Looking for full boarding girls schools

[AmazingGrace2009]

Grateful for some advice: I’m looking for a genuine full boarding girls school (e.g. more than 70% full boarders) for my two DDs for Y7 and Y9. We live overseas so I do wish that the boarding houses will provide organised activities for boarders and will not be emptied with only a few international students left at weekends. I weight more on pastoral care and school environment (e.g. with nice teaching staff / school team, friendly neighbourhood, etc.) but if the schools are academic (no need to be hothouse though) is certainly a plus. 2 hours from London is acceptable.

I heard that some boarding schools claim that they are full boarding but they in fact flexibly allow students to go home on request. Some boarding schools may also tend to shift from full boarding to weekly boarding. This kind of information just can't be found simply from the ranking table or from the school websites. If there is any information from parents, it will just be great. Thanks!

Also check out the Good Schools Guide on line. A small fee is paid to read the full reviews.

I've already commented on this thread as my DD is a Mayfield School. Although Mayfield is a Catholic school not everyone who attends is Catholic but they do have mass weekly. For the students who wish to be more involved with the religious side school have their own chapel.

As a parent @Kinlocrhum gave a good summary of our school in that Mayfield is academically sound but is great for art, ceramics and drama. We have good sports facilities and the equestrian facilities are outstanding.

Good luck with your search OP.

Just coming back to this , having seen the remark about Benenden being “ bitchy” - our older daughter started there 7 years and our younger is just about to go into the sixth-form and I have never come across behaviour that I would describe in that way. There may be , probably are, as in any group of teenage girls some individuals whose behaviour from time to time is less than kind, but the ethos of the school as my girls have experienced it is overwhelmingly kind, supportive and grounded.And any of these schools, given that all charge c £40k pa is inevitably going to be largely populated by the well off and wealthy - naive to think otherwise.

Just coming back to this , having seen the remark about Benenden being “ bitchy” - our older daughter started there 7 years and our younger is just about to go into the sixth-form and I have never come across behaviour that I would describe in that way. There may be , probably are, as in any group of teenage girls some individuals whose behaviour from time to time is less than kind, but the ethos of the school as my girls have experienced it is overwhelmingly kind, supportive and grounded.And any of these schools, given that all charge c £40k pa is inevitably going to be largely populated by the well off and wealthy!

Sorry, that has come from friends of ours, with children there. I'm not talking wealthy, I am talking the uber rich - private jets et al.

She said the girls were lovely, no real issues with unkindness. She just loved the whole place and did really well academically as well as co curricular and sport. Uniform is really smart, but when they go to 6th form it’s much more relaxed. They regularly interact with the Boys school, although she wasn’t too fussed about being with boys.

Have you looked at Oundle, it's a lovely school, co ed and has the large majority full boarding I think, they aren't keen on weekly.

Oh sorry just realised you want single sex

Stowe is mostly boarders - DD wants to go because her cousins did.

Stowe is mixed and is introducing day students and weekly boarders.

Oundle is mixed by there are about 5 girls houses and all of them are full boarding with no weekly allowed. Day students are housed in a mixed day house. It’s 60% boys overall and 40% boys. The main emphasis is on self starting academic types so I don’t think it sounds what you looking for. Plenty of full boarding all girls all rounder schools out there to choose from instead.

Hello, resourceful mums, does any one have experience in CLC pre-assessment test for year 7 ( virtual one) ? my girl will go on it in this summer. Many thanks.

@MayIDestroyYou

OP I hope you aren't imagining that full boarding will obviate the need for totally committed, full time guardians for your daughters?

Boarding works best when there is regular and frequent interaction with 'home'. So the guardians you appoint should be seeing their wards at least every two weeks - attending school events, sports, concerts, etc. And picking the children up, either to go 'home' or to be taken out for Sunday lunch, say.

You need to place as much emphasis on decent guardianship as on choice of school.

Good grief... I'm guardian for my best friend's DD who is at a very well known boarding school in the UK.

Never hear a single thing from the school, the child has my email and phone number (and I speak her mother tongue fluently) and I never hear from her either.

I've swung into action and rescued her when she's missed flights etc, but there was zero expectation (nor would the child want me turning up) that I did anything other than be a trusted person in the country in case of emergency.

That sounds a bit rubbish for her, Crumbs, unless her actual parents are in and out of the school all the time?

I remember at prep level the non-UK based parents seemed to spend more time at the school than we (a few hours on the motorway) ever did. I doubt they made much demand on their appointed guardians.

