Need advice on UK Boarding Schools for International Student

[alifewelllived]

We are Australians living in Vietnam & my eldest child (daughter 13yo) has asked to go to boarding school in the UK so she can have more opportunities to develop her passion of sport (currently plays U15 football in boys team, plays mixed rugby, swims, & plays tennis & badminton and also be exposed to an education that will help her flourish (currently one of the best students in the French School in Hanoi). I am fully supportive of her dream - we have a very close relationship & I will send her off knowing that she is fully capable of thriving in boarding school. She also has British heritage, loves travel and is keen to play football in Europe, so for this & other reasons we have decided on the UK rather than Australia.

We are working with an agent to select the schools and have narrowed it down to 5 whom we have submitted applications to:
Felsted
Bishop's Stortford
Bede's
Kings Ely
Oakham
We are booked to head over to the UK for school tours and entrance tests the week after next but I am really wanting to narrow our selection before we get there as I feel that sitting tests for 5 schools in a week (plus inspections etc) is just going to be too much!! However I am struggling to cross any of them off the list as they all look fabulous. I understand many people take a couple of years to make these decisions, tour the schools before submitting applications etc, but unfortunately our expat life has not allowed us this time! So am seeking your very honest feedback on these choices. What is a priority for us is a warm, nurturing environment that encourages independent & out of the box thinking, supports the students to excel whilst making them global citizens (ie. not just concerned with their own success, but rather the success of all), and that has a fabulous sports program. Also its important that the boarding experience is a very positive one for her ... (ie. not a place where the school empties out over the weekend). As far as I can tell from the school websites, they all score pretty highly, so I need your help to make this decision!! Many thanks in advance.

Felsted is not a full boarding school I know many many parents whose children are there now in Y9 through to Y13. The majority go home over the weekend and I think you would be left with a thin smattering of students - particularly below 6th form.

Kings Ely again is not really full full boarding although it offers is. ( My dd's school say they are full boarding but anyone boarding more than 4 nights is classified full boarding)and it pulls from locally quite heavily.

I second Millfield peers of my DD have started in Y9 - a proper full boarding school amazing facilities and sporting opportunities including many scholarship opportunities.

I also have good reports from Oakham but sport not as standout spectacular as Millfield....

Not sure where you dd stands academically - but Rugby v challenging to get into and sustain whereas mollified/oakham less stringent entry requirements and a broader church of academics.

@3penguins - I have heard this said a few times now about Bishops Stortford so despite their pretty good academic results last year, they're dropping down my list and probably off it altogether after feedback about the importance of having lots of fulltime boarders (which they don't have). Thanks for your post.

@SingaSong12 - yes I know its unlikely that there'll be mixed teams but still she'd love to have boys to have a kick of the football with after school! Plus she just likes that balance of energies (having 2 brothers at home too!)

Ardingly might be worth a look. Ostensibly not super academic but there are bright kids doing well there and strong sports, it's an IB school. Not sure about full boarding numbers though as more local kids are flexi boarders.

@MrsSchadenfreude - I will take a look at ACS Cobham. Thanks very much for your suggestion.

Bradfield is weekly boarding - virtually everyone goes home for the weekend in the younger years.

If you want more or less full boarding and co-ed you need to look at

• Uppingham
• Oundle
• St Edwards Oxford
• Rugby

-King's Canterbury

• Marlborough

I think that is all - may have missed some off. But there are not many full boarding schools left.

These are all popular schools and may or may not have a place available at short notice. Probably a better chance at Y10 than at Y9 but always worth trying as people's plans change. Not sure if any of them do girl's football though.

How good is your dd at football? Are you looking for scholarship to the US after school? Because tbh the standard is not high at UK private schools. Most coeds have a maximum of 700 - 1000 students of whom 400 say are girls - so 80 or so max in a year group. Most of these girls will be playing other sports - field hockey, lacrosse etc and football will not necessarily be a first choice for the sporty girls. Girls do not play with boys at his stage. If you do want your dd to get first class soccer coaching she will need to sign up with a club. They will train during the week and on a Sunday which a school with a good sports programme will support - but also intensively during the holidays which makes it VERY difficult for overseas parents. And I am not sure how interested the clubs are in DC who are unlikely to remain. One of my DC played a sport at an elite level which meant he virtually moved in with his UK based grandparents. You should note that some schools recruit talented players from the professional clubs - offering large scholarships to those who will boost their standings. So it is the school buying the talent rather than producing it themselves.

