Top 10 Boarding Schools in the UK

Boarding schools have a rich history in the United Kingdom, dating back centuries. While they were once primarily attended by the children of the wealthy and aristocratic, today boarding schools are a popular choice for parents who want their children to receive a high-quality education and develop essential life skills in a structured and supportive environment.

The Benefits of Boarding Schools

✅ Immersive learning environment

Boarding schools provide an immersive learning environment that encourages students to focus on their studies without the distractions that can come from living at home. This can lead to a more focused and disciplined approach to learning.

✅ Strong sense of community

Living together in a boarding school creates a strong sense of community among students, as they live, learn, and socialise together. This can lead to lifelong friendships and a support network that extends beyond the school years.

✅ Exposure to diversity

Boarding schools often attract students from a wide variety of backgrounds, which can expose students to different cultures, beliefs, and ways of thinking. This can broaden their perspective and help them develop a more global outlook.

✅ Independence and self-reliance

Living away from home can help students develop independence and self-reliance, as they learn to manage their own time, prioritise their responsibilities, and make decisions on their own.

✅ Opportunities for personal growth

Boarding schools often offer a range of extracurricular activities and opportunities for personal growth, such as leadership roles, community service projects, and study abroad programs. These experiences can help students develop new skills, explore their interests, and build confidence.

✅ Preparation for college

Boarding schools often provide a rigorous academic curriculum and a challenging environment that prepares students for college-level work. They may also offer college counseling services, help with standardized test preparation, and other resources to help students succeed in the college admissions process.

✅ 24/7 access to resources and support

Boarding schools typically provide students with 24/7 access to resources and support, including teachers, tutors, advisors, and other staff members. This can help students stay on track academically, emotionally, and socially, and can provide a safety net for students who may be struggling.

Keep in mind that not all boarding schools are the same, and each school may have its own unique advantages and disadvantages. It’s important to research each school carefully and consider your individual needs and goals before making a decision.

How to Choose a UK Boarding School for Your Child

Choosing a boarding school can be a daunting task, as it requires careful consideration of many factors that can significantly impact your child’s education and well-being. Here are some important things to think about when selecting a boarding school:

Pupil demographics

• Is the school single-sex or co-educational (mixed)?
• Which do you think your child will be better suited to?
• What is the diversity of the student body?

Environment

• Is the school in an urban or rural location?
• Would your child prefer access to the social and cultural opportunities of city life or the open green space of the countryside?
• What kind of environment would best support your child’s academic and personal growth?

Academic ethos

• What is the school’s academic philosophy?
• How does it approach teaching and learning?
• What are the academic standards and expectations, and how do they match your child’s abilities and interests?

Size

• What is the size of the school?
• Does your child thrive in a small, intimate setting or a larger, more diverse environment?
• How does the school’s size impact the quality and range of academic and extracurricular programs?

Boarding provision

• Does the school offer full boarding, flexi-boarding, or weekly boarding?
• What are the boarding facilities like?
• How well does the school cater to the needs and preferences of boarders?

Integration

• How well do pupils integrate depending on their boarding provision?
• Are there lots of opportunities for flexible and weekly boarders to mix and socialise with full boarders?
• What support does the school offer to help boarders feel included and part of the community?

International support

• If you’re applying from outside the UK, check that the school supports international applications.
• What is the mix of nationalities at the school, and how well does the school support international students?
• Are there specialist staff on-hand to help international students adjust to boarding life and the UK education system?

Top 10 Boarding Schools

1. St Paul’s School

St. Paul’s School is a leading independent school in the UK, providing prestigious education for boys aged 7-18. The school was founded in 1590 and is located on a 45-acre site by the River Thames in Barnes, South West London. St. Paul’s School has excellent facilities, including a Science building and the Samuel Pepys Theatre, and is renowned for its academic excellence, with 94% of GCSE grades 8 or 9 and 95% of A level results being A* or A in 2021.

The school’s pace of life is described as fast, and pupils thrive in a range of academic pursuits and co-curricular activities. The school offers five entry points, and this summary focuses on admission at 11+ and 13+. There are 36 places for external applicants in Year 7 and approximately 90 in Year 9. The selection procedure includes an ISEB online pre-test, school exams, and an interview.

St. Paul’s School offers scholarships and bursaries to support families with a household income of less than £120,000 per annum. Term fees for 2022-23 are £7,324 per term for Year 7 and £9,162 per term for Year 9. Boarding fees are £13,788 per term. For 2023 Year 7 entry, registration must be completed online by 7th November 2022, and assessment dates will be on 5th December 2022 and 10th January 2023.

