< Private Schools Dorset Guide Tutoring >
Bryanston School, Canford School, Clayesmore School, Milton Abbey, Sherborne School and Sherborne Girls all have big boarding numbers, including students from abroad and children from forces families. Talbot Heath School in Bournemouth also admits boarders, some of whom combine top-flight tennis and swimming training with their academic work.
At prep school level, fewer children board but Port Regis near Shaftesbury, sees almost two thirds of pupils do some form of boarding, whether full, flexi or occasional nights. Sherborne Preparatory School offers boarding from year 3 onwards (although few children board before year 5).
The area around Dorset offers a plethora of other boarding options too. The nearest include Millfield School, King’s School, Bruton, the Taunton schools – Taunton School, King’s College, Taunton and Queen’s College – Wellington School and Wells Cathedral School. There’s also Kingswood School in Bath and Downside School at nearby Stratton-on-the-Fosse while Devon boarding schools include Blundell’s, Mount Kelly and West Buckland School. Further afield, some Dorset parents opt for Winchester College (all boys, with a co-ed sixth form) or co-ed Marlborough College in Wiltshire.
Need help? Perhaps you suspect your child has some learning difficulty and you would like advice on what you should do. Or perhaps it is becoming clear that your child's current school is not working for him or her, and you need help to find a mainstream school which has better SEN provision, or to find a special school which will best cater for your child's area of need. Our SEN consultancy team advises on both special schools, and the mainstream schools with good SEN support, from reception through to the specialist colleges for 19+. Special Educational Needs Index
Find top international, British, IB and American schools in over 40 countries. The Good Schools Guide International publishes impartial and forthright reviews of international schools across the world.
We examined the value-added from KS2 to GCSE for 2022 to see which state selective grammar schools added the most value to their offspring. A note of caution - the more highly selective a grammar school, the less scope there will be to add value.
Grammar schools are state-funded, academically selective senior schools. The education a child receives at grammar school is paid for by the state unlike at private schools which provide education for a fee. There are currently around 163 located in 36 English local authorities, with around 167,000 pupils between them. Northern Ireland has a further 67 grammar schools, but there are none in Wales or Scotland. A word of caution: there are private schools that have the word 'grammar' in their name but this is purely for historical reasons.
At specialist music, dance or performing arts schools, the arts aren't optional extras. They’re intrinsic to the school curriculum. Students are expected to fit in high level training and hours of practice alongside a full academic provision. It's a lot to ask any child to take on, but for those with exceptional performing ability this kind of education can be transformative.