If you just want her to enjoy a reasonable level of football at a reasonably academic school with a fair number of boarders then I would take Oakham from your list and add Repton and Sevenoaks.

This is probably a bit confusing at this stage. I am not sure you have been that well advised by your agent. Do not worry about the entrance exams for any of those on your list. If your DD is doing very well at her current school, and speaks fluent English she will have no difficulties. Of those on my list Sevenoaks is probably the most academically selective - but you are looking at the top 10-15% of the ability range - so not an insuprable hurdle given your description. Good luck!

@LIZS - I have really learnt through this post how very important it is that DD goes to a school with high full boarding numbers. Thanks for putting forward another name though ... its all helping increase my understanding of the breadth of the playing field there!

@EleanorRigby123 - Thanks for keeping up with this discussion & sharing more information with me! I really am so thrilled by the quality and quantity of the feedback I've received ... I suspect you might be right about the advice I've been given by the agent. I've been digging for this kind of information from them and nothing even comparable has been forthcoming! I'm pleased that I trusted my sense that I was not getting a clear enough picture from them and sourced other perspectives.

Thank you for your list ... I will look into all of them and see what's possible. I have already sent off a letter to Sevenoaks with all of DD's details, letters of recommendation & reports & they have come back to say that all places for entry this year are full, with no movement and a long waiting list of people who set the entrance test last year & narrowly missed out, however they said on the basis of what I sent, they feel she appears to be a strong candidate & encouraged me to consider 2020 entry for her last years. Whilst that's nice feedback, it's not much good to me now & in any case, I'm keen to find a school that she can settle into for the rest of her schooling ... knowing of course, I will always need to be flexible because who knows what the future holds!

Although DD is passionate about football, she has said she doesn't want a career in football & actually has her sights set on Oxford (she's a determined one!), so academics are definitely important ... but, I feel that a nurturing environment full of all-rounders can provide a better ground for success for someone who is self-motivated than a hot-house of competition which can mean the pressure is always on. Certainly I know I prefer environments that are not dominated by A-types, (even if I might be one myself! )

I will share all of your thoughts about football with her & then take those points up with the schools I speak with. Thanks for those points.

I am realistic that we likely will not be able to have our desires met (esp given our late applications), but certainly have a better idea of how to shape this endeavour to get closer to our ideal fit than we would have achieved having not heard from all of you fabulous mums!

alifewelllived, everyone's experience of school will be different but I can't help but come back to Millfield for your requirements! I found this about girls football there: millfieldschool.com/node/1271 so they do play though it's not mentioned on the website. Could be worth a quick email to the school to ask.

I went from a state school to millfield in the 6th form as my parents went to a different continent for work. It's in Somerset but the access to airports wasn't a problem as there are so many international students - it's all very well organised. There was a school train(!) at the beginning and end of terms and shared taxis to airports from the school was also possible.

When making the choice to go there, it felt like It wasn't as stuffy as some traditional public schools and, in my short time there, I did loads of fun sports that I'd never have got a chance to do (e.g., canoeing, rifle range shooting!) and I wasn't even sporty. The facilities and opportunities are really top notch.

I don't think I can comment on the pastoral element as I was 16 when I went there, so fairly independent. I was quite quiet and shy though and was fine. Some of the boarding houses are a (school) bus ride from the school (mine was) - those kids that had training requirements would always be in houses next to the school. The food was excellent!

I think Millfield would suit a sporty, outgoing child. It was good for me academically too as the expectations were higher than they were at my state school so I was brought upwards.

The best way to decide is go and see a short list (which you're doing!) - nothing beats going in person and you'll probably get a feel for what's right straight away.

Good luck!

@thekingfisher - Thanks for your post. Millfield is getting a good wrap up from a few of you! And I will be sure to ask more questions about Felsted's current boarding percentages. I was told by my agent that 81% are full boarders, but what I am discovering is that being classed as a full boarder may still mean they go home on the weekends, (and perhaps those figures are not accurate in any case ). More research to be done my end!

@Jillofnotrades - will contact Millfield tomorrow. So helpful to hear from someone who has actually been there and can tell it like it is!

Great to hear that they look after international students so well with transport organised at the beginning & end of term ... and with their own train! How very Hogwarts Express!!!

