Boarding schools with swim teams and American programs!!!!! HELP!!!!!!!!

[Sarahjk789]

I need a good boarding school in the UK for my American child that is going into year 11, the catch, she wants a good swim program. But we need a school that has an American program so that she can go. Any help?

Your post isn't clear. Are you looking for an American swim programme in school with an English curriculum?

Do Americans swim differently to the English?

Or are you looking for an American curriculum in an English boarding school with a swim programme? If that's the case you could narrow the search down significantly. There can't be many, if any. Most would surely choose a boarding school in America, given that the draw for an English boarding school is an English curriculum.

If you're looking for an American curriculum school that offers UK boarding - and a swim program - thats a pretty big ask. TASIS could be one to look at, but then the American School in London doesn't do boarding and I don't think any of the ACS ones do - but maybe they have connections with private boarding? As for the swimming programs at each you'd need to check.

Its a pretty niche ask so my main question would be why? If its because she's been American system so far, I'd look at IB schools that would welcome international students and understand the US system without worrying so much about no GCSE results. As for then reapplying back to American Unis the IB is very well accepted at the US Unis, most IB boarding schools have experience of SATs and if already in the American Systems I presume she's already on track with her Extra Cirricular so no issues on essays/applications.

So we are looking for a boarding school in the uk with a IB program for her to follow. We are only looking in the UK because we are moving there over the month of July. Nothing with Americans and English swimming differently its just most schools won't accept her because she is going into year 11 and won't be able to take thw GCSE exam, which to my understanding is the main path that UK schools follow.

A few reasons why is because she is going into year 11 and they won't accept her because of the GCSE test. So we want an American school or program because the others won't accept her. The IB program looks right for her but now we need a school. We are looking into TASIS and ASL as of right now. Our main goal is just to find a school with IB progamme and swim. She is a good swimmer and already took a test trial with Mount Kelly before we realized she can't go there because of no IB progamme. Hope this cleared some up for you. Thank you!

Would seek the swimming separately, find potential schools & see what good swim clubs are nearby, in the UK high level swimming is almost all via local clubs. Doubt an international school would offer it to the same level.

Bournemouth Collegiate is an IB school so may accept her despite her starting in Year 11 and has its own well established swim programme. Boarders are a minority an most are weekly but there are a lot of swimmers amongst them so it may work.

If she is boarding, why not board her in the US?

You are going to find it extremely hard to find any school that will take her at this stage in year 11. I think (though might be wrong) that even schools that do the IB MYP still do the English and Maths GCSE (or IGCSE)/ standard grades as they are so fundamental to going forward in the UK.

Would joining year 10 be an option? Or homeschooling and starting in year 12?

Is there a reason you need boarding (due to work travel or something)? Have Mount Kelly rejected her or have you approached them for a solution?

Some options could be:

• If she has a summer birthday, she could go into year 10 and do GCSEs over 2 years. Independent schools are generally more flexible about school years than state schools.
• ACS Cobham have boarding, do IB and have a swim team
• Many independent schools have a 1 year GCSE option for international students where they would do a smaller number of GCSEs in a year - probably 5 including English, maths and science
• Use the state system. A school will have to take her even though she's coming from the US system. It may be more difficult to negotiate fewer GCSEs or going into year 10 with this path

Millfield.

Huge boarding contingent. Elite swim programme with Olympic pool on campus. Large amount of kids go to USA after and they do the USA application exams in house as they are a centre.

ASC Cobham ticks all your boxes @Sarahjk789

I think Millfield only do A Levels.

Maybe look at Bromsgrove School. It offers the IB and gets great results and its swimming programme is currently undergoing expansion under Shaun Camden, the new President of the English Schools Swimming Association.

My DC did their IB there and was very happy.

Have a look at Fettes College. They do IB and are very strong on field sports but I'm not sure about swimming. Although it does have 25m pool on site and Edinburgh has an olympic sized pool and local clubs a couple of miles away.

How about Sevenoaks?

Fettes College?

Was also going to say ACS Cobham

Year 11 is not a good year to join a UK school. Most private schools would ask her to go down a year so that she can do the GCSE curriculum. All the UK IB schools, that I know of, still do GCSEs and then do the IB course aged 16-18.

Does it have to be boarding and where will you be based? The best option would be an American school in London combined with joining a swimming club but that may not be practical.

Came on to say ACS Cobham and see others have too. Lovely school in lovely grounds in lovely area.

No boarding school is going to take her into year 11 for GCSE or IB. Either keep her in her current school and delay your move or home school for a year and do swimming out of school and join boarding at y12 for sixth form.

Most promising swimmers in the UK belong to a club outside of school. You swim for your club, and if promising are selected for County training which feeds up to national level. You might be better off focusing on the right school academically and finding a good club for her to swim for outside of school?

Not all schools follow gcse’s. There are schools in the uk following the American curriculum

Boarding? With big swim programme and applications still open in what is nearly March for the same September? Can you find one?

Most private schools with spaces would be willing to take her into year 10 rather than 11 so she can start the GCSEs with her cohort solving the curriculum issue. The far bigger problem is finding somewhere half decent with space, it's very short notice for September. Most decent boarding schools will have a pool and some will have 50m pools or an arrangement to use one but available spaces will be your major limiting factor. There's specialist agents who can help

There are some boarding schools with an international college attached which accept Y11 entrants for an intensive GCSE course. I think they are usually aimed at non native English speakers but might be worth a try.

King’s Canterbury international college might fit the bill. Y11 entry and a school with a good sports scholar program including swimming - though not on the Millfield/Kelly level.