2. Sevenoaks School

Sevenoaks School is an independent co-educational day and boarding school, founded in 1432, which caters to students aged 11-18. The school is located in the Kent countryside on a 100-acre campus that houses state-of-the-art facilities for music, sport, art, and drama, among others.

The student body of Sevenoaks School comprises around 1,165 pupils from 46 nationalities, and the school has won numerous accolades, including Sunday Times ‘Independent School of the Year’ in 2008, 2018, and 2023, and ‘Spear’s School of the Year’ in 2022. Sevenoaks School offers students a rigorous, supportive education with a global outlook, where intellectual curiosity, creativity, and compassion are fostered. The school’s focus on service and social impact includes participation in environmental projects, helping people with disabilities, and visiting the elderly, among other activities.

Sevenoaks School has a strong boarding program with seven modern and family-friendly boarding houses. The boarding houses accommodate around 350 boys and girls aged 13-18, with younger students sharing rooms and older students having single or double rooms. The school has a full program of sporting, cultural, and social activities for boarders, and all students living abroad must have a guardian aged 25 or over, living reasonably close to the school. In September 2023, the school will open a new boarding house for girls in Year 10, accommodating up to 12 students.

The school follows the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in the sixth form since 1978, emphasising intellectual curiosity, creativity, compassion, and skills for life. In 2022, the average IB Diploma score at Sevenoaks School was 40.1 points, eight points above the global average, with 61% of the cohort achieving 40 points or more. Meanwhile, 93.8% of all GCSE results in 2021 were graded A*/A/9/8/7, putting Sevenoaks School within the top 10 private schools in England.

The school’s headmaster is Mr Jesse Elzinga, and the school has a selective admission process based on its own exam, reference, and group interview. Sevenoaks School provides financial assistance to eligible families who receive up to 110% of the day fees, which includes funds for trips, uniforms, and daily tuition. The school is conveniently located for national and international students, with Central London and Gatwick Airport just half an hour away by train. The open day for Sevenoaks School is on Saturday, September 17th, 2022, and registration for 11 plus entry in 2023 and 13 plus entry in 2024 or beyond is currently open.

3. Westminster School

Westminster School is a prestigious independent day and boarding school located in London, UK. It is a school for boys aged 13 to 18 and girls aged 16 to 18. The school was established in the 14th century and is situated near Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament in central London.

It is recognised as one of the world’s leading centers of academic excellence and is consistently ranked among the top 10 private schools in England. The school offers a well-rounded curriculum that includes traditional academic subjects, theology and philosophy, electronics, product design, and languages such as Mandarin and Russian.

The school’s academic results are consistently impressive, with many of its students securing places at the world’s top universities and colleges, including Oxbridge and leading American universities. Westminster School has a lively boarding community of around 180 boys and girls in six boarding houses, with a strong pastoral network to support them.

The school is committed to widening access and becoming needs-blind on entry, increasing diversity, equality, and inclusion in all areas of school life. It offers financial assistance to exceptionally talented pupils from poor families. The school also provides scholarships for academic, music, and organ studies. The fees for the school are £9,987 per term for day pupils and £14,424 per term for boarders.

4. Tonbridge School

Tonbridge School is a leading UK day and boarding school for boys aged 13–18, located in Tonbridge, Kent, just 40 minutes by train from London. Founded in 1553, the school occupies a 150-acre site with a combination of 19th-century and contemporary buildings, including an award-winning library, a £20 million science center, an £11 million sports center, and a proscenium arch theatre seating up to 380. Tonbridge is an All Steinway School, with over 90% of pianos being Steinway and Sons, and is recognized as a Microsoft Showcase School for its innovative use of technology.

The school offers 26 subjects, all of which have been inspired by the skills identified in The World Economic Forum as having the greatest future value, such as critical thinking, resilience, and complex problem-solving. Tonbridge aims to encourage creativity, confidence, and compassion in its pupils, while continuously widening access to ensure that as many boys as possible can benefit from its educational provision. The school’s motto, ‘Only Connect,’ inspired by E.M. Forster’s words, reflects its mission to foster community and outreach engagement, as evidenced by its strong partnerships with 10 local primary and secondary schools and charitable organisations across Kent.

The house system is at the heart of life at Tonbridge, enabling each child to live and learn within a close-knit community. Students can participate in a wide variety of house and inter-house activities, including general knowledge competitions, music, art, debating, sport, plays, and concerts. Tonbridge School has an outstanding academic reputation and consistently achieves some of the best exam results in the country. In 2022, more than 85% of A levels and 97% of GCSEs were A*, A or equivalent.

Boys board at Tonbridge School in one of 12 houses, each of around 65 boys, with a housemaster, tutor team, and matron assigned to each house. Tonbridge School is one of very few single-sex boarding schools remaining in the UK.

