How do we choose a boarding school?

[Didthatreallyhappen2]

DC age 13, always wanted to go to boarding school. About to start Y9 and we think they are emotionally ready to do so. Currently at a private day school. Looking at the top half of the country, ie Birmingham to Scottish borders. Ridiculously I can't find any comprehensive list of schools for this area. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thank you.

Good Schools guide. And narrow the area down massively. Ideally you want to be within about an hours journey so you can be there for matches, plays etc. Also are you looking for full boarding or weekly boarding?
It seems a bit late really for this move - does your present school give you any advice?

You surely don’t want a place for September y9? This is when boys schools and co Ed recruit . So have you given notice to your prep? Usually 1 term’s notice is required.

The Tatler guide is also worth a read.

Start by thinking about what your DC and you most want from the school. What kind of atmosphere? What focus? Academic? Arty? Sporty? Laid back? Traditional? Co-ed? Single sex?

There's going to be a world of difference between, say Wycombe Abbey and Bedales or Roedean and Frencham Heights. Are they likely to need lots of pastoral care or are they very confident and independent already? Do they specialise in a particular sport or one of the arts?

Do they want to be weekly or full time boarders? Do they want to be safely near home or an adventure far away?

Once you know what you're after, it'll be easier to come up with suggestions.

Duh. I misread. All the schools I mentioned are bottom half of the country. Sorry. But the same thought processes apply.

In and around the Midlands we've had friends who were happy with Rugby, Oundle, Uppingham and Oakham.

We looked in the same area for DD at 16 and in the end she choose Rugby. She did well and was very happy there.

Gosh, thank you everyone. DD loves science and tech, DT, computing etc. Not sporty. Reasonably academic. Probably not looking at weekly boarding but longer, so distance is not so much an issue. Have heard good things about Uppingham but don't know of similar schools.

We've lost faith in the management of her current school (for many reasons over the last couple of years). I know that we are running out of time to move her, given that many schools start the GCSE work this year, but hoping to move her during this academic year. Presuming that entrance exams are in January, but open days will be this term.

Also, currently at single sex school, which has helped her confidence in pursuing the sciences, but would now contemplate co-ed.

Very many boarding schools have moved to a focus on flexi- or weekly boarding, with overseas students making up the bulk of those staying over weekends. If you want genuine full boarding in co-ed or girls-only, that will significantly narrow the choices for your shortlist.

I would suggest you also need to make some phone calls to schools which may be on that list to see what the chances are of a place at a non-standard entry point (Y10 or midway through Y9 by the sounds of it) and what the assessment process/timetable will be. It certainly isn’t safe to “presume” that there will be an entrance exam set up for a current Y9 student in January 2020.

Would you go as Sourh as Shropshire? They have a few girls independent boarding schools.

As lark said, the first things to decide are
Girls or coed
Full boarding or otherwise
It will narrow it down significantly

Does Independent Schools Information Service not have a search facility?

Also there are state boarding schools to consider

So are you looking for late entry into yr 9 or starting in yr 10? Boarding schools usually start in yr 9 entrance exams are CE or its equivalent sat in June of yr 8. All the boarding schools I know about don't start GCSE work till yr 10 yr 9 is a settling in year.
I suspect Uppingham might be quite oversubscribed and pre test in yr 7. But its inevitable that some will start boarding in yr 9 and drop out after. a few weeks or not start at all so you could contact the admission dept (if you really like the school) and say you really want a place and would move her straight away if a place came up unexpectedly although you'd obviously have to extricate yourself from her current school and pay fees etc.
If you're looking for a proper full boarding school your options are going to be limited as there are only a few left, as said above most offer weekly/flexi boarding and full boarders in these schools are likely to be from abroad there is nothing wrong with this but this type of school is a totally different animal from a full boarding only school.
"so distance is not so much an issue."
My DS2 started boarding in yr 2 and his whole school career was boarding. We moved three times in that period at one stage we had a 3 1/2hour journey (if we were lucky) to the school I always say the same thing on these threads try and limit your travelling to 1 1/2 max one way unless you don't have any life, own a helicopter, or list driving as you number 1 passion in life. You will be surprised at the number of times you have to go to the school often at exceedingly inconvenient times. 5 pm and 9 am or would like to go to the school to watch a concert play sporting event. Towards the end of DS's school career we had a 1 hour 15 minute drive (the shortest it had ever been) and in the last year we were counting off how many more times we would have to make the journey we were so fed up with it and we weren't obsessive concert sporting event etc attenders many parents are.
You do need to find a school that suits you and your DD's ethos. We are slack parents, we were after a liberal hands off approach I dont want to be endlessly bombarded with school reports effort marks etc once a term was fine, I hate ridiculous outdated uniform or meaningless ritual but I am very aware that others love it.
Secondly if it matters to your DD ask it never ceased to amaze me that parents who over 5 years are going to stump up the best part of £200 grand don't ask if there's a golf course for your golf nut DS or criticise the A level choices (when its clearly published on their website). I always remember being stunned at the new boys lunch that two sets of parents complained that DS2's school was full boarding only and that their DS's couldn't be day boys. The school is well known for being a full boarding only school, it clearly states it on their website, they had gone through a lengthy admission process and they hadn't realised or asked? No one minds if you ask most schools want the school to be a good fit for you and your child.

