How were Gina’s latest British boarding school visits?
On her way south to the British Boarding Schools Workshop, at which she and Claire met representatives from 26 schools, Gina made site visits to two in beautiful Gloucestershire.
Bredon School
First on her route was Bredon School, around one hour southwest of Birmingham. Located in a vast, 84-acre rural estate near Tewkesbury, the school has its own 30-acre working farm with over 70 animals, where students spend timetabled lessons learning about animal care, estate management and horticulture. Practical vocational courses and qualifications in subjects such as Agriculture and Engineering are offered alongside GCSEs and A Levels.
Bredon is CReSTeD accredited in recognition of its support for students with additional learning needs such as dyslexia, and it caters for all types of learners, treating and valuing them as individuals, alongside building self-confidence and self-belief. Extremely small class sizes help with this, averaging 12 per class up to Year 11 and just four in Sixth Form classes.
There are about 220 pupils in the school and this small size lends it a real family-feel. Around half of this number board in houses staffed by non-teaching houseparents, who are concerned with a boarder’s happiness, health and welfare whilst working closely with the academic staff. Pastoral care plays a huge role here.
Sporting opportunities cover a wide range, from traditional team games and competitive fixtures with other schools to a huge selection of individual sports. There is a clay shooting ground, a swimming pool, a river launch for canoeing, a climbing tower and a bouldering wall.
Art is also strong here, with the Art department being very popular with the students.
Wycliffe College
A bit further down the M5 motorway, Wycliffe College sits within a 52-acre site on the outskirts of Stonehouse, just 90 minutes by train to London from the station at the back of the school, a 5-minute walk away. This British boarding school is a lovely blend of tradition and modernity, in terms of its architecture, its broad curriculum and its forward-thinking ethos.
While almost double the size of Bredon, with around 420 pupils in the Senior School, particularly small class-sizes and a tutorial programme, together with rigorous progress tracking and great support for both SEN and gifted pupils, means there is no lack of individual attention. There is an inclusive, warm and supportive feel – individuality is both encouraged and genuinely respected.
Around 50% of the students board in a strong and well organised system of seven beautifully kept houses, including a brand-new one, promoting a sense of community and team spirit, and offering a high level of pastoral care. All houses have junior and senior common rooms, and boarders benefit from supervised prep, evening activities and a host of weekend excursions and inter-house competitions.
The Wycliffe Advanced Sports and Performance Programme (WASP) caters for talented athletes across a range of disciplines, using excellent facilities such as a new Sports Centre, all-weather pitches, a swimming pool, multiple squash courts, a gym, access to equestrian facilities and a boathouse. The Squash Academy is renowned and there is a strong basketball offering, while co-curricular activities include fencing and modern pentathlon.
For those of an artier persuasion, there is a full programme of formal and informal music concerts, choral performances and a strong focus on music technology. Courses in drama and film studies are enriched by LAMDA qualifications and a Youth Theatre putting on ambitious productions. The art studios are home to painting, printmaking, ceramics and photography.
Please contact us if either of these super British boarding schools sounds right for your child, or if you’d like to know more about any others.
