Unsure whether boarding school’s right for your child? There’s the huge amount of academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities on offer for a start. Then there’s the fact that students get the opportunity to immerse themselves in their studies, grow in a supportive and diverse community, and prepare themselves for success. Got the funds available? Read on for even more benefits to boarding.

Small classes

A boarding school normally has 10 to 15 students in each class compared to a state, which has anything from 30-40. A smaller class size means they’ll get a lot more attention, with teachers providing individual support – plus your child will have easier access to teachers if in need of help.

Personal development 

Living away from home means they’ll gain life skills such as time management and an earlier start when it comes to independence. While staff in all departments will provide adequate care and support, boarders must assume an additional level of responsibility for their education.

Academics that push you 

A boarding school education also places a special emphasis on challenging academics and experience-based learning. If you choose – and they’re happy – to board, they’ll benefit from self-discipline and a strong work ethic in an experience-centred environment, in turn preparing them for university. 

Activities

Boarding school students also have a wide range of clubs and activities to enjoy, ranging from language learning and athletics to STEM project groups and arts. Giving them the chance to explore their hobbies and form groups that share interests, again they’ll learn new skills and discover more about themselves.

Getting set for life after school 

Boarding school also serves as a stepping stone for when it’s time to head off to uni, with students more likely to be accepted to their first choice, be it in the UK or overseas. By boarding your child will have benefitted from strong self-management skills and is motivated, qualities all universities look for. 

To see your company in any upcoming features please email editorial@hurstmediacompany.co.uk

The post Top reasons to send your child to boarding school appeared first on Checklists.

A boarding school, as opposed to a day school, gives education to students who live on-campus. Boarding schools however are very costly, so we understand how important it is to find the best school for your child. The schools are split between two types, co-ed or single-gender.

When it comes to picking a location to study, the rating of a school is crucial. The quality of education and learning environment provided by a school may frequently be determined by past student performance.

Are you looking for a place for your child, and want help? We have a list of the 10 top boarding schools in the UK.

1. Westminster School

Westminster School is one of the UK’s leading academic schools and the only ancient London school to occupy its original site. The school is mixed gendered aged between 13 – 18 and offers students the option of day schooling and boarding. The number of students who attend Westminster is 760 and 190 boarding.

The students are expected to return home on weekends until they reach sixth form. Although the majority of Westminster’s students are day students. The school also accepts female students into the Sixth Form, claiming that this, along with its mixed boarding strategy, gives it the best of both worlds.

The fees for boarding at Westminster School are £41,607. Westminster pupil’s 2019 GCSE results are 90.9% of all grades were A, 9, or 8 and 98.6% were graded A/7 or above. Of 1,292 grades, just 18 were graded B or below. 76 pupils gained ten or more A or equivalent grades, of whom 58 gained entirely A*, 8, or 9.

Find out more at westminster.org.uk

2. Wycombe Abbey School

Wycombe Abbey is a boarding and day school located on a 170-acre campus in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. Academically, it is routinely ranked among the finest all-girls institutions. The school is female only aged between 11 – 18 and offers students the option of day schooling and boarding. The number of students who attend Wycombe Abbey is 650 and 520 pupils boarding.

The fees for boarding at Wycombe Abbey are £30,270. The GCSE and A level results for 2019/2020 were outstanding with 90.32% of examinations awarded an A* grade (8/9) and 98.7% of grades at A- A (7/8/9). At A level, 48.9% of grades were awarded A, with 90.2% of results graded at A*-A.

Find out more at wycombeabbey.com

3. St Paul’s School – London

St Paul’s School, founded in 1509 by John Colet and set on a 43-acre estate on the River Thames in Barnes, London, is a selective independent school. According to the 1861 Clarendon Commission, St Paul’s is one of the first nine British “Clarendon” public schools. The school is boys only aged between 7 – 18 and offers students the option of day schooling and boarding. The number of students who attend St Paul’s School is 1271 and 33 pupils boarding.

The fees for boarding at St Paul’s School are £38,991. 2020, for GCSE 70% of grades awarded were at Grade 9 and 92% were Grade 8 or 9.

Find out more at stpaulsschool.org.uk

4. St Mary’s School – Ascot

St Mary’s School is a Roman Catholic independent set on 55 acres of grounds in the heart of Berkshire. The school is girls only aged 11 – 18 and offers students the option of day schooling and boarding. The number of students who attend Westminster is 386.