Echo the distance thing, you actually go there very often. Our journey was 2 hours and I wouldn't have wanted any further. I know Rugby, Uppingham and Oundle are full boarding. At Rugby there were fixed exeats, which we liked because it made it easier to plan because we knew DD would be home.

Happygardening - is very thorough there. The one other thing I would do is be clear exactly what you don't ask about the present school. Not just the new Head seems smarmy but as specific as possible "I hate the way DD' s eating disorder was poo pooed" or "We were not told that the Tennis Coach had left." or even "We only discovered that their had been impropriety over the finances when we saw it on the front page of the Telegraph".
And ask questions to check that the new school is not going to have the same issues (for example ask about the school accounts for the last one). Remember your visit is not just to see if the school wants your DD it is to check that it is the right place for your DD. And you do not want to jump from the Frying pan into the Fire.

Once again, thank you. The wisdom of MN prevails! Seriously - great things to think about here, everyone, but in particular Happygardening and Molly.

Unfortunately the situation at the current school is not a good fit with us or our DD. Without going into details, many specific incidences have made us question some of the teaching, and all of the management. As we did last September, we shall start this term hoping for the best, but this time we feel that we have exhausted all possible routes and it is the time to start anew.

I have also taken on board all the suggestions; DD starting part way through a year, entrance exams, full boarding or weekly etc etc. I shall start to compile a list of schools that are within reasonable distance of our home (the helicopter comment made me laugh, but I can see where you are coming from - sadly we don't have the money!) and start this coming week making phone calls.

Giggleswick in Settle is worth looking at.

Also be careful if your DD is not sporty most boarding schools make their pupils do “major” sport (usually hockey netball in the autumn and spring terms) at the very least three afternoons a week literally come hell or high water. I used to work in boarding schools the very non sporty can find standing on the rugby pitch for 2 hours in the peeing rain and driving wind on a November Tuesday afternoon knowing on Thursday they’ll be in the 6th team up against a school who’s 6th team look like that should be playing at Twickenham quite depressing and can tarnish their whole view of boarding!
Boarding schools pride themselves on offering abroad curriculum, sport is part of that broad curriculum and they also have to occupy their pupils 24/7 sport is an easy way of going this.

And avoid open days usually lots of buffed and polished children and staff, try and go on a normal day watch what the kids are doing they should look relaxed (your in their home) but purposeful the relationship between staff and pupils will be significantly more relaxed than in a day school. Try and talk to pupils when they are just going about their normal lives, eating lunch is a good time they’re more relaxed listen them do you see your DD fitting in? Do you like what you see? Do you like the staff? If you meet the head do you like what he says, one heads opening line was “league tables are important to us” not for me! In big boarding schools the head may be less important than the deputy so if possible meet him. Also meet the house mistresses in most boarding schools they are the key person in your DDs life. Decide what you want to see in a boarding house I have never looked at a bathroom or loo in my life I just assume they have them and they are a reasonable standard I also work in the public sector so maybe I have lower standards others I know place a lot of importance on this sort of thing. I like dorms in the beginning others scream for single rooms and en suite bathrooms.
I think rural or town city based is important decision we’re rural DS2’s school was city based it does mean more to do in their spare time and if you go for Sunday lunch or to watch a match something for you to do and if your really lucky public transport home!

Comprehensive search engine on this site
www.ukindependentschoolsdirectory.co.uk/

Moreton Hall in Shropshire has lots of full boarders, all girls and a balanced mix of uk girls and overseas.

I second Moreton Hall. Absolutely loved it but felt it was too far away for us (we live in the south)

I liked Moreton Hall (how many schools have their own golf course - I mean seriously!!!), but the GCSE options seems to be language or arts based. 6 languages on offer, which is amazing if that is your passion, but less so for the technical/science side. Or am I wrong and should we look again?

Ruthin looks great on paper ...