Finding the right Public School

[HarrietHongKong]

We are from Monaco, so we are not far away from the UK, but I am struggling to find the right public school for our DS and DD.

I am originally from the Far East so I am not that familiar with public schools in the UK. We are looking for a public school for our DS and DD. They would need to board from approx. 13 yo.

The academic status of the school isn't that important, neither of our children are very "academic", but we want our children to enjoy their schooling, and to make good friends, enjoy their social life and have good contacts in the UK and abroad.

I am encouraging both children in polo, so it would be an advantage if polo could be offered. We are happy for their ponies to be moved to the UK from Monaco to help this.

Our children enjoy interacting with lessons and we want the education to be good, but realistically we want our DS to go onto the family firm when he gets older, so getting a straight A outcome is not really important. We are happy for a DD to go to university, but again we cn offer her a job if she wants one later in life. Rather we would prefer the children to make good friends, be educated, develop their polo, enjoy their social life, and have a good mix of people from similar backgrounds.

Can you advise what would be the best schools to look at? We would prefer single sex rather then co-educational.

[Utility]

A five year old thread.
I wonder what happened?

[Zodlebud]

Queenswood (girls only) introduced polo relatively recently and the team is doing really well:

www.queenswood.org/news/queenswood-polo-teams-first-tournament-win/

Horses are off site but the head is horse mad so that may well change in future years.

Fabulous school - very similar vibe to Roedean and has a similar number of full boarders. Both schools do have more day girls and weekly boarders than full though.

Queenswood has the advantage of being both close to Heathrow and central London as well as Harrow.

Another school well worth considering but is co-Ed is Haileybury. Not sure if they play polo though.

[Dancingdreamer]

I would have thought Millfield would have been perfect if academics are not your priority. My friend’s sporty but not overly academic DC went there and loved it. Places like Marlborough do play polo but the horses are stabled away from the school. It’s also a fairly academic school, heavily oversubscribed and you have to pre-register 2 years in advance.

[summerends]

I know from friends that at Cheltenham College there are sessions several times a week (probably reflects the Gloucestershire influence). Wellington College have had quite a strong team in previous years.
I obviously know far too much about this [embarassed]. Lots of schools including many of the girls' schools in the M4 / M5 region have weekly sessions and play very occasional matches.
OP if your DC play polo at home then they might want to focus on other pursuits at school. It does sound more than a little bit like you want them to go to school primarily to establish the right sort of social network for the family firm and playing polo is part of that .

[happygardening]

Just looked Milfield Polo up frankly if it's polo youre after and all sorts of other things I wouldn't have thought you'd need to look an further.
Milfield gets quite a negative press on here but a woman I work with has four there, she was frankly stunned by how well her "not academic" daughter did and and in fact how well all her DC's are doing, all are sporty including one very good eventer and they managed to combine academic success and their chosen sports to a high level.

[happygardening]

Happy to be correct.
Milton Abbey also do polo not everyone's cup of tea, but the poshest person we know know in his 50's went there, delightful setting. I'm a bit sceptical about the academic side.
OP polo is offered by those listed above it's usually an extra currucular activity but this may only be once a week during the summer term. You do need to check on these things if it's important to you.

[motherstongue]

Harrow definitely play Polo.

From the website:

Polo is an increasingly popular sport at Harrow with some forty boys currently belonging to the School Club. Players of all levels attend weekly practice sessions throughout all three terms where they receive coaching from JJ Spark who is based at West Wycombe Park Polo Club. JJ is a professional player, HPA coach and chief umpire.

[summerends]

HG I am sure Harrow play polo.
Longdole has a lot of the inter prep school competitions so is definitely used most by schools in that area rather than Cirencester one.

[grovel]

St George's Ascot play polo (girls only).

[happygardening]

I doubt any schools on the list use the Beaufort/Cirencester park polo clubs. Westonbirt School is literally up the road (walkable) from the Beaufort but I don't think they do go there but a girl might be able to go there of her own bat you'd have to ask. Harrow and Beneden were not suggested because neither pay polo and a Harrow is very competitive to get into and becoming increasingly academic. Polo is not big in Kent (where Beneden is) it's very big in Cirencester and Tetbury because that's where Prince Charles et al lives.

[summerends]

Cheltenham is very near Longdole polo club which is well known.
Harrow is pretty competitive to get in and suits allrounders which is probably why nobody mentioned it to you based on your original post. I think your DS would need to have some other strength to get in apart from polo.

[FulhamFather]

Harriet HK - have sent you a pm

[HarrietHongKong]

Thank you very much for your input.

I had not thought of Millfield, and will look at Stowe.

It has been interesting getting input from a wide range of people. From our own research and from recommendations in Monaco we were favouring Harrow and Roedean or Beneden, so really interesting that not one person on this board mentioned any of these schools.

Also interesting comment about Beaufort and Cirencester Park polo clubs. Can anyone tell me if any of these schools we have mentioned near these clubs?

[happygardening]

I'm not disputing it has fantastic equestrian facilities and I'm sure it's a great school (I've got boys) and great if you want to do most other horse related activities but do you think it's the right place for a keen polo player? That area isn't know for it's polo clubs either unlike parts of Gloucestershire/Berkshire etc.

[flightdove]

I know happy! I have 3 of my own.

[happygardening]

flightdove stables don't mean they play polo many schools don't or that there is a good polo club or even any polo club near by.
I'm not criticising Mayfield I just happen to know about horses, ponies polo etc, if you read their website they don't mention polo at all they field teams in many other branches of equestrianism but not polo this would not be uncommon because polo ponies as I've said about are very specialised.

[hopgarden1]

Stowe has amazing stables and they play polo on Fridays in a local club. It's co-ed though, consider it though as it's one of the most beautiful places to grow up

[summerends]

OP, if you definitely want single sex for both your DS and DD with polo as an activity for some what about the two Sherborne schools?
Co ed schools might give you more choice for your criteria. (as mentioned above). Cheltenham College must be well placed for polo clubs!

[flightdove]

At mayfield they have stables.

[scaevola]

Apologies for unclear drafting. I did not mean ownership of ponies.

I meant those schools which have polo as a school co-curricular activity, organised by the school even if delivered by a club; as opposed to a school which lets pupils out on an individual basis for activities (whether polo, other sport, unusual musical group, whatever) for which there is no school-run programme, but where there is a suitable local provider. If the latter is acceptable, it could widen the choice of schools significantly.

[happygardening]

I think youll find that due to the traditional management of polo ponies, that traditionally polo ponies are literally just that, they don't do other equestrian activities, the fact that it's primarily played in the summer and the cost of purchasing top quality polo ponies means that most schools don't have their own polo ponies scaevila but attend nearby club. Just because they take the children to a club doesn't mean it do t be serious, clubs like the Beaufort and Cirencester Park are very serious polo playing clubs.

[scaevola]

SUPA (linked above) lists 28 senior schools which are members and so must be pretty serious about polo.

Assuming that polo provided by the school (rather than a school near the right calibre of club) is indeed going to be the right way round.

[happygardening]

Stowe is not on the list they play polo and I would have thought tick nearly all of your boxes.

[happygardening]

Im not sure either Worth or Mayfield offer polo.