Recommendations for Girls' Boarding Schools
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Waiting_For_Godot
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Re: Recommendations for Girls' Boarding Schools
The Headmaster is leaving Wellington so I will add it to my promotional list! Never ave I hated an individual... 
Re: Recommendations for Girls' Boarding Schools
Yes to have your child close to nature is very importantsherry_d wrote:My DD is just going to be doing her exams next week for a girls boarding. The one we ended up with on our shortlist was one we felt would not only enable my DD to succeed but to nature her too. .
Sorry sherry coundn't resist that one.
Re: Recommendations for Girls' Boarding Schools
There's always Headington, in Oxford.
Re: Recommendations for Girls' Boarding Schools
Seldon’s leaving? Hadn’t heard that. Can’t see why anybody would send their child there while he’s in charge, frankly. Quite agree, WFG, will start recommending it again once he’s goneThe Headmaster is leaving Wellington so I will add it to my promotional list! Never ave I hated an individual..
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Kent99
Re: Recommendations for Girls' Boarding Schools
Personally, in your circumstances I would be looking for a school which was exclusively boarding (or almost so). Ideally, I would also be looking for one which takes other girls from your part of the world so that they have someone to fly with/ talk about "home" to etc. Of course if you are sending several siblings and/or they are very socially confident this might not matter to them.
I would, however, at least pick one with a reasonable proportion of overseas girls. You don't want to find that all their close friends are weekly boarders or popping home for each and every exeat if your chid can't do likewise.
Do you have family or a guardian who can show up for sports day etc. and take them home for any odd weekends/ shorter holidays when they can't get back to you? If so, the school should, ideally, be within reasonable driving distance of their home(s). If you are using a guardian service I suppose that doesn't matter so much but, in that case, it is all the more important to be sure that there won't be too many occasions when your daughter(s) may be "left" in school when their friends go home or reliant on invitations which they can't reciprocate. I suspect that schools are better at avoiding this sort of thing nowadays than they once were, but do ask the questions.
I'm not up to speed with boarding schools myself. In my neck-of-the-wood Benenden seems worth a look though. It is boarding only, not too big and has a reputation for having fairly down to earth, non-snobby parents. It gets pretty good academic results too. ( We are not talking all nouveau-riche types though; I think Princess Anne went there for example.)
Final thing. Sounds minor but have a think about dormitory/ house sizes and structures and what would suit your own children best. Larger dorms for the younger girls (so that they make friends quicker) and more privacy for older ones seems usual but I'm sure there is a fair amount of variation.
Bottom line, bring the girls over, let them visit the schools and see where they feel comfortable. And that might not be the same place for all of them.
I would, however, at least pick one with a reasonable proportion of overseas girls. You don't want to find that all their close friends are weekly boarders or popping home for each and every exeat if your chid can't do likewise.
Do you have family or a guardian who can show up for sports day etc. and take them home for any odd weekends/ shorter holidays when they can't get back to you? If so, the school should, ideally, be within reasonable driving distance of their home(s). If you are using a guardian service I suppose that doesn't matter so much but, in that case, it is all the more important to be sure that there won't be too many occasions when your daughter(s) may be "left" in school when their friends go home or reliant on invitations which they can't reciprocate. I suspect that schools are better at avoiding this sort of thing nowadays than they once were, but do ask the questions.
I'm not up to speed with boarding schools myself. In my neck-of-the-wood Benenden seems worth a look though. It is boarding only, not too big and has a reputation for having fairly down to earth, non-snobby parents. It gets pretty good academic results too. ( We are not talking all nouveau-riche types though; I think Princess Anne went there for example.)
Final thing. Sounds minor but have a think about dormitory/ house sizes and structures and what would suit your own children best. Larger dorms for the younger girls (so that they make friends quicker) and more privacy for older ones seems usual but I'm sure there is a fair amount of variation.
Bottom line, bring the girls over, let them visit the schools and see where they feel comfortable. And that might not be the same place for all of them.
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Kent99
Re: Recommendations for Girls' Boarding Schools
By the way, if you are looking at 13+ entry in 2012 and haven't already registered with any potential schools you do need to hurry. I think registration lists will have already closed for some schools and others are likely to do so imminently, so your options are decreasing...
Re: Recommendations for Girls' Boarding Schools
Interesting topic as I have been through this as a (then) overseas parent and one daughter approaching secondary school age. I also had my sister-in-laws experience to draw on (overseas parent 5 children, first four girls, first two to CLC).
1. Respondees are absolutely right it is really important to consider how many of the children are boarders and specifically full (ideally overseas) boarders. Lots of schools claiming to be boarding but have most of the children go home on Friday afternoon. Check and double check the numbers. (Be careful the ratios of boarders may significantly increase as you go up the school e.g. Sevenoaks). How many children will be on campus over the weekend? How organised will their time be? How organised do you think it should be versus freedom for them to do their own thing? (Schools' provision and philosophy vary enormously.) Should you change youtr mind abut single sex you need to check how the number of full boarders is divided by sex, the children may be quite seggregated by sex outside school hours, at least at the beginning (this was my experience.)
2. You need to consider what sort of school your daughters are currently in. WA and CLC are very selective. My sister-in-law found that CLC didn't even look at number three (mildly dyslexsic sp?) despite the fact that her mother had been there and two elder sisters were there. Not allowed to sit for a music scholaarship as had failed the entrance exam (got a music scholarship elsewhere). WA is even more selective (I think). An overseas friend has just got her daughter but she was at a British (overseas school, not international like my s-i-l, and certainly not a local school like mine), had a private tutor for latin etc.
