Full Boarding Recommendations

[BridgetZimbabwe]

Hello from sunny Zimbabwe
We are looking for a school in UK for my son to attend 6th form in 2025. We were in UK in April and visited 6 amazing schools, but none of them were the absolute perfect fit.
My criteria are simple:

1. Full boarding
2. An all year round cricket program
3. A sports science related A level option

I would be happier with a school in the south where I have a support network but would consider further afield. My preference would actually be to keep him in Zim, but he has a single track focus on playing cricket and Zim cannot offer what he feels he needs to achieve his ambitions.

Which schools did you look at? Millfield would fit all 3 of your criteria.

We feel Millfield is too big for us so didn't include it from the outset -
we looked at Sherborne, Radley, Stowe, Teddies, Bryanston and Kings Taunton - although some of these are big schools!
Maybe I should rethink Millfield

Millfield is big but it might be worth a look. There is a massive international contingent and genuine full boarding.

Full boarding is rare these days and even if schools say they’re full boarding they’re often not.

You might get more responses if you have this moved to the Boarding School group.

Check out the cricket programme and the cricket coaches, as well as the level of cricket and see if any DC are playing at a higher level. This would be the basis because all year cricket but not top coaches may not cut it for your son. Cricket trips, some schools go to Caribbean or India.

Have you had a look at Rugby School?

We eventually went with State for DD, but Rugby was our favourite of all the private schools we looked at. Full boarding and has a 6th form intake.

Seems to be good for cricket: www.rugbyschool.co.uk/news/rugby-school-to-host-warwickshire-cricket-one-day-cup-games/

Maybe this would help:
https://schoolscricket.co.uk/leagues/performance/2023-2024/cricket/boys-u18a

Looks like Canford would be worth a look based on their ranking?

Epsom College?

Buckswood?

Tonbridge has a good cricket academy.

Millfield was my first thought.

Also Mt Kelly is good for sport although I don't know if they offer cricket.

Plymouth college offers year round cricket and also offers full boarding.

For a sport driven choice I honestly wouldn’t look outside Millfield. It’s a totally different world.

Our school has a great cricket program, hosts county games and international visiting teams to train. But isn't boarding.

I don't know about cricket specifically but Whitgift has a very strong sports program (our friend's son boards there and they produce a number of international sportspeople). The only downside is that it's also a day school so not everyone boards like say Eton or Harrow.

Stowe has amazing facilities (my son played his county cricket games there) but, being blunt, is a compromise in other ways.

Shrewsbury school. (Appreciate its not in the south) has a strong cricket set up and full boarding. May still do cricket scholarships as well.

Definitely Millfield. The vast majority of the others mentioned (Canford etc) are not full boarding.

Wellington also very strong at all sports but again the vast majority will go home most Saturday nights.

Have you ruled out South Africa then?

Bedes.
https://www.bedes.org/

Lancing College offers a specialist cricket scholarship.
https://www.lancingcollege.co.uk/lancing-college/sixth-form/sports/cricket

South Africa has some excellent boarding schools.
What about Malborough?

Have a look at Bradfield

I know you've dismissed Millfield but their Olympic post sums it up pretty well

Would somewhere like Bishops or Michael House in SA be a great alternative? Half the price, closer to home and similar culture.

Apologies, I've reread your post and see you are looking for 6th form, which probably rules out most SA schools.

Bedford school? They do boarding but I’m not sure if it’s full. Alistair Cook did ok there! They’re also linking up with NCCC I think.

Bradley?

Teddies/st Edward's in Oxford. Highly recommend!