If you think your child would benefit from a boarding school education but the high fees at traditional private boarding schools are too much of a barrier, a state boarding school in the UK may be the answer.
What is a state boarding school?
State boarding schools are government-funded schools that offer weekly or full boarding. They typically appeal to families working abroad, in the Forces, the diplomatic service or with international companies and have seen a surge of popularity in recent years, partly due to increasing numbers of families with both parents working long hours. One father told The Good Schools Guide, ‘We all work hard during the week, and get together at weekends. It’s much less stressful than trying to oversee homework and music practice after a long day at work and travelling, and she is happy to spend week nights at school with her friends.’
Some schools offer full boarding, others only weekly boarding, some have boarding for sixth formers only. At nearly all state boarding schools, day pupils outnumber boarders.
How many state boarding schools are there in the UK?
There are around 30 in England, including one in the Scilly Isles, a couple in Scotland and another two in Northern Ireland – with a total of around 4,000 boarding places.
What are state boarding school fees?
State boarding schools are fairly cheap – mostly somewhere between £12,000-£18,000 a year - when compared to fees at private secondary schools which tend to start around £40,000 per year for full boarding. Parents are only charged for costs relating to board and meals because tuition is government funded as it is for all pupils at state schools.
The majority of pupils attending state boarding schools are day pupils, but many of them stay for after-school activities alongside the boarders – ‘a boarding experience minus the bed,’ as one school put it. Some of the schools, such as Gordon’s in Surrey, levy a compulsory ‘day boarding’ fee of several thousand pounds to all day pupils to cover after-school activities (though bursaries are available for low income families). Others, such as Hockerill Anglo-European, have free day places for normal school hours attendance, but charge a day boarding fee to those who wish to arrive for breakfast and stay for activities, supper and homework.
Can your child go to a state boarding school?
As with other state schools, state boarding schools are open to British citizens and anyone with a right of residence in the UK. Since January 2021 UK state boarding schools are no longer open to nationals of other European Economic Area (EEA) countries. Detailed information regarding admissions criteria for applicants from the UK and other countries can be found on schools’ websites. Some state boarding schools, such as Oban High, operate their boarding facilities solely for those pupils who have to travel from nearby islands which don't have their own secondary or 16+ schools.
Some state boarding schools are grammar schools and so academically selective. Some are single sex and most will interview pupils in order to ensure they are suitable candidates for boarding.
How to choose a state boarding school?
Ask yourself the following questions regarding state boarding in the UK.
Distance: How far are you prepared to travel for concerts, parents’ evenings, matches and weekend pick ups? Many seasoned boarding school parents caution against choosing a school more than about 90 minutes away.
Activities: What happens after school and at weekends? Do activities accord with your child’s interests and abilities, whether in sport, music, art or drama?
Considerable sporting successes include national representation in sports as diverse as rugby, fell running, skiing, martial arts and karting. The students are very proud of the success of the girls’ rugby teams. As one young woman put it, ‘girls throw people to the ground as well, you know!’ A strong tradition of rowing (on Derwentwater)... Extract from the GSG review of Keswick School.
Numbers: How many boarders are there of your child’s age? And how many regularly stay in school at weekends? If you are considering full boarding, it’s vital that your child doesn’t spend weekends rattling around with few friends or activities.
Entrance: If it is academically selective, is your child likely to make the grade?
Places highly sought after, with selection subject to success at the (new, more rigorous) 11+ exam and Buckinghamshire criteria, including the ever-moveable feast of catchment...Worth considering boarding at 11 if a day place looks unlikely and candidate has a high 11+ score. Forces families and boys in care are prioritised… Extract from the GSG review of the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe.
On your visit
Draw up a shortlist and arrange visits. Don’t expect the schools to have the extensive grounds and expensive facilities of many independent boarding schools – though some do. A bit of tattiness doesn’t matter, but if you sense neglect, beware. Some state boarding schools run traditional boarding houses on the main school campus but others house students out of the way in digs on the other side of town. Be sure to know which of these you're looking at and whether either would fit with your child's character.
Don’t assume single en suite rooms are essential: many younger children in particular like the camaraderie of dormitories. Most important is the atmosphere. Could you imagine your child living here? Does it feel friendly? Are pupils happy and enthusiastic? And most of all – is your child keen to join?
Very strong community feel, with everyone getting involved. ’Not just a place to be - a place where you grow up,’ said one remarkably mature young man. Strong sense of mutual respect between teachers and pupils: ‘Teachers give a lot. We want the knowledge and the teachers help us to learn’... Extract from the GSG review of Hockerill Anglo-European College.
