State boarding schools offer a rounded education with the facilities, expertise and teaching approaches to deliver excellence, but you only pay for the boarding element. With options up and down the country, we round up some top choices
Gordon’s School
Gordon’s School in Surrey has a unique place in British history. It was established as the National Memorial to General Gordon at the insistence of Queen Victoria, opening in 1885 as a home for ‘necessitous’ boys. A member of the Royal Family has been Patron ever since. Where once it was run on military lines, it shifted with the times. It became fully co-ed in 1990 and now has a good gender balance and just under 1,000 pupils.
It ranks among the most successful state boarding schools, sitting in the top 5% of the country for progress at A level. There are three admission points – 11, 13 (residential boarding places only) and sixth form – and most students join the school at age 11 or 16. While there are no specific entry requirements lower down the school, five GCSEs with grades 9 to 5 are required for entry for A-level years. All prospective students must attend an open day, while prospective boarders are interviewed to check their suitability for boarding.
Day boarder places here are especially oversubscribed, so oversubscription criteria apply (the majority of day pupils are very local). For residential boarding, priority is given to students with parents in the Armed Forces, and students come from all over the world. Many students from Gordon’s head on to Russell Group universities, such as Exeter and Southampton. Apprenticeships have become increasingly popular, as have places at music and drama school. There have been notable recent successes with sports scholarships, and with a high-achieving alumni list, including rugby’s Jake Ball and Ellie Boatman and Paralympic swimmer Hannah Russell.
Boarding here is a nurturing and close-knit affair, and with 275 boarders there’s a good blend and ‘critical mass’ to make life fun. “We are preparing them to go out into the world as confident, responsible, caring adults. Boarding at Gordon’s is a journey toward self-reliance, but it’s one where students know they’re always supported, says Head of Boarding Sam Cooper.
Gordon’s School gordons.school
Wymondham College
Sir Lincoln Ralphs, Chief Education Officer for the county of Norfolk, conceived the idea, of Wymondham College as a state boarding school with exceptionally high academic standards and the widest range of opportunities. It was established in 1951 on the site of a wartime US Air Force Hospital. Today, only one Nissen hut remains on the campus as a reminder of this heritage, and it is now the school’s chapel. The school remains proud of the US links and history, and there’s a Heritage Trail round the site.
It’s a large school, with some 1,400 students and allocation of day places is via Norfolk County Council. Boarders are accepted from age 9. The admissions process for boarding is non-selective, but there is a suitability to board interview. The boarding house structure means students belong to a smaller community where pastoral and wellbeing support ensures every child is known. Wymondham prides itself on being a home from home with specialist staff and a culture that is conducive to a family dynamic. The student community is varied, with young people coming from all over the world. These days, there are also more local students from across the county, as well as national and military families. Onward destinations include Oxbridge, Russell Group universities, and degree apprenticeships. Medicine, veterinary and engineering are popular.
The College sees state boarding as bringing a diverse range of benefits – from the chance to mix with an international cohort to the outstanding education and boarding (Wymondham has this in all nine categories across education and boarding). It also points to the rich opportunities, with over 70 extracurricular activities on offer every week – ranging from horse riding and paddleboarding to coding and baking. Sport is a big draw, with students competing against independents and holding their own. It’s also offered well at a recreational level, and with coaching and facilities to support every child.
Wymondham College wymondhamcollege.org
Duke of York’s Royal Military School
This state boarding school is steeped in history, having been founded in 1803 for the children of British Army soldiers in Chelsea. From there, Duke of York’s Royal Military School (DOYRMS) moved to its current home in Dover, Kent in 1909 – and these days it is open to those without military connections. This is a state boarding school that has no day pupils, although flexi boarding has recently been introduced and is proving popular.
Known as Dukies, the student cohort numbers around 500 – and around 45% are female. Most students join at age 11 (Year 7) although there is some additional intake further up the Senior school and at Sixth Form. The proud military heritage lives on, with almost half of students coming from families with serving backgrounds. Other students join here from across the UK, and some are from ex-pat families. The opening of flexi boarding saw a rise in a more local cohort of students from around Kent and the Home Counties.
Results here are excellent, with 95% of students heading on to university. Around 40% get places at Oxbridge and Russell Group institutions. Apprenticeships and the military still figure quite heavily. Head of Sixth Form Joanna Towers says DOYRMS Sixth Form students are highly ambitious in their learning and career goals. Individual learning is supported by small class sizes – below 10 at A level (and also below 20 at GCSE).