The fees for boarding at St Mary’s School are £40,740. A-Level results for summer 2020. Their Upper Sixth girls achieved 51% As and 87% A-A. We are also pleased to announce the I/GCSE results for Year 11 girls, who have achieved 66% Grade 9s, 89% Grades 9-8, and 98% Grades 9-7.

Find out more at st-marys-ascot.co.uk

5. Brighton College

Featuring a beachside campus with a mix of ancient and modern structures, the 175-year-old public school’s principles through UK curriculum school has a reputation for innovative measures such as gender-neutral school uniforms, diverse boarding houses, and a plastic-free campus. The school is mixed gendered aged 11 – 18 and offers students the option of day schooling and boarding. The number of students who attend Westminster is 1,088.

The fees for boarding at Brighton College are £50,880. Brighton College has recently been ranked by The Sunday Times as third in the UK for their academic results. GCSE 9 was once again the most common grade at Brighton, with 96% of all grades at 9-7/A-A. At A-level, an outstanding 99% of grades were at A-B level.

Find out more at brightoncollege.org.uk

6. Eton College

Eton College, sometimes known as Eton, is situated near Windsor in Berkshire, England. It is one of the most well-known institutions in the world. The College educates 1315 students aged 13 to 18 in a male, all-boarding school environment.

19 British Prime Ministers have attended the school, and it has long been associated with the country’s political and social elites. Eton College is the school that is regarded as a benchmark by private schools all around the world. The number of students who attend Eton is 1314.

The fees for boarding at Eton are £48,501. In 2020, 96.5% of students from Eton College have achieved grades 7-9 (A/A) in the GCSE examinations. In the same year, the college achieved 80.8% A/A grades in the A Levels.

Find out more at etoncollege.com

7. Tonbridge School

Tonbridge School, located on a 150-acre property on the outskirts of Kent. The school is one of the top ten all-boy public schools in the UK, aged between 13 – 18 with a mix of day and boarding spaces. Tonbridge routinely ranks in the top five schools in the United Kingdom in academic league tables. More than 33 countries are represented across the school, with 60% of the boys’ board and about 80 pupils coming from abroad. The number of students who attend Tonbridge is 800.

The fees for boarding at Tonbridge are £44835 per annum. 95% of all GCSE results were at Grades 9, 8, and 7, the equivalent of A* or A. A 79% of all results were at Grades 9 and 8, equivalent to A; and exactly half of all grades were at Grade 9. 22 boys achieved grade 9s / As; a further 60 boys achieved 9s/8s/A*s. There was a pass rate of 100%.

Find out more at tonbridge-school.co.uk

8. Cheltenham Ladies’ College

Cheltenham Ladies’ College is an independent boarding and day school in Gloucestershire, England. The College has been at the forefront of girls’ education for over 160 years. The school was founded in 1853 to provide “a good intellectual education for girls” and has consistently been recognised as one of the best all-girls schools in the country. The school is girls only aged between 11 – 18 and offers students the option of day and boarding. The number of students who attend Cheltenham Ladies’ is 850.

The fees for boarding at Cheltenham Ladies’ College are £39,780 per annum. The 2020 A levels results are 51.8%, A-A. The GCSE results are A-A, 97.2%

Find out more at cheltladiescollege.org

9. Sevenoaks School

Sevenoaks School is a coeducational independent school in Kent. The school is recognised as the international independent school in England by attendance, syllabus, and outlook. The students that attend come from more than 40 different nations. In 1978, it became the first major independent to accept the International Baccalaureate. The school is mixed gendered aged between 11 – 18 and offers students the option of day and boarding. The number of students who attend Sevenoaks is 1020.

The fees for boarding at Sevenoaks are £39,960 per annum. 94.9% of all examinations were graded A/A* or 9/8/7. 27 students gained 11 or 12 A/A +9/8/7 grades, and further 106 achieved 10 A/A +9/8/7 grades

Find out more at sevenoaksschool.org

10. Winchester College

Winchester College, located in Winchester, Hampshire, is an independent boarding school. It is the oldest of the Clarendon Commission’s nine English public schools, seven of which were governed by the Public Schools Act of 1868. Winchester College will admit female students for the first time to the sixth form as day students beginning in 2022, while boarders will be allowed to join in 2024. The school is boys only aged between 13 – 18 and offers students the option of boarding only. The number of students who attend Winchester is 694.