The school fees are £11,689 per term for day pupils and £15,580 for boarding pupils. Financial assistance is available, including Foundation Awards, scholarships, and bursaries, for boys who show outstanding academic potential, often supported by musical talent, but whose parents might not be able to afford the school fees.

Tonbridge School offers mini open mornings for groups of 30–40 on 12th January, 4th February, and 23rd February 2023, and main open events on 11th March and 10th June 2023. The selection procedure includes the ISEB Common Pre-Test and school assessment, school reference, and school report. The registration closes in April 2023 for entry in 2025.

5. Brighton College

Brighton College is a leading independent day and boarding school situated in the coastal city of Brighton, Southern England. Founded in 1845, the school has become one of the most reputable educational institutions in the country. With a pupil population of 1,226, Brighton College offers a co-educational learning experience for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. The school’s culture is centered on kindness, individual uniqueness and personal happiness, with a focus on pastoral care and well-being for all pupils.

At Brighton College, there is a wide range of opportunities for learning, including a comprehensive curriculum that prepares students for the challenges of the 21st century. The school provides students with Mandarin Chinese classes, with five additional language options, and IT and coding classes are embedded into the timetable. In 2020, the school achieved a 96% pass rate for GCSE with 99% of pupils attaining A*-B grades in their A levels.

Brighton College has established itself as a center of excellence for sports and the arts. It is one of the country’s leading sporting schools, offering a new School of Science and Sport with exceptional facilities such as a rooftop running track, 25-metre swimming pool, and double-height sports hall. Pupils can also enjoy an extensive calendar of music, dance, art, and drama events, including annual musical and pupil-directed plays.

The school’s boarding facilities are award-winning, and the number of boarders has tripled over the past decade. All boarders enjoy a full program of evening activities, including sports, dance lessons, mindfulness classes, board games, and movie nights. Brighton College also offers a new prep school for boys and girls aged 2-13 in Kensington, London, set to open in 2023.

Brighton College is a well-established institution that has gained numerous accolades over the years. In 2021, the school was named the “United Kingdom School of the Decade” by The Sunday Times, and the headmaster, Richard Cairns, was mentioned for his transformative leadership over the past decade. Brighton College has also received recognition for its academic performance, achieving a top-10 ranking among private schools in England.

The school’s admissions process is rigorous, with an assessment that includes the school’s own exam and interviews for 11 plus entry, and ISEB Pre-Test, school’s own exam, and interviews for 13 plus entry. The school offers scholarships and means-tested bursaries to ensure that more children can benefit from the school’s education. With the termly tuition fee for Year 7 pupils set at £6,830 from 2022, Brighton College provides high-quality education at a reasonable cost, with opportunities for financial assistance available to those who need it.

6. Wycombe Abbey

 Wycombe Abbey is a prestigious private boarding school located in Buckinghamshire, UK, exclusively for girls between the ages of 11 to 18. The school places a strong emphasis on academic excellence, and its approach to teaching and learning is based on five key qualities: risk-taking, resourcefulness, determination, reflection, and development.

Upon joining the school, girls spend a year in the junior house before moving into one of nine senior houses. Between the ages of 12 and 16, girls live in mixed-age bedrooms to encourage friendships between different year groups. In their final year, girls move into a standalone boarding house that prepares them for university life and provides more independence.

There are many activities and social events throughout the year, including house outings, dorm feasts, inter-house competitions, and leisure opportunities on and off-site. The school also has socials with nearby linked schools, including Eton College, Winchester School, Harrow School, and Radley College. Additionally, the school hosts events for families, such as bonfire night, house dinners, and summer BBQs.

Wycombe Abbey has a long history of academic success, and many of its graduates go on to attend high-ranking universities, including Oxford and Cambridge. In recent years, an increasing number of girls from Wycombe Abbey have been accepted into prestigious universities around the world, such as Brown, Harvard, Stanford, and Yale.

7. Cardiff Sixth Form College

Cardiff Sixth Form College is a well-regarded day and boarding school in Cardiff, South Wales, catering to GCSE and A level students. The school boasts an international student population of over 40 nationalities and has a reputation for achieving excellent academic results. In fact, the school is consistently the top in the UK for A level grades.

The school has two campuses, one in Cardiff and another in Cambridge, and offers a modern and innovative approach to teaching and learning that combines the rigour and discipline of the East with the creativity of the West. About 85% of students at the college are full boarders, living in one of three types of accommodation that facilitate quiet study and help them develop the learning and study skills they need for higher education.