There are over 60 weekly clubs and societies, plus a high performing sports programme delivered by specialist coaches. Sports facilities include the Olympic-standard athletics track and indoor heated swimming pool, and with lots of opportunities for outdoor fun and creative activities such as drama. Students can work towards an Arts Award in Dance, Drama, Art or Music. “All students are able to find something which they enjoy here,” says Chris Stanley, DOYRMS Director of Co-Curricular.
As with most other state boarding schools, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DOE) and Combined Cadet Force (CCF) are a popular feature of life at the school. These sit alongside a wide range of outdoor trips, expeditions and leadership opportunities to help develop life skills and wider knowledge.
Duke of York’s Royal Military School doyrms.com
Keswick School
With a history dating back to at least 1591, Keswick School sits in a stunning location at the foot of Skiddaw Mountain. It was originally founded as a voluntary aided grammar school and over time has grown to accommodate some 1,300 pupils, with around 260 of them within the Sixth Form.
The boarding cohort is relatively small in number at 52, with children accepted from Year 7 (age 11). Boarders come from all over the world to enjoy a fantastic setting in the heart of an area designated a World Heritage Site in 2017. Keswick is an internationally renowned centre for outdoor activities and cultural experiences, making it an ideal base to explore the Lake District – so brilliant for young people interested in outdoor sports and activities.
Lairthwaite Boarding House is set on the edge of the school grounds, a two-minute walk to school, and run by a team of boarding staff to create a ‘home from home’ experience. There are regular structured preps after tea, but it’s a homely setting with two beloved golden retriever dogs, Venus and Freyja, plus friendly hens as part of the set-up. There are bespoke transport services to and from Penrith train station and Manchester airport to support families of boarders.
The school itself offers an Outstanding education (Ofsted 2024), with plenty of lunchtime and after school extracurricular clubs. While boarders have a specific Wellbeing Programme to encourage them to ‘Get Outdoors’, it would be hard to ignore the area’s stunning beauty and plentiful sports and leisure opportunities, be it sailing on Lake Derwent or getting involved in local nature and wildlife conservation projects. There are some impressive sportsmen and women among the Keswick alumni, including fell runner Gavin Bland, racewalker Carol Tyson, racing driver Jessica Edgar and cyclist Mark Donovan.
Keswick School keswick.cumbria.sch.uk
The Thomas Adams School
The Thomas Adams School in Wem, Shropshire boasts a rich history. It originated as the Free School of Wem in 1650 and was named after its founder. It was known as Adams Grammar School for a period, but then a 1976 merger gave it the full name used today. Boarding has been an integral part of the school community for over 450 years. Notable alumni include golfer Sandy Lyle and actor and comedian Greg Davies.
The school caters to students aged 11–18, with a total cohort of 1,200 and typical entry points at Year 7 and Sixth Form, but the school can accommodate boarding entries throughout all year groups, with the usual interview requirements to ensure suitability for boarding. There are around 60 boarders across age groups, and they live in Adams House close to the school’s Noble Street Sixth Form site. It is a homely boarding house with wraparound pastoral care.
The school serves a diverse cohort, including the local community of Wem and the surrounding rural areas. It also welcomes national and international boarding students. It is particularly popular among military families utilising the CEA, but boarding students come from across the UK and internationally. It is the closest state boarding school to Wales and also maintains strong connections with families from the Caribbean, Hong Kong, and Middle East.
Thomas Adams prepares students for a variety of onward destinations, particularly progression to higher education – there’s a strong track record of students moving on to Russell Group universities. There’s a specialised programme to assist students looking to go the Oxbridge route, plus support and pathways for students preparing for vocational training and employment.
Extracurricular activities include excellent sports provision, a thriving arts community and plenty of adventure (this is a top spot for outdoor adventurers) including via CCF and DofE programmes. Both school and boarding community maintain strong connections with the Drapers Company of London. Despite the wonderful pastoral setting, there are excellent public transport links to Birmingham, Manchester and London from the nearby mainline station.
“For many, particularly those from military families or those living in remote areas, the stability and consistency boarding provides are invaluable. The extended school day allows for a rich co-curricular programme, enabling students to explore their passions and develop their talents beyond the classroom,” says Director of Boarding Lee Irwin.
The Thomas Adams School thomasadams.net
Sexey’s School
Located near Bruton in Somerset, Sexey’s started life as a trade school for boys in 1891, although its foundations go back much further as the school was funded from the bequest of Hugh Sexey, Royal Auditor to both Queen Elizabeth I and James I. It grew over time into a much larger boys’ school, going co-ed in 1977. Boarding facilities were expanded in the 1980s and it moved over to Academy status in 2011. It has around 700 students, and around a fifth of them are boarders.
