sixth form co-ed or girls boarding schools - recommendations please?

[Corpus]

does anyone have experience and first hand knowledge of good boarding schools in the South/SW? I have received encouraging reports about Canford, Bournemouth Collegiate, Warminster, Bedales and Wycliffe. Looking for particular strengths in english, history, languages and a good sixth form boarding facility.

[MrsWobble3]

my dds went to Charterhouse. didn't do your subjects though and might be a bit further geographically than you want. they enjoyed it.

[Corpus]

Thank you for this MrsWobble3. All suggestions welcome.

[happygardening]

Are you looking for full boarding or weekly? None of those you listed and Charterhouse are full boarding. Marlborough would be the obvious choice in the area if it's full boarding you're after the offer the IB and A levels so languages are probably strong. They have quite a lot of girls join in the 6 th form because some go into boys houses.
Wycliffe is mainly a day school and is not known to be very academic.

[Corpus]

Def full boarding needed. An empty school at weekends would be awful. Doing A levels not IB. I haven't looked at Marlborough but will now thanks. Happy to look further afield If need be. Any first hand experience of schools mentioned would be welcome. Some of the fees I've seen are steep.

[summerends]

St Marys Calne (all girls) is definitely full boarding, although some day girls, also strong for humanities but expensive. Can't tell you any more I'm afraid.

[happygardening]

If you want full boarding then rally you need to find a full boarding school or a full boarding school with a small % of day children no weekly flexi boarders, friends have just pulled their DC out because weekly flexi boarders dominated and their DC was on his own with one other most weekends. Canford has compulsory weekends in (like the school my friends removed their DS from) but otherwise is basically weekly boarding, Charterhouse is definitely weekly boarding as is Bedales. I've never heard of Warminster or Bournemouth collegiate but is strongly suspect they will be the same (be careful schools are dishonest very cagey about their actual number of full borders they want your money. Wycliffe is definitely not full boarding others that I can think of off the top of my head which are definitely full boarding or have a small % of day children are Uppingham, St Edwards Oxford, Kings Canterbury, ?Sherbourne girls. I knows little about girls school but also look at Wyekham Abbey, Downe House and benenden I think they maybe full boarding. At my DS's school which is very much full boarding the top years are allowed home on Saturday one weekend every half term or term not there yet so don't know this is not uncommon so do ask. Are you in the the UK if yes I have a 1 1/2 hour 1 way driving rule most of parents of boarders I suspect will agree.
You may be interested to know that we have a friends whose DD is at the Royal High School in Bath which is basically a day school but they have over 60 primarily _full boarders from all over the world in their 6th form, it's not a smart as others (and cheaper) but she's very happy their and loves Bath which is a very nice city, lovely shops etc could be good a girl!

[hoorayforsummer]

Cheltenham Ladies College? Definitely full boarding, big 6th form, great results, nice town....

[happygardening]

Forgot about CLC!

[happygardening]

Rugby I believe is also full boarding.
There's been lots of thread on MN recently have about this have you searched them?
Is your daughter academic? Places in the 6th form for the very academic ones can be quite competitive lots come in from abroad because their English is better than it was at 13 + or leave less selective UK schools because again their English is better and apply to more prestigious selective schools for the 6th form.

[hardestdecisionever]

Benenden is definately all girls full boarding. Not a hot house and in lovely surroundings.

[summerends]

CLC and St Marys Calne are similar in that they have about 20-30% day but the boarders are all full boarders. I am told by friends that both have loads of boarders around at the weekends.
Wycombe and Benenden are basically no day and full boarding.

[Mutteroo]

Roedean is predominantly boarding with high numbers of overseas pupils. DD was a day pupil there & often went in on Saturdays to do activities with the boarders.
DS has a friend who got a scholarship to Rugby for sixth form & she loved it there.
Also Uppingham is full boarding. My niece & nephews went there & had no complaints while they had many friends from Oundle which I believe has a large boarding contingent. Not sure how many are around at weekends though?

[Corpus]

Thank you so much for your suggestions. More research to do it seems. Time is running out. This full boarding is very important. Some of these schools are a little far afield. overseas in france most of the time but between London and south would be ideal. Like the 11/2 hr suggestion. Have noticed some schools r cagey about numbers at weekends from my enquiries. My DD not an all round academic (can't bear any thing maths for example) but excellent on literature and french plus writing swimming etc so Ideal school would b one that could nurture this talent and with good pastoral care at weekends too. She is accustomed to hot houses but not uk as educated in french system where u need to be resilient but would like a balanced environment in uk for sixth form.

[MrsWobble3]

my dds experience of charterhouse was not of weekly boarding. I think in the 6th form a lot more of them stay in at weekends - partly because there are far more overseas students joining at that point I think.

there is one exeat weekend halfway through each half term when the school is closed.

[happygardening]

My fried recently got a job at Charterhouse (in the last four months) she was told that it's now mainly weekly boarding this is why I made the comment about it. You need to get the admissions dept in some kind of head lock and wring the information out of them ask all the schools your interests in about the actual number of current full boarders unless it clearly states on their website etc that it's a full boarding school.

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

Bournemouth Collegiate is a mix - they have full time boarders and then day pupils as well. I don't know much about the school, we live a few roads away from it but I haven't heard anything bad said about it, I know the private primary school near us often have leavers go on to there and certainly there is never any bad publicity.

[happygardening]

You do need to ensure your understanding of the term "full boarding" is the same as the schools. ISI reports state the number of "full boarders" a school has at the time of the inspection but their definition of the term "full boarding" does not mean necessarily sleeping in school 7 days a week it includes (for some weird reason) weekly boarders as well.
This is why if you want full boarding it's best to pick either a full boarding only schools or full boarding only school with less than 20% day children. IMO avoid anywhere offering flexi boarding the weekends could be very quiet.

[Corpus]

Thank you so much for your full boarding tip happygardening. Much appreciated.

[ChillySundays]

Warminster used to have a lot of full boarders

[happygardening]

According to the ISI report of 2013 about 40% "full boarders" at Warminster but as I've said their definition of full boarding is not the generally accepted one and seems to include weekly boarders.

[Corpus]

Clayesmore and Frensham Heights have also come up on search. Anyone have experience of these (boarding and otherwise)?