.
I think it tends to empty a lot at the weekends, and it is a pretty traditional Public school. It has a great Gym and pool (can be used by the public for a fee and at certain times).

MrsWobble3 · 24/04/2014 11:01

my daughter is there. the girls all join a boys house - there are between 4 and 7 girls each year in each house. they have a study in the house where they work and they have all meals except breakfast in house. they are part of the house life - for interhouse sports/arts etc.

they also have a bedroom in one of the girls houses which is where they also have breakfast - which they sort out for themselves - there are butteries kept stocked with a range of breakfast foods.

their housemaster and tutor are assigned by the house and all academic issues are dealt with in house. permission to leave school at weekends etc is obtained from the housemaster. The girls houses are overseen by the head of girls whose role is much more pastoral I think. and there are matrons in each house.

Hope this helps.

Original poster

TheBookAddict · 25/04/2014 00:44

Thanks! Does anyone know if there's much difference between houses?

OP posts:

80sMum · 25/04/2014 01:01

Probably best to contact the school, OP, and ask them to send you some information. Why not make an appointment to visit, if you are interested? I am sure there will be no obligation to enrol!

Original poster

TheBookAddict · 25/04/2014 02:04

We will be visiting in July this year, as we are overseas we unfortunately can't visit earlier than that. We will definitely contact the school, thanks!

OP posts:

MrsWobble3 · 25/04/2014 15:03

re the different houses: I suspect that there's little real difference - they will differ according to the people/characters within them and you're not going to know that until you start. I know that they have different reputations but I'm not convinced that that really means anything. Friends of mine have spent ages deciding between houses, primarily based on the different housemasters but that has been for boys who are there for 5 years not two and go at age 13 not 16 - both of which make a difference to the decision I think.

practically, from a girl's point of view, the main difference seems to be between old houses and new houses. the old houses are further from the girls boarding houses and closer to lessons; the new houses are further from lessons and closer to the girls boarding houses - there really doesn't seem to be much more to it than that.

we chose old houses for our girls, primarily because they have larger intakes - 6 or 7 girls per year rather than 4 or 5 - and we thought that increased the chance of them finding friends with similar interests. but having said that, they've ended up with their closest friends being in different houses to the one they are in. So I'm really not sure it makes much of a difference.

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