What do Cheltenham’s boarding schools offer?

Gina’s school tour took her from Wales to Gloucestershire to remind herself what two of Cheltenham’s boarding schools offer.

Cheltenham College

Making a considerable contribution to the beauty of Cheltenham Spa, many of the College buildings are very traditional. The library is stunning and a truly inspiring place for the students to work, while the dining hall could be straight out of a Harry Potter film.

There are ca. 750 pupils in total between the ages of 13 and 18, around 25% of whom are international. About 80% of all pupils are part of the vibrant community of four girls’ boarding houses and five for boys. Each is a home from home; for example, the most recent addition, Westal, is a beautiful modern boarding house for girls located near the sports facilities. The younger pupils share a room with three others, while the eldest have single ensuites. The name Westal originates from the name of the house in which alumnus Dr Edward Wilson lived in Cheltenham. He was a member of Captain Scott’s ill-fated 1912 expedition to the South Pole. Fittingly, the house logo is a penguin!

Academically the school is strong, with around 90% of pupils going on to Russell group universities. Creative Arts are well supported, with 250+ music lessons a week and a range of musical ensembles, from the Chapel choir to several jazz bands. The Art, Music and Drama departments regularly work together on spectacular shows held in Big Classical, the College’s refurbished 300-seat performance space. Art is also very strong, with the White Gallery hosting famous artists.

Sport plays a very important role in the school, with the main sports for boys being rugby, hockey, rowing, cricket, rackets and squash, and for girls, hockey, netball, rowing, tennis, rackets and cricket. The beautiful playing fields host a major cricket festival each summer. As well as those extensive playing fields there are 2 AstroTurf pitches, a swimming pool, 6 squash courts, a shooting range, 4 tennis courts, a boathouse and a climbing wall. A coffee van is located near the sports facilities, complementing the lovely student café near the dining hall.

Dean Close School

Situated on the edge of a lovely residential area of Cheltenham, around 20 minutes’ walk into town, Dean Close has around 500 pupils in the Senior School (13 to 18), of whom ca. 15% are from overseas, and about 50% board. There is a lovely Prep school on site too, with around 400 pupils and strong boarding numbers.

The school is small enough to be palpably warm, friendly, caring and nurturing in ethos, but large enough to provide a lively community across its 4 day houses and 6 boarding houses, all with their own distinctive character.

All Year 9-11 pupils play for a team in one of the major sports each term, whether at inter-house, inter-school or representative level. Sports facilities include 2 floodlit water-based AstroTurfs, a 25m swimming pool, a rifle range, a climbing wall and a £3m sports hall with dance studio and fitness suite. There is even a cycling track in the nearby woods for cycling enthusiasts, while keen equestrians can loan horses and receive top level riding lessons. Hockey and tennis are particularly strong currently; the school has no fewer than 6 tennis coaches and competitive tennis is played throughout all three terms.

Creative Arts provision is very good. The Art school has some wonderful studio spaces and pupils can work with a wide range of media and techniques. The quality of the work on display is extraordinary. The professional, 560-seat Bacon Theatre and the stylish Music School are equally impressive, and there is a very special outdoor theatre space nestled at the edge of a beautiful little wood. Around 12 drama productions are held at Dean Close every year and over 50 music performances, whether informal lunchtime recitals or major choral or orchestral performances.

Food Technology is popular at the school, particularly the Leiths course. Maybe students’ culinary ambitions are awakened by the dining hall’s impressive salad bar with its copious choice of traditional and more exotic salads!

If these school descriptions have tickled your tastebuds, contact Gina to find out more.