My 13 year old son has just started weekly boarding at Bedales. We looked at Bede's and Frensham too and liked both but opted for Bedales as he has grandparents who live nearby and we loved the family atmosphere and the emphasis on a holistic approach based on the school motto of  'head, hand and heart'. Whilst it is liberal (no uniform, calling teachers by their first names) children are certainly expected to work and hand their homework in and there are rules about behaviour and respect. My son even had detention last week because he had twice not handed in a piece of homework in. We have yet to see what they do about exam preparation etc but he is getting help with his organisational skills through twice weekly sessions with his tutor and a one on one lesson with the SEN teacher. Bede's has a reputation of being quite sporty (which Bedales is not) so fine if your child fits that. We know a few boarders at Frensham and one advantage is they come home every Friday (unlike Bedales where they stay until 1pm most Saturdays with one longer weekend each half of the term). However, there are very few boarders at Frensham with mostly day children living nearby which means that boarders find that their day peers are all socialising locally and there's a smaller choice of children to make friends with in the boarding house. One 15year old boarder we know rarely comes home at the weekends now as he prefers to hang out with his day friends near school. 

Hi there, we have recently looked at all three schools for our children. We looked at Bede’s for our eldest, and although we didn’t choose it in the end, there was a lot to like about it. Sports facilities are amazing and the boarding facilities were good. We have a lot of friends in the area whose kids go there, and they are all super happy with it (as are their kids!).

We are now looking for another child and have been to open mornings at both Bedales and Frensham. On paper we thought we would love Bedales but honestly I have never been so underwhelmed by an open morning before... Clearly, there are plenty of others who love it though! Frensham on the other hand was really impressive and a definite winner for us. The feel of the school was incredibly positive, the staff were enthusiastic and the kids down to earth and friendly. Websites and prospectuses can only give you so much - I honestly believe you’ll only know which school is right for your child when you visit. It is a hugely daunting task though, especially when there is so much choice... Hope you find the best school for your son.

Hi,

My children went through Bedales from Dunannie, Dunhurst and then Bedales.
It's a while back now and the huge plus is the friendship groups and camaraderie.

On a negative, both my son and daughter are very clever but were not taught study and exam skills which, when compared to their friends who went to other schools has been a real problem. They were also able to not do homework or hand it in.

Both are doing really well now and have benefited from the huge network of contacts. They did start out on a back foot though after school which knocked their confidence. 

I would definitely check out with Dunhurst and Bedales how a child is helped to plan, study and formalise an essay.

Hope you go well in your search!

 

Hi, does anyone have kids at any of these weekly boarding schools? We are considering them as an alternative to the (not very) local boys schools such as Whitgift, Trinity and such. I'd love to know from parents with experience of these schools, good or bad. They all sound fantastic on paper for their non-traditional style and get a big thumbs up from the Head at his current school. I've planned visits, but first-hand knowledge is better than anything. Thanks!