Private boarding vs. State boarding??

[rahrahtoar]

Hello! Ive recently been in visits to some boarding schools for my DD to go to for sixth form. I've been to 1 state and 5 private, because there aren't any state boarding schools where we live and the nearest is about 3 hours away so it was just to check out if the saving was worth the extra distance.

Anyway, the state one seemed really good, less facilities and less boarders, but other than that I'm not sure what I'm paying the extra £££ for if I choose private? Less extracurricular probably too, but as DD isn't especially sporty will it matter too much? Do you just get a more trad boarding experience in private? More drama in private I think, and DD really enjoys theatre, so something to consider I think.

The state school said if we applied now DD would most likely be offered a place, and they only ask for 2 Cs in English and maths, which DD will know if she has by august this year. It feels like a much safer option than not knowing until a few weeks before she starts if she has a place!

Is there something I'm missing out on? Is private really that much better than state??

Why boarding now?

I think it's a great step towards university and independence! She'll be away from home, but still have structure and people around her that can step in if she's homesick or isn't doing well.

DD actually suggested it because we live quite rurally, and there aren't many opportunities in drama, music, or sport here. She wanted to try different things and experience something new. I looked at it, and I think that it's something she wants to do and she's responsible and motivated enough for it to work

There are not many state boarding schools
and the state boarding 6th form near me has all its places reserved for overseas kids (particularly the Falklands)

Talkinpeace - that doesn't sound hopeful then. About a third are from overseas, but with about 60 boarders that doesn't leave many spaces. They did say we were looking at the right time and we would probably get a space if we applied soon. But we were going to apply after the summer so we had more time to think about the options so it might not be even a possibility unless we apply quite soon.

I am near the same state boarding sixth form as talking their boarding applications closed on 3rd of November and main applications deadlines was 18th December so you may have missed the boat.

rahrah
If its Symonds you are looking at (which is my local one) you'll not get a place if you live on the UK mainland.
To the best of my knowledge the only British kids who have boarded recently have been
specific cases kids (statements, adoptions etc)
kids from v remote islands (like Scilly)
kids from Forces schools abroad
Falklands kids

Interestingly, I found this list
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_state_boarding_schools_in_England_and_Wales
and some of the others either

• take incredibly few boarders
• are predominantly military / diplomatic kids

@TalkinPeace

I think U.K. residents can board at Peter Symonds.... Friends ds did so a couple of years ago as he was too far for a daily commute. They paid for the boarding element, so it wasn't entirely free....

It's fairly expensive though....
www.psc.ac.uk/boarding/

beachy
yes, they definitely can but whether they will get a place is another matter
I guess if its a low numbers year in the Falklands then others get a chance

Lonecat - we're looking for 2019, sorry I didn't specify!

Talkinpeace - when we visited we met some boarders and a few seemed to be in the UK but too far to commute but they may have only let us meet them as that's DDs category, or the children could be military I'm not sure. It's not Symonds but up north, could that make a difference? They did say that we were likely to get a place if we applied soon, but I'm not sure how honest that was now!

Beachy - compared to the private boarding around here it's more than £20,000 cheaper, so seems reasonable!

DD is the last admissions criteria, so maybe just worth applying and seeing if we get a place if there isn't a big chance we'll receive one?

rahrah
Best thing is to talk to the school - they will have a very good idea of the actual availability of places brewing (esp for 6th when they know the demographics of their feeder areas)

Talkinpeace - I asked them on the visit if we were being reasonable to apply for a place because of the small number of boarders, and that's when they said we were looking at the right time and would be likely to receive a place if we applied relatively soon because apparently places are given out first come first served? Seemed odd to me at the time, but it was the admissions head so I assume she knows what she's talking about!

Isn't symonds just a sixth form? So if UK kids can't get in there, then id be even more doubtful of a secondary with 60 places!

Dd goes to a state school with boarding facilities. Though she doesn’t board. The school itself has loads of facilities and extra curricular stuff going on. Obviously the boarders get to do even more stuff with days out at the weekends organised by the house staff, pizza evenings, etc. School is very academic and gets great results. I guess only downside is numbers. Sixth form has something like 200 kids in total, only about 60 boarders I think.

I think it must depend very much on the school and they will be best able to advise you regarding admissions. Ds is at a state boarding school and a lot of his fellow pupils are from UK resident families, as is he.

rahrah
Each school will have its own criteria I guess

Symonds is just 6th (over 2000 pupils per year group)
but its results are well known so I guess that keeps demand pretty high

I'm going to ask them about how many boarders started into 6th form in the last few years, to see if we have a chance! And about extra curriculars they offer, they have some in the prospectus but most seemed to be for the younger years?

