A BBSW discovery

Last week, Gina participated in virtual BBSW. The British Boarding Schools Workshop is a conference held each spring and autumn, where educational consultants, like Gina, meet representatives of the schools they recommend. The pandemic moved the event online to keep these important lines of communication open; it’s a great chance to catch up on developments at schools we’ve worked with for years and to discover new options.

At this latest event, Gina was impressed by Ryde School on the Isle of Wight. New to us, it celebrated its centenary last year and opened a new boarding house to mark the occasion. The school now has boarders of 13 different nationalities, 90% of whom stay over the weekend, there are no exeat weekends and even half-term stay options. Family values are at the heart of the boarding houses and, in fact, the whole school.

Academically, as well as standard curriculum leading to GCSEs at 16, Ryde offers a one-year Pre-Sixth Form GCSE course designed to prepare pupils for the International Baccalaureate and A Level programmes, both of which are offered in Sixth Form.

Away from the classroom, a range of sports is offered and, being an island school, students can choose sailing as a games option from Year 9 upwards and sail all year round. There is no shortage of choice of extra-curricular activities either, whether that is more sport, music and the performing arts, or pastimes that have no category; from coding to creative writing, mathematics club to Model United Nations.

The Isle of Wight is a stunning location and, while an island, it is by no means isolated – just a short hovercraft crossing from Portsmouth on the south coast. We feel the school could be a great match for a number of students, so if you are looking for boarding school in England for your daughter or son, please do contact us to find out more.

Photos by kind permission of Ryde School.