DD is very responsible & independent. We have a very close relationship & I have always encouraged her to follow her dreams ... this is one of them! It was her initiative to move to UK to better develop her sporting abilities and have access to a more dynamic and challenging education. After I got over the initial heartbreak from her suggestion that she do this , I realised it was an excellent idea! So I think she will be just fine in the type of environment you have described!!

Your DD sounds great - hope you find the right school for her, whichever one it turns out to be!

One caveat with my first hand experience - it was, ahem, quite a while ago... as am now in my forties.....

Take a look at Repton and Shrewsbury, both strong football schools with girls teams. Shrewsbury hasn't been co-ed that long though. Both full boarding , v sporty and academic. Plus offer transport at exeats and term end throughout the country.

Second Repton and Shrewsbury

Repton is a small village but it's close to Derby and not that far to Birmingham.

I've been told the girls football at Marlborough is decent. They have the same coach as the boys. Odd places do come up at Marlborough but you are dependent on someone leaving. However Marlborough really is in the middle of nowhere although there is a nice village next to the school.

I forgot to say that when we looked at Repton they said they take registrations until they are full. So no cut off date 2 years in advance like some schools. Our guide said that he applied really late but got in. I'm not sure if they squeezed him in just because he was a very talented sportsman. He played tennis.

I used to own overseas agents who consulted on education choices, including UK private schools. In reality, even though we were in my opinion by far the most ethical agent around, we still only recommended schools that we had agreements with to pay us commission. Even then we would, unless one school was obviously more suitable, steer the customer to the school which offered us the most commission. Commissions vary greatly.

That confirms my suspicions VietnamMark

alifewelllived
If academics are now the priority for your DD rather than a school that plays sport and you have relatives in Wilford then I think it is also worth contacting Oundle although like Sevenoaks and probably Marlborough, Rugby, Wellington etc it is likely to be full with a waiting list. Oundle is the most academic of the co-ed schools with sufficient full time boarders and is generally a sporty school. Marlborough and Shrewsbury also have a sizeable very bright cohort with the right sort of teaching Repton seems a good bet on all fronts but like most of the others except Oundle, rather far from your relatives.
Millfield does not have a critical mass of Oxbridge hopefuls.

One school that hasn't been mentioned yet and has been excellent academically for over 40 years is Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls. Although just over the border into Wales it has great sports facilities, works with the boys school and has a strong boarding section in a great boarding house.

And it looks like they're doing girls football too.

HMSG sports honours

Apologies for not replying to you earlier Jillofnotrades, Takeittotheboss, Bashstreetmum, Dancingdreamer, Vietnammark, sendsummer, and Artfooldodger - its been a very busy last three days! Thank you all very much for your new or continued contributions.
Vietnammark - I appreciate your insights into agents' motivation for recommending certain schools. I have continued to do my own research and contact schools myself as I had suspected this was the case. As I said earlier, I wish I had put this post out to the mums on this forum earlier, because the advice & guidance you've all provided me so far, has been so valuable!
I'll be getting in touch with Repton today. Rugby came back with a "thank you but unfortunately we're full with a waiting list - you're welcome to apply for later years"
I've had a friend recommend Brighton College - any thoughts on this school? I had my agent contact them & they're full this year, but have a place for next year.

alifewell in the situation that you are in with limited options to choose from, BC would present me with a real dilemma. It is a co-ed school with an outstanding academic track record which would certainly facilitate your DDs academic ambitions and lots of other activities going on. The boys' football will be strong although girls don't have teams (as far as I know).
But it is a day school (not even Saturday school) with some boarders (about a third of pupils from last ISI inspection). These are mainly weekly and it would seem only about 120 full time boarders.
So this would mean your DD not really having a boarding school life and possibly struggling with friendships and integration. Brighton however is a nice town and the football club is a FA centre of excellence for girl's football.

@sendsummer - great feedback. Looks like BC could be a great choice if the family moves there too!! I've got a year to see how I can expand my business to the UK!! Thanks again. Wish I could provide you with more of a reward other than just my thanks. You've been such a wonderful resource.

MNetters are
I am sure that your plan B of Vietnam to Brighton would be well within your capabilities. It is likely that the free place for next year would be for a full boarder only as they could fill their day and weekly boarding places many times over.

@sendsummer - interesting insights into BC. I'll go & visit them next week and I'm sure a lot more will fall into place then (both in terms of what they've got to offer & what I need to do if we wanted to make it happen!!)