DD is still forming an opinion on them, I think they all get muddled when you've seen a few! She seemed to be impressed by the state school when we visited, just didn't like the small number of boarders.

Do they do the same as independents, giving 2 weeks (or similar) to accept the offer and pay deposit?

Bells - I hope your son is enjoying it! Yes think it definitely depends on the school, the one we're looking at is firmly in the north and not the easiest to reach by air so that might also affect it. Will ask the school.

Mrsjoshdun - we really liked the sound of the activities they provide for the boarders, definitely more of a home-from-home than the more trad boarding schools we looked at which is a positive for us. But DD likes the facilities and music/drama at the indies better, and I got a good feeling about most of them so I'm letting her decide which we apply for (out of the 4 I approve of of course).

What are your priorities? I assume that it is to get as-good-as-possible academic results, and extra-curriculars would be nice.
Which school will get the best results for your DD: home, state-boarding or independent-boarding? You need to drill down information. It's no good sending your DD to an apparently fabulous school that sends 50% of its cohort to Oxbridge if they are all scientists and your DD is a humanities person. Your DD will only be doing 3/4 subjects: how good are the results for that school for those subjects. Drill down.

Next question is "how do they get those results?" I know that our local indy-boarder works them very hard. Is DD up for that?

Lots of people apply for lots of sixth forms. I suggest that you put in applications for state schools (local and/or boarding) and one private and then decide nearer the time.

You haven't talked about the entrance criteria for the private schools. As you have found, State schools are more about bums on seats. You need to see if DD will be a good match with the rest of her cohort (state and indy).

The extra-curricular aren't that important. She can always pick up something at University, if she gets into University ... which brings us back to the opening question.

senua - The priority is for her to get good results, but also to be happy. I don't want her to be in a hot-house environment, she's really motivated and anxious to do well so I don't think she'd respond well to a lot of pressure. We live rurally so the catchment school is the only school that DD could go to here, and while the academics are okay (she's predicted all A's) she wants more independence and an opportunity to do different subjects and extra curriculars that aren't offered here. She wants to do history, biology, and possibly theatre studies, religious studies, or psychology. Other than RMPS she can't study those at our local school.

We live in Scotland so don't have dedicated sixth form colleges, so she has a guaranteed place at her catchment school or can make a placing request. We just have a lot more option if we consider boarding!

Thank you!!

Well, to answer your original question, the reason state boarding is much cheaper than private is because the government is paying for your child's tuition at a state school and you are just paying for the boarding element. At an independent school, you have to pay for both the teaching and the accommodation/staffing/ecs.

Honestly, i’m not really keen on the idea ofboarding butbrotish private boarding schools are so good that I want my children to at least try it. My DH/his divulging were boarders and it really shows. They are very driven, very cultured, affable, self disciplined etc. It makes sense in the context of how much they were pushed at school. I doubt you would find a place at one of those schools this late in the day though. Still worth a try at the top public schools. Can’t comment on regular independents or stats beyond saying that you should avoid all girls boarding unless your dd is a tough customer. Those places are a hotbed of bullying and eating disorders.

Be sure to find out how good the pastoral care is. Some schools have child psychologists on hand, others have a reputation for ignoring provkensso that students toughen up.

erm ....anecdotally I think the safeguarding will be better at the state school. A couple of my friends work in private boarding schools and I am quite surprised how thin their processes and procedures are around this - (not them personally, the processes in school) especially in light of the big scandals.

Outy - good point about the pastoral care, that was definitely better at private than state. One school had a full time psychologist, wasn't any word of pastoral care at the state school other than they could speak to friends and the house parent. Maybe because there were just less boarders though, so less need?

Most of the top public schools are in the South aren't they? Sadly too far, most of the ones were looking at are in Scotland other than the state school! Also uh oh I didn't think any schools had shut admission yet unless its somewhere like Wycombe Abbey will check!

Luckily DD isn't keen on all girls because she's always been in co-ed and has heard about the eating disorders, especially at a certain school in Scotland.

Danglingmod - I wonder why more people don't choose state boarding then? Must be a huge saving if it's over 7 years, and there doesn't seem to be anything hugely different unless it's really well known school!

My old school was a state boarding school and my DDs went to a not so well known boarding school. There is a world of difference.