The fees for boarding at Winchester are £43,335 per annum. The Exam results in 2019 A Level A & A* grades 81.51% and GCSE level A & A* grades 86.95%

Find out more at winchestercollege.org

To see your company in any upcoming features we are arranging please email editorial@hurstmediacompany.co.uk

The post The best 10 boarding schools in the UK appeared first on Checklists.

With impressive and extensive amenities they can give individual attention and a tailored experience that provides a unique pathway through school life and a solid grounding from which to go out into the world as confident, independent young adults.  

Here are some schools that could prove a home from home.

1. Ipswich High School 

Ipswich High School is a prominent day and boarding school, for boys and girls from Reception through to Sixth Form, situated in an idyllic 87-acre campus at Woolverstone Hall on the banks of the River Orwell in Suffolk. The school has long enjoyed a high profile across the region and is much respected for both its academic success year-on-year, and for its superb pastoral care and unrivalled enrichment programme.

They are renowned for ensuring their pupils are equipped to be so much more than highly skilled at passing exams. They believe great results are a by-product of an outstanding education, not its sole focus. They do this by providing them with the widest possible range of experiences, both in and outside of the classroom, to broaden their minds and create new opportunities for every pupil to thrive.

Boarding is available for pupils in Year 7 upwards on a full-time and weekly basis. 

Find out more at ipswichhighschool.co.uk

2. Ellesmere College

Ellesmere College, set in 150 acres of beautiful Shropshire countryside, has built up an enviable reputation over many years, not only for its outstanding academic success, but also for its ability to combine this with a broad co-curricular programme including an award-winning arts programme and world-renowned sporting programmes.

Ellesmere places its focus firmly on the individual – success is measured by the confident, resilient, empathic and life-ready young adults that begin their journey in Lower School, through Middle School to Sixth Form – making it the perfect platform for academic and personal success. Students aged from seven to 18-years-old can take full advantage of the rural setting as a day pupil or they can enjoy the home-from-home luxury of flexi or full boarding, allowing them to fully immerse themselves in everyday life at the college.

Find out more at ellesmere.com 

3. St David’s College 

St David’s aim is simple – create a unique whole person education centred on the individual, built on Christian principles, embedded in a family atmosphere. A whole person approach finds the true gifts of every individual and tailors their education.

St David’s allows each child to grow much more than just gaining knowledge to pass exams. The school removes barriers to learning with highly qualified staff delivering fun, engaging lessons in classes of around 12 pupils.
Many leavers go on to top universities to study architecture, engineering, maths, and a wide range of subjects. St David’s pride themselves on supporting students through BTECs and on into apprenticeships.

Pupils leave St David’s with unique personalities, individual strengths, and the core values of honesty, respect, and loyalty. They head out into the world with the determination to succeed and the will to never give up.

Find out more at stdavidscollege.co.uk

4. Merchant Taylors

Merchant Taylors’ is one of the country’s ‘great nine’ schools, founded in 1561 by the Merchant Taylors’ Company.

The school is academically highly successful but is also well known for its exceptional extra-curricular provision and impressive pastoral care. It has a unique tutorial system with each boy assigned a tutor who looks after him throughout his time at the school.

More recently, Merchant Taylors’ has excelled at sport, becoming Under 17 National Champions at cricket in 2017 and winning the U18 National Plate in hockey in 2018. The school focuses on developing the intellectual strengths of its pupils in an atmosphere that is challenging, exciting and enjoyable.

Facilities are superb and give every boy the opportunity to find several things at which he, personally, can excel.

The school enjoys a campus of 285 acres of parkland with easy access from the Metropolitan Line.

Find out more at mtsn.org.uk

5. The American School in England

The American School in England is a co-educational, independent, day and boarding school. Its mission statement encapsulates its core values: TASIS England nurtures intellectual curiosity and emboldens each learner to flourish as a principled, open-minded and compassionate member of a global community.

Students aged three to 18 from more than 50 countries benefit from individualised attention as they are taught in small classes, averaging at around 15 in each. They are encouraged to play their part in the learning community both in and out of the classroom. Comprehensive programmes of athletics, the arts, and extracurricular activities enable students to explore and develop their talents and excel wherever their strengths lie.