The college offers a variety of weekend activities and cultural events, including team sports, supporting local charities, work placements, and visits to the many sights of the city of Cardiff. Cardiff Sixth Form College has won numerous awards over the years, including ‘Wales Independent Secondary School of the Year’ (The Sunday Times, 2020), ‘Best Wellbeing Initiative Award’ (Independent Schools of the Year, 2019), and ‘Top Private Co-educational Boarding School’ (Education Advisors league tables, 2010–2020).

8. Eton College

Eton College is a private boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18, founded in 1440 by King Henry VI to provide education for 70 poor boys. Today, it has a student population of over 1,300 and is well-known for its list of notable alumni, including Prince William and Prince Harry, former Prime Ministers David Cameron and Boris Johnson, and writers George Orwell and Ian Fleming.

Boarding is at the heart of the Eton experience, with 25 boarding houses each housing around 50 children in total. Eton offers high-quality support to students applying to universities around the world, with 39 boys receiving offers from top US universities in 2022, and other international destinations including Trinity College Dublin, the University of Hong Kong, and Bocconi University (Milan).

The admissions process for entry to Eton College at the age of 13 begins when the child is in Year 5. Registration can be done online before June 30th of Year 5, along with a non-refundable registration fee of £400 and a copy of the child’s birth certificate. Boys will sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test in October or November of Year 6, which is a computerised test with multiple-choice questions in English, maths, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning.

Eton College will also request a reference from the child’s current headteacher. The admissions team will shortlist candidates on the basis of results in the pre-tests and the headteacher’s references. Successful candidates will be informed if they progress to Stage 2 in December of Year 6. Stage 2 consists of the Eton List Test, which is an online predictive test of the child’s ability and future potential in maths, English, verbal, and non-verbal reasoning.

Eton invites boys to take the entrance exam in different age groups during the spring and summer terms of Year 6. After completing the two assessment stages, there are three potential outcomes: A Type offers a guaranteed conditional place, B Type places boys on a waiting list, where they are re-tested and interviewed the following year, and C Type provides no offer. Boys who receive an A-type outcome will then sit one of three exams during Year 8: Eton entrance exam, Common Entrance, or King’s Scholarship.

9. Dulwich College

Dulwich College is a large independent school in South London for boys aged 7-18. It has a distinguished tradition of excellent education, with 63.4% of all A-levels and 64% of all GCSEs graded A* or A in 2019.

The school is academically selective and has a strong ethos of equity, excellence, and service. Dulwich College comprises DUCKS (a co-educational kindergarten and infants’ school), the junior school (Years 3-6), and the senior school (Years 7-13). Around 140 students from the UK and around the world board at the school, and they receive round-the-clock pastoral care and support from a team of staff, including housemasters, matrons, and medical and psychological professionals.

Dulwich College is particularly committed to community outreach and partnerships, and it supports over 200 bursary awards each year, with three-quarters of bursary holders receiving 75-100% of their school fees. The fees at Dulwich College for day pupils are £7,224 per term, while the fees for boarders range from £14,136 to £15,078 per term, and financial assistance is available to academically strong boys who require full or partial support.

The admissions process for Year 7 entry involves an entrance exam, interview, and headteacher’s report, and the registration deadline for the 2022-23 academic year is Monday 31st October 2022 at midday. There are a range of scholarships available at Dulwich College, including academic, art, choral and organ, music, and sport scholarships.

10. St Mary’s School Ascot

St Mary’s School Ascot is a Catholic independent boarding school for girls aged 11-18, located on a 55-acre site in Ascot, Berkshire, England.

The school has a small number of students, less than 400, and provides a culture that enables its girls to lead varied and fulfilling lives. St Mary’s has strong academic results, with 78% of A level grades being A* or A in 2022, while 86% of GCSEs were A*/A/9/8 (and 64% of GCSEs were the highest grade of 9 alone).

The school is relatively small, allowing for every girl to become known and understood within a compassionate and friendly community. The school’s notable alumnae include Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, Lady Amelia Windsor, and several members of the Spanish, Greek, Danish, and British royal families.

The fees are £15,190 per term, including boarding, and scholarships and means-tested bursaries are available. The school is open to girls of all faiths, but gives preference to Roman Catholic girls.

Conclusion

In conclusion, boarding schools offer a unique educational experience that can provide numerous benefits to students. Living on campus allows students to develop independence and responsibility, while the rigorous academic programs prepare them for college and beyond. Additionally, boarding schools often offer a range of extracurricular activities and opportunities for personal growth, such as leadership development and community service.

If you’re considering sending your child to a boarding school, it’s important to do your research and choose a school that aligns with your family’s values and educational goals. And if you’re looking for additional support in the admissions process, Edumentors tutors can help. With a track record of success in helping students get into their desired schools, our tutors provide personalised guidance and support every step of the way.