But I also remember a poster, some while ago, who had been asked to act as guardian to a non-UK resident child at boarding school in England. She wanted to be assured that the child would be invited to stay with (new) friends every exeat and holiday - so nothing would be required from her as guardian. I wasn't the only person who found this attitude iniquitous.

I haven't seen my dc for nearly a month, and won't until half term. Not really through choice, but Covid and damn quarantine requirements!

Sherborne girls always used to let Catholic girls go to mass in town (in lieu of the school Sunday service - we were all very jealous as it was a good excuse for a wander around town). But everyone had to attend the formal Abbey services which were monthly. But I appreciate my information is at lest a decade out of date!

@Cyclingforcake

Sherborne girls always used to let Catholic girls go to mass in town (in lieu of the school Sunday service - we were all very jealous as it was a good excuse for a wander around town). But everyone had to attend the formal Abbey services which were monthly. But I appreciate my information is at lest a decade out of date!

Oh, thanks a lot for the information. My friend also told me that Catholic girls are still allowed to attend mass at a catholic church within walking distance on Sunday. I also think that it is good to go out once a week for the mass (as far as I know, pupils of lower form are not normally allowed to go that far...). Such flexibility allows me to also consider non-Catholic schools.

@Valenciaoranges

She said the girls were lovely, no real issues with unkindness. She just loved the whole place and did really well academically as well as co curricular and sport. Uniform is really smart, but when they go to 6th form it’s much more relaxed. They regularly interact with the Boys school, although she wasn’t too fussed about being with boys.

Thank you for this extra information. It sounds nice! Although it is not a hothouse as some others with super-impressive % of A/A* in public exams, I do appreciate that pupils there seem to be able to achieve satisfactory academic standard.

Queen Anne's School in Caversham seems like it may fit many of your requirements. It has a lovely ethos and lots of activities, and is academic but not a hothouse. 1 hour from most parts of London (walk to station/train/tube etc or drive). It would be easy walking distance to the Catholic church.

Queen Anne’s is not a full boarding school. Many many day girls and a lot of weekly boarders.

My son went to Kirkham grammar up here near Preston for the sixth form and that is mixed . Seemed a happy kind of place if that's any use to you ?

Stowe has had day pupils for years and years now. Definitely not a new development.

Full boarding for girls is just a tiny minority of schools I think. However there are lots that have overseas girls and plenty of weekend events so no-one is bored. I think a wider search, and having guardians, gives a much wider range of schools.

I owe you all so much for all your kind advice. I have some schools in mind now. I only have a question on whether it will make much difference between big school (say, over 900 pupils) and medium size school (400-600 pupils), provided that these schools both have facilities / activities that my DDs would use / join?

As my DDs are not particularly academic or sporty (but doesn’t mean they are bad), I’m personally inclined to medium-sized schools, in a very generalised assumption that pupils may get more attention, the bondage among school pupils and school personnel is relatively closer in a smaller circle, there may be more opportunities in different areas (learning, sports, school activities, etc.)…If parents have DCs studying in schools of big and medium size, it will be nice to hear your sharing. Thanks a lot!

I have a daughter at one of the schools listed - medium sized. I prefer the smaller sized school, but that is just for her. I think she would have been lost in a bigger school. It really depends on your daughters, but I do feel it is a closer knit community. Every school has its pros and cons. A larger school automatically gives you a bigger selection of friends for example!

@AmazingGrace2009

I can only comment on our experience at Roedean, we wanted a school that was big enough to provide DD with the activities which bring her joy in the performing arts so a school with a good sized orchestra, choirs, productions, dance, drama and opportunities to perform with like minded girls, which is what Roedean offers. In smaller schools there is less of a critical mass of girls with shared interests. DD has a wide circle of friends - those who are supportive of everyone’s interests and the competitive nature between boarding houses (music, sport, drama, dance, Xmas decs!) and her friends who share the same interests as her. In a big school where there are super sporty girls there is also less of a chance of being made to play a competitive sport to make up the numbers!

Pastoral care is excellent with small tutor groups, head of year, pastoral managers and boarding staff. DD gets all the attention and focus needed to excel academically and in the areas of co-Curricular passion.

A smaller school would not have suited us but I think you need to know what you want from the school and the things which are important to life as smaller schools are right for some girls. I’d say go and visit but not necessarily an open day, we got a lot from the tour by a couple of pupils and really got a feel for the school seeing class sizes, teaching activities, hearing orchestra/performance rehearsals etc. And DD knew that she would fit into that environment and there were role models and girls to aspire to. It was important that she wasn’t in an environment where she would feel singled out as “one who is really good at X” and there were others she would identify with.