Recommendations for liberal co-ed boarding schools in the south

[windygallows]

My DD has announced she wants to go boarding - she's entering yr 9. It's all v last minute and I'm not v familiar with the schools available. I've done searches for schools online on the usual portals but finding it hard to distinguish between them without knowing their reputation or anecdotal feedback.

I'd be grateful for recommendations for schools that meet DD's main criteria:

1. Coed

2 . 2 hour radius from London

1. Good academics but not too pressured. She's a good student but not top of class.
2. Offers dance and more focus on arts than sports.
3. Liberal, community feel with a 'kind atmosphere'.
4. Good facilities, nice looking campus if poss.
5. Boarders and day students.
6. Smallish class size.
7. Uniform okay or not

It's a long wish list but any thoughts as to appropriate schools would be appreciated. Am not trying to be lazy by reaching out, just looking for recommendations from humans rather than search engines.

Caterham? Might be too academic though.

Bryanston. Also def bedales

Teddies ticks all your boxes. Though further afield, so do Oakham and Shrewsbury.

Kings Ely? good mix of arts and sports, Ely is 1 hr 15 from kings cross. Think it would tick most of your criteria

I too was goong to suggest if you are coming out to Cambridge to see The Leys then King's Ely probably ticks more boxes.

Bedales in Hampshire is very good.

I had the same situation last summer and was looking for something very similar.

My daughter is at Cranleigh and has been since the start of year 9 in September. She boards. It's an hours from London. The community is incredible. There is a Dance studio, teacher, classes & performances. Their academics are good but they aren't a school who only cares about the league tables. Their pastoral care is outstanding. Visit, I'm sure you'll fall in love as we did and I have a feeling there is a girls place in current year 9 x

And it's Co-Ed!