The Good Schools Guide Education Consultants State School Service
In order to meet the needs of increasing numbers of enquirers who are interested in the state sector only, this service will advise and support parents who are committed to state sector education and who need help with eg admissions criteria, catchment areas, grammar schools etc. This service has its own price structure. Read more about The State School Service.
The Royal National Children’s SprinBoard Foundation - www.royalspringboard.org.uk - is a charity that enables children facing abuse, neglect or trauma attend boarding school (state or independent), helping with care and support as well as funding.
Photo credit: Keswick School
State Boarding Schools in the UK
Beechen Cliff School, A GSG School, Bath, Somerset, BA2 4RE. A state school for boys aged from 11 to 18. Sixth form is co-ed but no girls’ boarding.
Brymore Academy, A GSG School, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA5 2NB. A state school for boys aged from 11 to 17.
Burford School, A GSG School, Burford, Oxfordshire, OX18 4PL. A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
Colchester Royal Grammar School, A GSG School, Essex, CO3 3ND. A state school for boys aged from 11 to 18.
Cranbrook School, A GSG School, Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 3JD. A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
Dallam School, Milnthorpe, Cumbria, LA7 7DD.A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
Duke of York's Royal Military School, A GSG School Dover, Kent, CT15 5EQ. A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
Exeter Mathematics School, A GSG School, Exeter, Devon, EX4 3PU. A state school for boys and girls aged from 16 to 19.
Gordon's School, A GSG School, Woking, Surrey, GU24 9PT. A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School, A GSG School, Newport, Shropshire, TF10 7BD. A state school for boys aged from 11 to 18.
Hockerill Anglo-European College, A GSG School, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 5HX. A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 19.
Holyport College, A GSG School, Holyport, Berkshire, SL6 3LE. A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 19.
Keswick School, A GSG School, Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 5QB. A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
Lancaster Royal Grammar School, A GSG School, Lancaster, LA1 3EF. A state school for boys aged from 11 to 18 with a coeducational sixth form.
Liverpool College, Liverpool, Merseyside, L18 8BG. A state school for boys and girls aged from 4 to 19.
Oban High School, A GSG School, Oban, Argyll, PA34 4JB. A state school for boys and girls aged from 12 to 18.
Old Swinford Hospital, A GSG School, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY8 1QX. A state boarding school for boys and girls aged from 11-18.
Peter Symonds College, A GSG School, Winchester, Hampshire, SO22 6RX. A state school for boys and girls aged from 16 to 19.
Queen Victoria School, Dunblane, Perthshire, FK15 0JY. A state school for boys and girls aged from 10 to 18.
Reading School, A GSG School, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 5LW. A state school for boys aged from 11 to 18.
Ricard Huish College, A GSG School, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 3DZ. A co-educational state school for pupils aged 16 to 19. Full boarding mainly for international students, some flexi boarding for UK residents.
Ripon Grammar School, A GSG School, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 2DG. A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
Royal Alexandra and Albert School, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 0TD. A state school for boys and girls aged from 7 to 18.
Sexey's School, Bruton, Somerset, BA10 0DF. A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
Shaftesbury School, Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 8ER. A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
St George's School (Harpenden), A GSG School, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 4EY. A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
Steyning Grammar School, A GSG School, Steyning, West Sussex, BN44 3RX. A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
The Five Islands School, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly, TR21 0NA. A state school for boys and girls aged from 3 to 16.
The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, A GSG School, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP13 6QT. A state school for boys aged from 11 to 18.
The Royal School Armagh, A GSG School, County Armagh, BT61 9DH, A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
The Royal School Dungannon, A GSG school, County Tyrone, BT71 6EF. A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
The Royal School, Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV3 0EG. A state school for boys and girls aged from 4 to 19.
The Thomas Adams School, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY4 5UB. A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
The Wellington Academy, Ludgershall, Wiltshire, SP11 9RR. A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 19.
Wymondham College, A GSG School, Wymondham, Norfolk, NR18 9SZ. A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
Wymondham College Prep School, Wymondham, Norfolk, NR18 9SZ. A state school for boys and girls aged from 4 to 11.
Boarding Schools from The Good Schools Guide
A complete guide to the UK's best boarding schools. Featuring impartial, candid school reviews of more than 350 of the UK's leading junior, senior, independent and state boarding schools. Ideal for families interested in boarding, visit The Good Schools Guide shop to discover more about our latest edition and to order your copy.