Boarding at Bloxham, Pangbourne or St Edwards Oxford?

[DishyDad2]

My DS has been offered a boarding place (Sept 2021 start in year 9) at both Bloxham School in North Oxfordshire and Pangbourne College in West Berkshire. He is also registered for St Edwards, Oxford and will be attending their assessment day in a couple of weeks time.

We (me, Wifey and DS) like all of these schools but we don't know anyone with kids already at these schools. Are there any Mumsnetters out there with first hand experience of these schools? If so we would love to hear what you think of them and any inside knowledge that you can share, either on this chat or by DM.

My son is just above average academically and enjoy's sport but is not an A or B team player so needs a school were lower sport teams get enough matches in. He is a lovely chap (I would say that!) and makes friends easily but pastorally he will need a kick to do the academic work now and again.

Look forward to hearing from you.

I can I believe you wrote “Wifey”!

However a friends DD attended Bloxham as a day pupil but moved on to Rugby to board. They were not hugely impressed. Friends DSs have boarded at St Edwards and really liked it. Don’t know Pangbourne. Of these isn’t St Edwards more academic? It’s also better positioned for enjoying Oxford. I think it takes more DC from London and is less parochial.

Having had 2 x DDs who were not very sporty, chasing places on sports teams can be very unrewarding. Mine found there were other things they preferred. Your DS might do this too.

Thanks for the insight Bubbles Buddy, much appreciated.

I don't know Pangbourne.Bloxham is less academic than Teddies, but a very pastorally supportive school. Above average children will feel bright and that seems to boost confidence so good results are obtained. As it is a small school he may well get into the A and B sport teams, but if not there is not much for lower teams. Mostly, less sporty children do other sports like swimming, fives, canoeing, climbing, yoga instead.
Depends more on the nature of your child, as to which school environment is best for them. Teddies can be quite socially competitive due to London effect.

Pangbourne is seriously sporty - not only in the way that they have successful teams but in the way that ones value and standing and respect seems pretty closely linked to whether one is in first rowing VIII or not. Bloxham is the least academic option. Teddies I think is by far the best option, less sporty but reasonably academic. Nobody cares if you are not in the top sports team, but a bit of artiness/fashion/coolness seems to help your standing. Great pastoral care. But also the most oversubscribed one of the bunch, so fingers crossed for the assessment day!

Pangbournes got what I consider a weird military ethos, do you like it? I rarely hear anything really positive about Bloxham TBH a couple of colleagues looked at it from a employment prospective they both worked in big name boarding schools were under whelmed.
I agree with other St Edwards would be my first choice all the way out of those three. Pastoral care is excellent and although sport is very strong with some GB sportsman/women there are plenty of non sporty types who also fund their niche in other areas. It’s liberal informal and friendly so I would have thought a bit of a contrast to Pangbourne which one suits you and your DS best?
Are you looking for full boarding Bloxham is definitely not a full boarding school, St Edwards used to be full or day but now offers weekly and I believe Pangbourne is mainly weekly.

Thanks @Takeittotheboss @happygardening @NellyBarney @BubblesBuddy for your insights.

Pangbourne is a unique place and I think parents (and to a lesser extent kids) either like it or loath it. We liked it but I know others may not.

We are looking for weekly (5 or 6 nights per week) boarding so St Edwards as the truest full boarding school appeals in that sense. It is also the most academic, has the best facilities and is marginally closer to home. The concern about St Edwards is will our DS be able to thrive there? It does seem more full on (timetable wise) than the other two and is perhaps too academic for DS. The St Edwards admissions team tell us that although the minimum CE pass mark for them is 55%, the average mark achieved is 69%. My DS scored an average of 112 on his last CAT test and I guess will average 60-65% on CE. So we are wondering if he is bright enough to thrive there or if he would be better off in a smaller less academic school like Bloxham or Pangbourne?

By the way I think that Bloxham is more academic than is suggested on this thread. Our Prep School head says that St Edwards would be the most academic, second Bloxham and then Pangbourne. Saying that all these schools do have some very bright kids in them.

Any further insights from anyone welcome, especially if your kids are actually at these schools now or recently.

