Boarding for sixth form?

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My DD has expressed an interest to go to boarding school for sixth form, Im totally new to boarding in general so advice would be appreciated! DD went to a state primary, then private secondary for 2 years, we then moved and we have started home educating her for GCSE years. She loved the structure of school and being around people, so i think she might enjoy boarding, but it's also a big change from what she's doing right now, might be a helpful stepping stone to university though?

DD has researched schools, and liked Pangbourne College, Ackworth, Gordonstoun, Lathallan, Downside, and Kings Canterbury.

DD isn't extremely sporty as her school didn't offer anything other than basic PE once a week, but is up to try anything. Likes drama and music more than sport definitely! DD is predicated As so far at GCSE (she does an online HE program), but I'm not sure how accurate that is because it's not based on exam-situation tests?

Does anyone have experience with any of these school? Or can recommend others? Or any experience with boarding for sixth form in general, is it hard to break into friendship groups? also does anyone know whether schools would be opposed to accepting a homeschooled child?? or maybe it's too much of a change for DD (I know that's a very personal call though!) and I might be better going for a day school.

Thank you so much!! This is all very new to me, and any advice is really helpful! :)

St Leonard's sounds like a good option then, thank you! Ill put it on my list!

I haven't heard that about gordonstoun, at least recently lol, DD knows some girls who board there, so I'm sure she'd have picked that up!

yes it might well be an outdated perception..:)

I see the conversation has moved on to Scottish boarding schools , which seems the best option , considering where you live!
Can I just defend Uppingham - the new girls are not put in a crappy building , they are in a lovely old building . They are also not sidelined . I speak as a current parent , not someone who has looked at the school and decided not to send their child there.
There was a documentary about Gordonstoun on tv a couple of years ago - think it has changed since the days of cold showers etc

Bubbles it’s not really surprising you didn’t get any of that at your girls school as I’m sure you are aware it’s the famous boys schools that have long histories that have medieval windows and large assets/bank balances to bank roll Olympic facilities and boarding houses that increasingly look more like hotels.
They can also have a brilliant ethos that works for you and your DS but it’s easy to be so blinded by the first that you can’t easily see what their ethos actually is.
“academically aspirational”
This is my definition of the term. Many schools that would a few years ago have been considered virtually non selective, moderate to severe SEND asisde, are now increasingly becoming selective in an attempt to improve their results. The bottom line is that most parents are paying for better results than they believe that their DC would have achieved at the local state school. The dilemma is where does Tim nice but dim go to school as increasingly there are less decent options available to him. We have a school local to us that often mentioned on here, 5 years ago a place was virtually guaranteed now it’s not, the entrance exam has become increasingly difficult and colleagues worry that they DC won’t gte it despite tutoring.

"doesn't Gordonstoun do cold showers and x country running before breakfast?"
Long gone but from what a few friends have experienced not great pastoral care/teaching etc.

frankly anything I have heard about Gordonstoun is horrible.

Yes I know happygardening - it was a tongue in cheek response! Not to be taken seriously.

I have no problem with anyone being happy at Uppingham. My DD was shown a room in the new girls’ house that looked straight into another girls’ room and was dark and dismal. It felt outdated in comparison to other schools we looked at. Parents might like quaint old boarding houses but sometimes girls are a bit more discerning. We looked at a lot of other schools to compare and no other school separated out new girls. Horses for courses though. We also heard a lot of the boys had unflattering nicknames for the girls, from a girl we knew there. That was not a culture we were looking for either. Another child we knew there ran away because he was bullied. I know it’s improved since then, but it needed to.

Hmm only positive on gordonstoun is the proximity, but as they don't offer weekly boarding I'd only see DD more at concerts, matches etc. and I'm don't think that's worth it for bad pastoral care and teaching.

If she isn’t sporty you don’t have to worry about matches! There should be other visiting opportunities though.

DH says he liked Gordonstoun because it's similar to Rannoch🙄 Will probably end up visiting, just to get a feel for it. Really depends on what DD thinks as she's the one going! It'll be better to get a feel for what the school is really like when we go!

DD, DH and I have just had a chat and have narrowed it down to Gordonstoun, Lathallan, Ackworth, Pangbourne, Strathallan, St Leonard's, and Dollar. Will research further this week and hopefully pick 4 to visit!

