Thoughts on Shrewsbury and Canford?

[SusanTheMum]

We're looking into boarding for DD (starting September 2015). We currently live overseas so are looking at full boarding only.

DD likes the look of both Shrewsbury and Canford from the website but we haven't visited either yet. She would also be applying for a scholarship as she is quite academic.

Any thoughts on these schools would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Two very good schools (neither very convenient for Heathrow/Gatwick though!).

My only advice is that you check how many really stay in school on Sundays. I think both attract a fair number of local children.

You might also want to consider St Edward's (Oxford). There's a bus from Heathrow. Just a thought.

Closeness to an airport isn't super important to us, of course it is a bonus if a school is close, but we'd rather have DD happy in a slightly inconvenient location than unhappy at a convenient one. We'll definitely have a look at St Edwards, and thanks for the advice about double checking numbers!

As they get older, teenage boarders tend to appreciate a decent sized town to visit on Sundays. Oxford and Shrewsbury are better than Wimborne (Canford) in that regard.

Canford you definitely don't have to stay in every weekend was talking to a friends DS who's there about this a couple of months ago. He said some weekends you have to stay in, some you can go home on Saturday.
St Edwards is definitely full boarding only or day. Pastoral care is fab, Summertown (shops) is only round the corner, and it does offer a very broad curriculum everything from sport through to ballet, and fees both IB and A levels, I can now see the IB is very advantageous for the undecided, probably results wise doesn't look as academic on paper but new head is working on this.

My nephew was at Shrewsbury, he loved it and did well. Don't know too much about Canford, Shrewsbury is definitely more well known.

I think Shrewsbury is good at rowing, I know someone who went there a long time ago. What is your daughter like? Different schools suit different children.

If you're looking for other schools, Charterhouse is very good although only some full boarders.

Charterhouse only takes girls into the 6 th form Im not sure what age OP's daughter is? And a lucy said is primarily a weekly boarding school.
Marlborough is full boarding (or at least the vast majority full board) though you may be too late as I think they pre test in Yr 6/7 as is kings Canterbury.

DD is 15 so she would be going into sixth form, sorry, probably should have mentioned that before!
I don't think weekly boarding would work for us though since we don't live in the country.

lucy - DD is on scholarship at the moment so fairly bright I suppose, very into creative writing (had things on radio/in mags etc and gets paid for it) and arty things. She plays a bit of piano but not really particularly musical.
Fairly sporty (a swimmer), possibly county level but not higher, willing to try pretty much any sport though.

If you would consider all girls, Beneden might be worth looking at because I have be told it has a good weekend activity programme for boarders. I understand that there are places in the sixth form each year.

Another girls school, Cheltenham ladies college has had some pretty positive comments on previous threads here and I know of several arty, creative girls who moved there because of the strong art department. All boarders are fulltime and quite a few join the sixth form. Cheltenham had the advantage for your DD that it has an amazing literature festival each autumn.

Thanks very much for the suggestions. I think DD would be happier at a co-ed school as she has been very unhappy at an all girls school before (of course partly due to the school itself). That said, a literary festival does sound good!