Academically, Sexey’s consistently ranks among the top-performing state schools in the country, with a curriculum spanning a wide range of GCSE and A-level subjects. The Sixth Form has been named top performer for progress in Dorset and Somerset in very recent times. Famous alumni down the years include Ned Sherrin, Douglas Macmillan James Brickell and Henry Bomby.
There’s a lively extracurricular scene, with lots of sport, drama, music and creative opportunities, plus DofE and CCF. The location, in rolling Somerset countryside, makes this a perfect place to enjoy the outdoor life and the environment.
The three boarding houses – Macmillan, Lisbury and Coombe – all feature house tutors, matrons and house parents and are designed with a home-from-home atmosphere to build close-knit friendships and enable personal growth. The boarding cohort includes children of military families, those working overseas and UK-based families. Sexey’s offers flexibility in its boarding with part-time options. This is attractive to local families, giving the younger students the option to stay over for two or three nights of the week, while sixth formers can stay for two or four nights. For full boarders, there are exeat weekends and a full programme of activities to keep them busy when they are living at school.
Sexey’s School sexeys.somerset.sch.uk
Royal Alexandra & Albert School
With a history dating back to 1758, the Royal Alexandra & Albert School originated as two separate charities, each dedicated to educating orphans and children in severe need. There was an Act of Parliament in 1949, uniting the schools at Gatton Park, Surrey, where the school remains to this day and upholds its charitable foundations.
Today, the Royal Alexandra & Albert School is a non-selective, co-ed state boarding school for children aged 7 to 18 – notably the only state boarding school in the country to admit students from Year 3. To ensure continuity of education for children and their families, the school comprises a Junior School, a Senior School and a Sixth Form. With just over 1,000 students, full boarders form a significant proportion of the community, numbering more than 300.
The school is set within 260 acres of private parkland, providing exceptional outdoor opportunities. There’s a dedicated Equestrian Centre, giving students with a passion for riding access to high-quality and more affordable lessons. Royal Alexandra and Albert is also the first All-Steinway state school in England, with eight Steinway pianos and two grand pianos. This means music is a particular draw here, alongside equestrian pursuits.
For local families looking for flexi boarding, typical entry points are Year 3 and Year 7, while full boarders can apply for almost any year point and at any point during the academic year. The application process does not involve fees or exams, but families must apply to the school and their local education authority and there are certain requirements such as a character reference from current school.
Full Boarders come from all over the world – currently students call 28 countries home – and they are set among 45 different nationalities within the school’s student cohort. All students are either British or Irish passport holders or have another approved residency status in the UK (this to enable access to UK state education). There’s a long history of educating children from Forces families and Royal Alexandra and Albert is particularly popular with parents employed by the MOD. Local flexi boarders have opportunities to take part in the extensive co-curricular programme, and can board for seven to ten days per academic year
Academics are strong, and in the 2023-24 academic year 91% of Year 13 students went on to university with 25% heading on to a Russell Group university. This is far from the only route and the school has a focus on supporting students to discover and follow a pathway that best suits their ambitions.
Royal Alexandra & Albert School raa-school.co.uk
Steyning Grammar School
Founded in 1614 by William Holland, Steyning Grammar School was initially limited to 50 students but by 1906, it had grown much larger and came under the control of West Sussex County Council. In the late 1960s, it merged with Steyning Secondary Modern to become a comprehensive school, and in 2020 it joined the Bohunt Education Trust, a multi-academy trust with schools across the Home Counties.
Today, it is the largest state school in West Sussex, with over 2,000 students across multiple sites. This includes a modern boarding facility for 120 international students. It welcomes Forces families and those from distant destinations (including the Falklands Islands) as well as many other groups. Boarding admissions are typically for Year 9 (three-year GCSE) and for Sixth Form. All students must hold a British passport, but the boarding community is very diverse with over 30countries represented. A significant number of UK-based students board at Steyning.
Students go on to a range of UK universities, including UCL and King’s College London and study across a range of diverse subjects and there’s a lively programme of activities at the school to help build CVs, including an early applicants Oxbridge Group and Aspirant Scientist Group. EPQs are supported and there’s help, too, for aspiring lawyers. The Sixth Form super-curricular programme includes lots of day and residential trips, along with DofE and volunteering opportunities.
Sport is well supported, in and out of school, and soccer lovers will appreciate the Football Academy in conjunction with Steyning Town FC. Creatives can get involved with the twice-yearly school productions and annual performing arts exhibition.
Steyning Grammar School sgs.uk.net
Hockerill Anglo-European College
Based in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, just 30-minutes from London by train and even closer to Cambridge, Hockerill Anglo-European College has an unusual history. It was founded in 1852, originally as a teacher training college, and then became a co-educational boarding school in 1980.