With a CAT of 112 I would think your ds would do very well at Teddies and would be rather at the upper end at Bloxham and Pangbourne, what might suit him. At our prep, we would suggest Bloxham (and Shiplake) for children who genuinely struggle, as in working 1 to 2 years below expectations or are taught in a class below their year group. The reason mainly being that no other school in the area would accept them, and that Bloxham and Shiplake (and Pangbourne to a lesser extend) very much focus on the Btec and offer a good pathway to vocational options. Pangbourne would usually get recommended for children who are academically able but keen to try for sport or even academic scholarship and/or enjoy the more military and vocational ethos. Few leavers to Russel Group from Pangbourne and Bloxham - a typical destination would be more like 'land survaying' at Oxford Brooks or farming at Cirencester or anything with sports (coaching, physio, sports science) abd of course military academies. All very career paths!

NellyBarny I appreciate you are trying to help the OP but some of your information is worryingly out of date, particularly around university destinations. The landscape has changed and most students from all three schools head to University, many, if not probably the majority, to Russel Groups. Whilst I agree with the relative academic position suggested for the schools, the comments around ethos and sports are dated too.

Are you a parent or a tutor/teacher? I would be concerned if a local prep were giving out that sort of outdated information to its pupils.

Having said all that I also agree Teddies is probably a step ahead academically and has great sport, music, drama and pastoral too

OP if you genuinely like Pangbourne frankly I would choose that as I really struggle to believe that you would also like St Edwards as it’s ethos is totally different to Pangbourne’s.
IMO the most important thing much more important than results is that you as parents believe in the school the ethos that underpins it and like the way it functions on a daily basis. Your DS will pick up on this and he too is more likely to be happy and thrive both academically and personally.
As said above all three will work hard to help their pupils achieve their best.
By the way I dont think anyone would label St Edwards as very academic (I know it very well), yes there are some bright kids there but there are also some pretty average ones but it is a happy relaxed school with something to suit all interests and tastes.

Agree with this

Oratory, I don't want to suggest that Bloxham and Pangbourne don't send any pupils to Russel Group universities; of course you can get a good academic education at both schools. But there are only very few schools in the private sector in the south east that actually will take a child that is not super academic (and so these two schools have become a lifesaver to many who would have been otherwise stranded; it's very stressful for parents to find a good school for a kid that struggles, and it's wonderful to have schools like Bloxham and Pangborne that get the best out of kids that are not super academic- and they have, for the private sector in the south east, an almost unique strong focus on Btec and vocational courses - in addition to A levels, of course. I think that's a very good thing and it's a real strength of these schools. I know several pupils at all three schools and all are happy, but there is no denying that Teddies has a different cohort as the other two, as op rightly states, now expect 65% in CE, and it seems an upwards trend. Pangbourne and Bloxham are boarding schools charging similar fees to Eton and Radley. So of course these schools get at our prep suggested mainly when pupils are, often unlike their siblings, not able to get into Eton, Winchester, Harrow, Abingdon, Wycombe Abbey or Downe House, who seem the favourites, together with Teddies and Bradfield for the 'all rounders', but they are going up in CE expectations, as does Stowe, so finding a good school around here can get stressful.

Thanks, that makes more sense

The OP said St Edwards requires 55% at CE.
I don’t think the cost of fees is relevant it’s no cheaper to educate a child of average intelligence than one who’s super bright. In fact you could make a strong case for the opposite. Although I should add Eton are charging approx £6k more PA.

Than Bloxham.

Happygardening is right, look for the school where the ethos and feel matches that of yourselves. I know many ex pupils from Bloxham who have gone onto Russel Group universities doing very academic courses and several from Teddies who have gone to former polys doing more vocational courses. Both schools can get the appropriate results out of their pupils academically. It's the day-to-day boarding environment that counts with your individual child. Both are also more weekly boarding schools rather than full-boarding.

I know several really quite non- or anti-academic teens who've gone to Teddies and loved it, so I really wouldn't worry - I think your son sounds like he'd be fine. In (the daft bubble that is) Oxford, Teddies isn't actually seen as hugely academic. Magdalen College School and the Oxford High are so absolutely super-academic that Teddies is seen of more of an all-rounder school. I know one v bright and three just academically middling pupils there and they've all been happy.

