Boarding School
By definition, a boarding school is somewhere that provides accommodation and meals for the pupils during term time. As someone who spent a bit of time at boarding school, I can vouch for how fun it is (even if you do miss your parents terribly). In my experience, it was like having a sleepover with your friends every night! It certainly wasn’t as wild as St Trinians or as strict as the one in Wild Child, but one thing mine did have in common is that I too made friends for life there. If you are thinking about sending your child to boarding school, you might as well send them to one of the best and I have compiled a list of those exact ones (in no particular order).
Note: Boarding fees are done on a termly basis and are from March 2021 and may be subject to change.
Top 10 Boarding Schools in the UK
Dulwich College
Boarding Fees: £14,782 for full boarders and £13,859 for weekly boarders.
Dulwich College is a 2–19 independent, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. It has an excellent reputation that extends far beyond its strong performance in GCSEs and A-Levels. It is also home to some of the best sporting grounds in the country if this is something you’re after.
2. Cheltenham Ladies' College
Boarding Fees: £12,780, and £14,390 for Sixth Form students.
Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. It has one of the most beautiful campuses out of all the boarding schools on this list as well as an astounding array of extracurricular activities. Rest assured, your child won’t have much time to miss you here.
3. Eton College
Boarding Fees: £14,167 - Bursaries are also available to those who meet the requirements.
A boarding school that needs no introduction, Eton College is famous for its alumni including Boris Johnson, George Orwell, and Eddie Redmayne. Access is open, competitive, and meritocratic, and selection is based on all-around qualities rather than purely academic criteria. Beyond the schoolroom, Eton has outstanding facilities for music, art, design, drama, and of course sport.
4. Charterhouse School
Boarding Fees: £11,415
Charterhouse is a boarding and day school in Godalming, Surrey. It’s an unusual independent school in some ways; there’s no uniform (until the sixth form) and it’s first name terms for all teachers, including the head. One parent told Good School’s Guide ‘I love this school for being individual with very individual ideas.’ No two students are treated the same here which makes it one of the best boarding schools in the UK.
5. Sedbergh School
Boarding Fees: £11,618 or £11,844 for non-UK residents
Taking you all the way to the North of England for this one, Sedburgh school is a co-educational independent boarding school in the town of Sedbergh in Cumbria. It has a huge campus with lots of old stone buildings with the boarding houses playing a huge role in the pastoral care and education of the students.
6. Uppingham School
Boarding Fees: £12,906
Uppingham School is a co-educational independent boarding school in Uppingham, Rutland. The Good Schools Guide said this boarding school has "Consistently high levels of achievement…emphasis is on offering a balanced approach, ’away from the London pressure-cooker.” It is the perfect option for those who want their child to escape to the country for their education.
7. Radley School
Boarding Fees: £11,475
Radley College is an independent boys boarding school in Oxfordshire offering academic excellence and the perfect setting to provide the very best education. Academically, it is one of the strongest in the country outside London, but it isn’t excessively selective. The most popular subjects are history, maths and English literature followed by sciences.
8. Mayfield School
Boarding Fees: £11,750
Mayfield School, previously St Leonards-Mayfield School, is an independent day and boarding school for girls aged 11 to 18. Equestrian facilities are second-to-none here with students having access to a range of facilities including their own cross country course! Bring your own horse or loan one, the choice is yours.
Top 3 Boarding School Films
If you want to get your child excited about boarding school life then check out these three films! They may not be a total reflection of what boarding school is like but they are excellent in showing the camaraderie that is present in all aspects of boarding school life.
St Trinians, 2007
St Trinian's is a 2007 British comedy film and the sixth in a long-running series of British films based on the works of cartoonist Ronald Searle set in St Trinian's School. The premise is simple: The wild boarding school looks set to close as headmistress Mrs. Fritton can't pay the bills, and education minister Geoffrey Thwaites is set on closing the doors of St Trinian's for good. It is a rollicking take on boarding school life and shows what happens when girls work together.
Wild Child, 2008
A rebellious Malibu princess is sent off to a strict English boarding school by her father. Unwilling to accept the strict regime, she decides to misbehave, in the hope of being dismissed from school. I won’t give away too much in case you haven’t seen it but this is a fantastically fun take at boarding school life. There’s mischief aplenty but more importantly, plenty of lessons to be learned in regards to friendship and loyalty.
Madeline, 1998
An oldie but a goldie, Madeline follows Parisian schoolgirl and orphan Madeline as she schemes to save her boarding school and home from being closed and sold by its owner, the strict Lord Covington. This one is a true classic and I must have watched it more times than I care to mention. A must-watch for any potential boarding school student!
