state maintained boarding school - day students

[anxiousmumto3]

Hi DS1 is to start high school next year. He is different to other kids (ie doesn't give in to peer pressure AT ALL, does what he likes, doesn't care what other kids say to him), just basically does his own thing. I am proud of him for this but he does stand out sometimes. He is also on the SEN register, for a physical disability. he is a VERY bright lad.

I just don't think he will fit in at our local comprehensive school so I have been looking at other schools.

There is a local state maintained boarding school a mile away. I wondered if anyone can explain this to me please? on the website it says it accepts boarders, out-boarders and day students. What are out-boarders? It says education is funded by the local authority and parents only pay for boarding (DS1 would stay at home so no boarding). However it also says there is no catchment area, admission is non-selective and there is no entrance examination. Therefore, how do they select who attends? Surely everyone would be wanting to go as they have a 100% GCSE pass rate (5 A-C's).

I also worry that he would feel inferior as lots of very rich children board there and we are normal hard working people who couldn't afford to send DS1 to a private school, but this is as good as.

Also, what are any experiences on all boys schools, as this is what this is?

Sorry about all the questions but I really want to do what is best for DS.

Many thanks in advance.

The jargon is very confusing when you first encounter it! I don't know if they are all the same but at our school it runs like this:
boarders obviously board! They are there from Monday morning (or Sun eve) until midday Sat.
out-boarders can start the day early and take breakfast, if they want. Eat lunch at school. Stay after school for prep and can take dinner, if they want. But they go home to their own bed. They pay a fee for these facilities (whether they use them or not)
day students have a school day like most other kids: turn up at 8:30, go home at 4:00

thanks oshgosh, I am SO confused with it all. It seems I wouldn't have to pay a fee for him to be a day student then but then I don't know how they decide who goes.

ring the school and ask! It could be based on need which they may consider to be non-selective

I will go to the open day, just thought I'd try and get some background info first!

Ours only takes day students in sixth-form.

maybe this one does too then. The boarding fees are quite expensive though, especially when we only live a mile away. Just not sure what to do for the best!

Can I ask what area of the country oshgosh? Just wondering if it;s the same one!

Boarding is quite expensive but nothing like independent boarding fees. Out-boarding costs the facility fee: whether it is affordable or not depends on your personal circumstances.

PS: the clue is in my name

I think it might be! ;}

we could manage the outboarding fees for one DS but when there's 3.....

This is the downside of the school: it is brilliant, so it is especially hard if one child gets the opportunity but others don't. You can get 10% off fees if you get a scholarship. Also you can transfer to day student for sixth form so it is only five years' fees.

What's your catchment school? Is it RH? - I thought that it was supposed to be good.

Horses for courses. It is a brilliant school for my son, but I don't think that it would be brilliant for everyone. It is no place for shrinking violets.
It is a boarding school so the majority of boys are chosen for their 'suitability for boarding' i.e. they need to be able to get along with everyone else because they are together 24/7. The easiest way to get on (like most boys' schools) is to be good at sport but as long as they have something about them they are fine.

Thanks osh, this really helps. He fits in with the kids who want to learn. I know this might sound daft but he has no time for the kids who play up to the teacher, he gets quite narked with them. This is why I worry about him going to secondary school. He has many good friends, but they are all studious types. He is certainly not a shrinking violet, he goes into other years to read to other classes etc and always volunteers to do things at school. He is into certain sports, cricket in particular, but hates football/rugby but I suppose he could grow into this?

His main forte is music, so RH would be good in that respect.

thank you for your honest opinion, it really helps.

OSH's music dept is wonderful, I cannot believe how many ensembles they have.
Cricket is well thought of but the main sport is Rugby. I don't think that you are allowed to hate it. Football is meh; a lot of the non-Rugby players do hockey as their winter sport.

My DD goes to a state boarding school and she loves it. She is a full time boarder as I am abroad but quite a few children are day pupils. With her school, I know there is a very long waiting list for day pupils and they make it quite clear when your children start as boarders that if you later want to change their status to day pupil (and therefore not pay the fees) then you may have to actually remove the child before a place becomes available so presumably there is a very long waiting list. This school is in Surrey.

We had previously looked at another state boarding school in Kent and their catchment area was very close to the school whereas I think my DD's school has a much wider catchment area