Malvern College though is an amazing school ... you should go further afield 😉

Dishy? How dishy? 😀

Just picked up this thread but have experience of both St Edwards & Bloxham and can with out doubt in our experience, say St Edwards is by far the better school in many aspects. So many more opportunities, better education and pastoral care. What ever decision you make I hope your son does well.

Thanks @boyslave, I appreciate the input and the kind words at the end of your post.

Please could I ask you to expand on the better education and better pastoral care points in your post. Also can I ask what capacity your experience with these schools was (I.e. parent, teacher, ex pupil,etc) and how recent this was?

Since my original post DS has now also been offered a place at Teddies, which is great, very proud of him. However Coronavirus now means we are aren’t sure we can commit to any of the schools just yet. ☹️ Hopefully things will get back to normal soon.

A good friend had children at Teddies and Pangbourne and has opinions formed from sports fixtures with Bloxham that were echoed at both schools. Sons had places at top (c15-20% Oxbridge) London day schools. Teddies child left the London school (with equivalent of all 8,9s) preferred it over MCS for its international flavour, IB and the location near town; he has kept a good set of Teddies friends and gained equivalent of +4A*s; he made the most of Oxford lectures and has great friends from there. The other who went at 13+ to Pangbourne, made it to his first choice degree at a Russell group and has a fine set of friends some from co-curricular and others from his house. Pangbourne boy would have suited Teddies IB but got the most out of Pang co-curricular. Both boys and their friends would make for great company over a meal for what it is worth.
Different types of parents at each place. Pangbourne is getting a new 2nd Master - told that it is unlikely to be mistress for various reasons - and Head's son leaves school in two years the Head has served 15ish years. Teddies gets a new Warden (head) in 2021. Pangbourne is more weekly boarding and getting larger so may lose some of the advantages of its smaller size iro of a real sense of belonging. If it makes little difference and you've brought your child up well, let him have a say. Either way if he works in six/seven years time he should be in a Russell group or somewhere where he knows many people.

Bloxham fixtures, both boys and girls, often left a bad taste (especially rugby) and poor match teas.

The one thing that definitely cannot be said about Bloxham is poor match teas!
Seriously non-sporty parents/children from numerous schools have been known to attend D team level sport fixtures just for the teas😁
Bloxham is quite rightly famed for it's in-house catering.

Oophs... new Pangbourne Deputy will be a woman. My chum was surprised to be wrong.

My son has started St Edwards this year Sept 20 and is he is loving it and has become so engaged with learning and all the extra curricular activities that the school offers .

He is quirky into drama ,music and rugby and is average academically but at his prep school and especially in year 8 with zoom lessons due to Covid he had switched off and was bored by school .
I can honestly say he is a changed boy since starting Teddies .
He is a weekly boarder and comes home each weekend as do many of the other pupils he leaves on a Saturday after sport and has to be back by Sunday evening.
There are some that stay and they arrange activities for them.You have to opt to take them home each week so it has a feel of a FB school.
Covid restrictions are in place but Teddies has dealt with it brilliantly & it has not impacted my sons experience at all.
They have house bubbles and all mealtimes are in houses groups and they have erected a marquee to help with the space aspect .
There no inter school sports fixtures currently but they still play sport internally but with no spectators .
No parents are allowed into school at all even to settle the children in their rooms on the first day of term which was very difficult but the house master and matrons were great in making sure the boys were sorted and the sixth form did a brilliant job of sorting the boys out on their first day and my son says that all ages mix really well in the house .
There is something very special about the atmosphere both in the boarding houses and throughout the school which meant that my son settled very quickly and is thriving And has made loads of friends both in house and in other houses -he only has two other friends from prep school who went there and neither of them are in his house or lessons .
I have a direct comparison to Bradfield where my oldest son attended as a weekly border and did well academically but I never felt that it worth the money that it cost and once Mr Henderson the headmaster moved to Eton he is the reason we had originally chosen Bradfield the new headmaster was invisible and less than useless .
I went to look at Teddies on the recommendation of senior school head of admissions (a friend of ours )and immediately liked the people and the school.So far I would say that Teddies has a much better atmosphere and the children there are kind to each other and relaxed .
The Faulkner’s house system at Bradfield is like the Hunger games in that having 200 children all of the same age trying to be popular is very daunting for a lot of kids and then they have to get used their senior boarding house the following year .
I don’t believe you can go wrong with Teddies for most children as it has something for everyone .