There’s a lot of “Where do we start?” from the international families we talk to when it comes to selecting and organising a UK boarding school for their children. “There’s over 450 UK boarding schools to choose from.. where do we start?” Then that’s followed by “Great news! Our child’s been accepted ..but we’re not sure what to do now. Where do we start?”

Finding a UK boarding school

Parents often come to us saying that their friends send their son or daughter to a certain school so that becomes top of their shortlist. Another favourite is for parents to look at the league tables to find the best schools. Neither of these approaches are the right place to start. Your child is their own person with their own set of strengths, interests, personality and aspirations. It’s these that determine where they go. And there are also other considerations to factor in.

The basics

There’s a lot to look at to ensure a school fits your child. Let’s start with the basics. Single sex or co-educational? Which schools’ values align with your own? For example, is it important to you as a family that your child goes to a faith school or that places importance on teaching global social responsibility? Then there’s deciding on the size of a school; will a larger school with higher pupil numbers suit your child, or a school with a smaller population? There are various ways of assessing what type of environment will work best.

Location, location, location!

Would your child feel happiest in the countryside location or in a city? The location can affect the type of activities on offer. When sending your child to school in a different country, consider how important it is to you for the school to be near a major airport. Many schools which are not close to a major airport still have very easy transport links by road and train and organise travel for students which make distance less of a challenge that a parent might initially think. It is important that the school is a do-able distance away from your child’s guardian also. Something that we talk about more later on in Part 2.

International mix

How many other international children are there at the school? All boarding schools place huge value on their international intake as this brings a variety of cultures and adds significantly to each school’s global outlook. Most schools ensure that within their international student numbers there is a very broad number of nationalities, but it may be important to you to know whether there are other children of your child’s nationality at the schools you are shortlisting. Most boarding schools can offer very good EAL (English as an Additional Language) support, so if your child will require this when they start, find out about the schools provision of extra English language tuition too.

The ratio between full boarders, weekly boarders and day students

There are schools which describe themselves as ‘full boarding’ meaning that over 90% of their students are boarders. There are also schools which describe themselves as ‘day schools with boarding’ meaning there are a small number of boarders (50 or less). Most schools fall somewhere between these two, and have a mix of full boarders (who stay through the term and over weekends), weekly boarders, and flexi boarders (who stay 2 or 3 nights per week). Take this into account when making a final decision on a choice of school. In addition, find out what ratio of the children stay at school at the weekends to ensure your child will always have company and activities to take part in. What does the school offer in terms of extra study, outings, activities and, top of the list, fun!

Academic subjects, sports, arts and more

Most UK boarding schools have a strong track record of academic excellence, the trick is to choose a school that centres around your child’s strengths, academic or otherwise. Is your child an all-rounder or are they looking to specialise? If your child is interested in studying medicine for example, asking what type of support is offered for university applications for medicine and a school’s past track record with medical offers would be a good way of shortlisting. If your child wants to develop a strength in a particular sport, you may wish to look at schools which have an academy in that sport and can support with taking your child to compete at national tournaments.

A level or IB?

Your child might not be there yet but the subject of which examinations they’ll take will be here before you know it. The majority of UK boarding schools offer the two year A Level course at age 16 and this qualification leads on to university. There are a growing number offering of schools offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum too. Both pathways are equally suitable for applications into UK, European, Canadian or US universities.

For those children who might want to specialise in Maths, Sciences or the Arts, A Levels will serve them better without the distraction of other subjects. Students need to study three A Levels to apply to university in the UK, although some study four. The IB covers a broader range of subjects than A levels, with maths and a second language both compulsory. Students choose three subjects at standard level and three at higher level. Please see a previous post of ours where we focus on pinning down the right course for your child.

Making a decision & an important thing to know

The best way, once you have your short-list, is to visit the school with your child. Talk to the teachers and students – and have a tour. We can’t recommend a tour led by the students themselves more if you and your child would like a real flavour of what a school is about! If that’s not possible, then schools are very adept at providing online open days and virtual visits. Video calls with house parents can also be a reassuring way of understanding what boarding life will be like and getting to know the house staff who will be creating a home from home for your child.

And finally…

There’s a lot to think about isn’t there. But, armed with this information will give you a head start. Selecting the school is just the beginning however. Please see Part 2 for the next stages and preparation required once your child has been accepted.