Looking beyond a narrow definition of academic excellence, the school promotes essential attributes such as resilience, adaptability, curiosity, and reflection. Students are also encouraged to develop international-mindedness – the ability to interpret and analyse issues from different perspectives through the lens of intercultural understanding and a respect for others.

Find out more at tasisengland.org

6. Oxford International College

Oxford International College (OIC) is the UK’s number one A-Level college, in national rankings including the Times League Table and the Daily Telegraph League Table.

Known for its academic record and university destinations, OIC attracts students seeking places at the world’s top universities and on competitive courses – such as medicine, law, engineering, economics and architecture.

OIC’s combination of academic, career preparation and welfare provision offers impressive outcomes. In 2020, 50% of OIC applicants were admitted to Oxford and 58% of the entire cohort progressed to Oxbridge, Imperial, LSE, or UCL. Yasmin Sarwar, OIC’s Chief Education Officer, has seen 100% of students in her schools receive offers from Russell Group universities during her almost 20-year career.

The college’s progressive nature has proved a winning pedagogy. OIC is a small college that tailors a unique academic pathway for each student, oriented to sparking and sustaining an individual passion for lifelong learning.

Find out more at oxcoll.com

7. Haberdashers’ Boys School

The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School, founded in 1690, is renowned for offering a world-class education and regularly topping league tables. It is located on a rural, 100-acre site with its sister school, Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls, in leafy Elstree, Hertfordshire.

Haberdashers’ is within easy reach of central London and is near to junctions on the M1, M25 and A1. The schools share one of the largest coach networks of any school in the UK, allowing pupils from far and wide to benefit from a Haberdashers’ education.

The Boys’ School prides itself on ‘nurturing excellence’. Pupils benefit from an energetic and enthusiastic learning environment for inquisitive minds in a simply outstanding environment, with truly exceptional facilities.

Haberdashers’ is a diverse, multi-cultural and happy school with a rich history of producing confident and self-motivated young adults, who are fully prepared for the challenges of the future.

Find out more at habsboys.org.uk

8. Christ College

Situated within the Brecon Beacons National Park, Christ College is an independent co-educational boarding and day school. Founded in 1541, the college is one of the oldest schools in Wales.

Consistently achieving excellent results, over the past three years, 43% of A level grades were A* or A and 85% grade A to C. 46% of GCSE results were grades 9 to 7. This strong track record
has enabled the majority of Christ College pupils to progress on to their first choice of course and university.

The school quickly becomes a second home and pupils and faculty become family. Its second curriculum, which complements academic study and promotes the pupils’ character development, includes music, creative and performing arts and an excellent sport and outdoor pursuits provision.

“One of the best value schools in the UK, where the fees comprise almost everything and extras are limited.” – Good Schools Guide 2020.

Find out more at christcollegebrecon.com

9. Lucton School

Founded in 1708, Lucton School is set in a peaceful, rural location in 55 acres of beautiful Herefordshire countryside.

There is a good mix of day pupils, weekly boarders and full boarders. Many team and individual sports are offered and boarders enjoy a wealth of weekend activities – sporting, cultural, social and just good fun – all included in the fees.

Senior boarders have individual rooms – although some younger ones prefer to share – and pastoral care at Lucton is second to none.

An Oxford University admissions tutor commented that the typical thing about Lucton students is that there is no typical student – they are very much individuals! What they do have in common is that they leave Lucton confident in their abilities and strengths, ready to embrace opportunities and play their part. They also achieve excellent results at A-level and GCSE and secure an impressive range of university places.

Find out more at luctonschool.org

10. Queen Anne’s

Students at Queen Anne’s School in Caversham, Berkshire, now have the opportunity to record and mix music of all genres to a professional standard with a new recording studio and top editing software.

The opening of the studio at the independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18-years-old marks the completion of stunning new facilities in The Scott Music Centre.

This is an addition to a suite of 24 iMacs, 23 new pianos, sound-proofed practice rooms and the fully digitised St Cecilia Recital Hall.

Set in 35-acres and just a short walk from the River Thames, Queen Anne’s School prepares over 450 students every year for an ever-changing world. Staff achieve this through an exciting and continually evolving education, steeped in excellence and innovation.

Students will excel and achieve at the school through first-class teaching, education clinics,
co-curricular opportunities and pastoral care.

Find out more at qas.org.uk

To see your company in any upcoming features we are arranging please email editorial@hurstmediacompany.co.u

The post The 10 boarding schools with a reputation for excellence appeared first on Checklists.