Today there are some 900 students, including around 400 boarders. The sixth form consists of around 265 students. Main entry points for the school are Year 7 and Year 12, with boarding vacancies sometimes available in Years 9 and 10. Flexi, weekly and full boarding are all offered here, with flexi offered for between seven and ten nights a year. There are five boarding houses, divided by sex and age group, and with a full pastoral care provision. Each boarder has their own personal House Tutor for both general and academic support.
The campus sits on the edge of town on a leafy campus, and there’s plenty of space for an active life. Hockerill offers CCF and DofE, plus an excellent set of options beyond the standard school sports, including BMX, running, basketball, yoga, fitness and dance.
It is a state boarding school, but also an International Baccalaureate World School, so students here follow a prestigious international qualifications pathway. It has the distinction of being the only IB Diploma state school in the country. Recently, it was ranked fifth in the Sunday Times Schools Guide 2024 table of comprehensive schools in the UK, based on GCSE and IB Diploma results. It now offers the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP).
Around 75% of leavers go on to Russell Group universities in the UK, with others heading to universities around the world. Medicine, sciences and languages are all strong suits here. Thanks in part to the IB syllabus, modern foreign languages are a significant strength of the school, and it also has an excellent track record in teaching music.
Hockerill Anglo-European College hockerill.com
Richard Huish College
This is a somewhat different state boarding option – but with USPs that make it the perfect choice for a young person aged 16+ looking to join a community setting where study can be combined with plenty of extracurricular stimulation alongside peers.
Richard Huish College has its roots in the 18th century – the founder was a Taunton wool merchant who left a legacy designed to secure university education for young people. Richard Huish was transformed into a sixth form co-ed college in 1981. It now has a cohort of some 2,000 students and with over 45 A-level courses and Level 3 Vocational courses available.
The boarding accommodation opened in 2017, following on from a successful homestay approach. Oak House offers 53 modern ensuite bedrooms and welcomes both UK and international students. The mix is full-time and flexi boarders, and the aim of the College is to support students as they prepare for university or other pathways and provide the 16+ age group with more enrichment. There’s a particularly strong relationship here with students from both the Falkland Islands and Scilly Isles, where there’s no sixth form provision. The gender balance is fairly evenly split, varying from year to year (currently there are more female boarders).
Entry requirements for the College are five GCSEs at grade 9-4 or equivalent, including Maths and English Language. There are slightly more flexible arrangements for BTEC Extended Diploma. For many students who come here, the real draw is the Aspen Music Centre, opened in 2018 and with facilities that include recording studios with RedNet Technology, soundproofed rooms for live recordings, a Mac suite and editing and production suite. There’s also a large library of music, instruments and other equipment. It is also a good choice for students with a strong interest in sport – there’s a rugby programme with Bristol Bears, plus sports partnerships with Somerset Cricket Foundation and Huish Tigers Basketball.
The College is proud of its top 10% status for value added and for the excellent university results many of its alumni achieve, including at Russell Group universities. Other students go on to secure degree apprenticeships in areas such as the RAF, Police and finance. The College sent ten students on to study Medicine in 2024.
Richard Huish College huish.ac.uk
Liverpool College
One of 13 founding members of the Headmasters’ Conference, Liverpool College has a long and distinguished history, and when it was built the foundation stone was laid by Lord Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby. William Gladstone, later four-times Prime Minister, performed the school’s opening ceremony.
In the late 19th century, the College merged with a girls’ school, and in 2013 it became an academy and, as a state boarding school, now welcomes boarders from Year 7-13. Boarders are housed in Beechlands, a lovely Victorian property that has been completely modernised to suit boarding life. It is located on the College’s 26-acre Mossley Hill campus to the south of the city (close to Liverpool University halls of residence). The College has a partnership with the university.
In total, there are some 1,500 pupils aged from 4-19, with up to 20 boarders. Weekly and full boarders are accepted from Year 7 and entrance is non-selective, although there is an assessment of suitability for boarding and eligibility for boarding based on UK government criteria. A new day boarding initiative seeks to bring day and boarding students closer together from Years 7-10 in an action-packed after-school programme, so there’s plenty of social time built in.
The College follows its own bespoke curriculum, known as LCA, which builds on National Curriculum requirements with personal and social goals and a strong emphasis on character development. There’s a strong focus, too, on the expressive arts, along with technology, enterprise and sport, sitting alongside core STEM and humanities subjects. DofE and CCF are both offered and there’s a long sporting tradition across rugby, cricket, athletics and football, alongside netball and hockey. The school is highly rated academically and, as a day school, it’s heavily oversubscribed.
Liverpool College liverpoolcollege.org.uk
Further reading: Parents’ guide to cathedral schools
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