3. I concur with those who point to possible disadvantages of 'town' schools. Actually I was quite shocked when once asked to act in parentis locus for a child at a Cheltenham school (not I admit CLC, I don't know their policies but do see possible problems, it was the one who didn't get in). Cheltenham has a lot of schools and the night clubs on a Saturday night... (yes I mean night clubs). I would not have allowed my daughter (or son) there, nor to any school that seemed so lax as to where a child was at the weekend. On the other hand my daughter is in a town school but a market town much less dominated by the 'youth'. Kids are allowed out - at the moment (aged 13) this seems to equal shopping center and the cinema (sixth formers may have more freedom, not got there yet). But I did look at a couple of rural schools, one of which virtually kept its students prisoner.
4. You should ask yourself very carefully if you want the pushy academic and everything else atmoshere of somewhere like CLC or WA. (You may have good reasons for chosing this.)
5.If you are oversesas resident you should consider what sort of national identity you want your children to develop and where they are likely to look for future support networks.My good friend who chose WA had a very different concern from myself. Her children are of very muddled nationality/residency rights, she wanted to create a national identity for them. British seemed the most logical they are English speakers but not resident in an English speaking country and have dual nationalities from countries in which they are nver likely to live. In contrast my child (British) has been to a local school and was bilingual. I was concerned to find a school with other bilingual children from the continent so that she would develop and retain that bilingualism/biculturalism whilst retaining a British nationality and identity.(In this case I reckoned that looking at IB schools would be a good starting point.)
6. Are you sure that you want a girl's school? Why? Other posters have asked this. I think that co-ed may be more supportive, none of that bitchy exclusivity of teenage girls.
P's Mum
1. Respondees are absolutely right it is really important to consider how many of the children are boarders and specifically full (ideally overseas) boarders. Lots of schools claiming to be boarding but have most of the children go home on Friday afternoon. Check and double check the numbers. (Be careful the ratios of boarders may significantly increase as you go up the school e.g. Sevenoaks). How many children will be on campus over the weekend? How organised will their time be? How organised do you think it should be versus freedom for them to do their own thing? (Schools' provision and philosophy vary enormously.) Should you change youtr mind abut single sex you need to check how the number of full boarders is divided by sex, the children may be quite seggregated by sex outside school hours, at least at the beginning (this was my experience.)
2. You need to consider what sort of school your daughters are currently in. WA and CLC are very selective. My sister-in-law found that CLC didn't even look at number three (mildly dyslexsic sp?) despite the fact that her mother had been there and two elder sisters were there. Not allowed to sit for a music scholaarship as had failed the entrance exam (got a music scholarship elsewhere). WA is even more selective (I think). An overseas friend has just got her daughter but she was at a British (overseas school, not international like my s-i-l, and certainly not a local school like mine), had a private tutor for latin etc.
3. I concur with those who point to possible disadvantages of 'town' schools. Actually I was quite shocked when once asked to act in parentis locus for a child at a Cheltenham school (not I admit CLC, I don't know their policies but do see possible problems, it was the one who didn't get in). Cheltenham has a lot of schools and the night clubs on a Saturday night... (yes I mean night clubs). I would not have allowed my daughter (or son) there, nor to any school that seemed so lax as to where a child was at the weekend. On the other hand my daughter is in a town school but a market town much less dominated by the 'youth'. Kids are allowed out - at the moment (aged 13) this seems to equal shopping center and the cinema (sixth formers may have more freedom, not got there yet). But I did look at a couple of rural schools, one of which virtually kept its students prisoner.
4. You should ask yourself very carefully if you want the pushy academic and everything else atmoshere of somewhere like CLC or WA. (You may have good reasons for chosing this.)
5.If you are oversesas resident you should consider what sort of national identity you want your children to develop and where they are likely to look for future support networks.My good friend who chose WA had a very different concern from myself. Her children are of very muddled nationality/residency rights, she wanted to create a national identity for them. British seemed the most logical they are English speakers but not resident in an English speaking country and have dual nationalities from countries in which they are nver likely to live. In contrast my child (British) has been to a local school and was bilingual. I was concerned to find a school with other bilingual children from the continent so that she would develop and retain that bilingualism/biculturalism whilst retaining a British nationality and identity.(In this case I reckoned that looking at IB schools would be a good starting point.)
6. Are you sure that you want a girl's school? Why? Other posters have asked this. I think that co-ed may be more supportive, none of that bitchy exclusivity of teenage girls.
P's Mum
P's mum
Re: Recommendations for Girls' Boarding Schools
Phaedra,
Sorry just reread al the posts now that mine's up. To your question re social pressures and mixed schools. Perversely I actually think that they are LESS at mixed schools (perhaps not when only the sixth form is mixed). Everything is more natural kids are there before the opposite sex becomes a big thing.
P's Mum
Sorry just reread al the posts now that mine's up. To your question re social pressures and mixed schools. Perversely I actually think that they are LESS at mixed schools (perhaps not when only the sixth form is mixed). Everything is more natural kids are there before the opposite sex becomes a big thing.
P's Mum
P's mum
Re: Recommendations for Girls' Boarding Schools
Thank you very much to everyone for taking the time to address my questions. You have all given me plenty to think about and I am very grateful for you advice.
Re: Recommendations for Girls' Boarding Schools
I agree with P's mum re;mixing gender before it becomes a big issue. If boys and girls have been together since day 1 then they are familiar- bit like brothers and sisters.
However I am under no illusions that things will change later!
However I am under no illusions that things will change later!