Pangbourne is a hell of a way from you. Its got a military ethos is that something that appeals to your DD? I personally can't think of any thing worse except maybe an RC boarding school. You will obviously need full boarding do interrogate the admissions dept check very carefully the actual number of full boarders, schools lie are notoriously economical with the truth when it comes to actual numbers of full boarders. Most schools have had to offer weekly boarding as this is what UK parents want, only a handful are primarily full boarding usually the very big names often boys schools. It can be very hard to be a full boarder in a school where the majority go home at the weekends. Amongst our friends with DC's at boarding schools once they've stopped moaning about the fees their second commonest complaint is that they thought or were lead to believe that X was full boarding only to discover its mainly weekly boarding with a small number of full boarders, they feel they are not getting what they are paying for. A school which offers a mix of weekly, full and day will have totally different ethos/feel to a school which is basically full boarding only school with maybe a handful of day pupils.

Just to confirm you can choose to do a language from beginner level for the IB (usually Italian). In fact DD and her friends wished they'd picked that option as would have been a lot easier than standard level Spanish.
Oh and we love Pangbourne - and just like Gordounston's reputation is probably outdated and doesn't reflect the current school, then the same is so for Pangbourne. It is not a military academy and definitely does not have a military ethos. Yes they keep the uniform and occasional sunday parades but that's is where it ends. The pastoral care is outstanding and has a sense of belonging and family atmosphere of a small school where everyone knows everyone. They also have a sizable intake of girls in sixth form. Where it might not suit for you is it is mainly weekly boarding or day, There are a small number of full boarders, and probably more in sixth form than lower down the school, and of course the distance !!

DD seems to like the military ethos, and my brother in law went to pangbourne so I think she's been told a few tales about it! I'll have to see the school to get a feel for the environment, I'm not sure quite how deep the military ethos goes.

What's bad about RC boarding schools? I was considering Downside as I wanted a school with Christian values, but I couldn't find any really Christian schools so I though catholic might be similar?

I'll be sure to quiz the school about the number of full boarders!! that's really important.

Ah thank you for the information on IB and pangbourne! I'll definitely be looking into St. Leonard's it looks like a great option for DD!

I agree with you though Happy Gardening about schools having to show they have raised standards - a couple of local schools have effectively done that but are now having to select which is hard for those that either don't want, or cant get into, a school with more focus on attainment, academic or otherwise.

There s a video on the pangbourne website and on you tube 'life at pangbourne' which I think is quite accurate, although a few years old.

If you are in an isolated area, is it possible to fly to a school to save the driving? My DD started boarding at 6th form and even though we share lifts with a friend, it is still a lot of driving.

And Marlborough is very selective for 6th form. My DD had straight A*s at GCSE and thinks most new joiners had similar grades. Marlborough does have a largish intake of girls who generally join boys houses that take girls in the 6th form. This gives the best of both worlds. All the girls are new but they quickly become integrated into the wider school because of the friendships with the boys.

My dd boarded from 11 and went from H.ed, she's not 6th form though.

I would advise to look at which school has the largest intake at 6th form that haven't gone all the way through the school, unless they are just 6th forms, obviously.
I know somebody who felt a bit alienated as most of others had been friends for years.
Most 6th forms will have a building weekend though if this is the case.
The H.ed thing in itself wasn't a problem for my dd, just slotted into classroom.

I didn't think about flying, thanks! Ill check up on how long flights take, that could make the school further away slightly more practical!

That's reassuring gilly, hopefully my DD will be the same! DD gets bored easily, so I think all the activities will be a nice change for her.

One of the questions I'm definitely asking is about the intake of new girls into the sixth form. That's my worry about the schools that run the Scottish curriculum, I don't think they'd have huge amounts of new pupils coming in because 5th and 6th year aren't such a big deal here.

OP

I know most of the 6th formers at dd school, I'd be happy to answer any general questions or those related to social/H.ed. you can pm, if I can help at all.
Obviously, I can't help with specifics as dd school will be different.

Slightly off topic, but how many sixth forms is it usual to apply for? Is it normally just first choice and a back up, or do people apply for more?

Also are the offers usually given out at the same time, or do you have to reject schools based on the hope that another gives you an offer?

SEdbergh is in Cumbria as another potential option.

Nothing wrong with RC per se I just personally have —what some may describe as an irrational loathing— am a not keen on anything RC.

user1469682920 comments re Pangbourne clearly demonstrate why you need to decide if an individual school would suit you and your DC rather than relying too much on other people’s comments. As a died in the wool pacifist and someone who dislikes intensely uniform and meaningless rituals Pangbourne definitely wouldn’t have worked for us. I watched it’s videos etc and to my mind it had a very strong military ethos.

ahh, explains why DD likes it! She loves uniform and rituals, mostly just feeling part of a community I think! not too keen on the military aspect, but as long as they don't push joining I wouldn't see a problem with it. That's why I discounted Loretto in Edinburgh, I've heard from friends that they intensely push joining the army.