If you’re searching for the “best UK boarding schools” or “boarding in the UK”, BESSA (the British Education and Schools Show in Asia) is a great resource. Organised by education consultants Waypoints and happening this year on Saturday, 2 November, this annual event brings together a curated selection of British schools with boarding options. Waypoints founder STEPHANIE CHEAH shares why she organises BESSA.
About BESSA
Stephanie says that BESSA is the flagship event of Waypoints’ consultancy services, whose area of expertise is UK private day and boarding schools for 7 to 18 year olds. This year, there are 24 schools coming to BESSA:
- Bedford School
- Brighton College (UK)
- Bromsgrove School
- Cheltenham College
- Cheltenham Ladies’ College
- Downe House
- Dulwich College (UK)
- Gordonstoun
- Headington Rye Oxford
- Keystone Tutors
- Merchiston Castle School
- Oundle School
- Radley College
- Rugby School
- Sevenoaks School
- Shrewsbury School
- St Catherine’s School, Bramley
- St Edward’s School, Oxford
- St Swithun’s School
- Stowe School
- The King’s School, Canterbury
- Uppingham School
- Wycombe Abbey
They are a mix of the UK’s highly selective schools alongside lesser-known names that similarly provide an excellent education for children with a variety of different strengths and needs.
According to Stephanie, each school’s Director of Admissions usually makes a point of representing them at BESSA, “This is really important because it allows families to connect directly with key decision makers regarding admission to a school. Sometimes, we are privileged to have the Head or Principal of a school attend BESSA and they can then share their wisdom through our speaker programme.”
Questions about the school’s curriculum, boarding life and admissions process are all welcome. For some schools, there may also be current students present to provide their first-hand account of boarding in the UK.
Another highlight of BESSA is the line-up of live speakers and specialists who cover a variety of topics relevant to teenagers and boarding. There are four talks this year:
- Preparing for the world’s top universities through UK boarding schools
- Human vs Artificial Intelligence – enhancing not removing learning
- The admissions process to UK schools at age 13+ and 16+
- Supporting your teenage child’s medical and health needs
Stephanie recommends not missing any of them!
How UK boarding schools are chosen for BESSA
Besides a minimum requirement academic standard of good reaching and corresponding results, there are many other factors that Waypoints considers for inclusion to BESSA.
According to Stephanie, the curation process is unique, resulting in a good mix to help parents and students explore different options. “We have co-ed schools as well as all girls’ or all boys’ schools. Some offer different curricula apart from A Levels, such as the IB or BTECs. Sometimes schools have a particular strength – for example, specialist sport academies with training programmes to prepare athletes for professional sport. Or they might have excellent music and performing arts departments with strong links to the next step in that world of conservatoires, dance and drama schools.”
Another factor considered is what the graduates of the UK boarding schools are doing, five to 10 years after graduation. Stephanie explains, “This is an important KPI to consider because boarding school is preparing you for life. If it’s doing its job well, you will see some fascinating journeys, incredible achievements and diverse pathways!”
What to prepare when meeting UK boarding schools at BESSA
You probably have an idea of the specific schools you’d like to meet. If so, Stephanie suggests making a list of what you like or don’t like about each one, since choosing a school is a very personal decision.
Apart from the facilities in the school, the extracurricular activities on offer and the cost of school fees, she says that it’s also important to consider the location of the school, the level of pastoral care and whether there are available scholarships.
“What is important to one family might not be as important to another. For example, some parents like modern boarding facilities with ensuite bathrooms, whereas others are focused on the personal attention and support available for each student in the boarding house.”
More importantly, Stephanie stresses the importance of understanding your child and what would work best for them.
“You must consider their personality, their learning style, their academic ability, and whether they have any particular strengths or interests that can be nurtured. Once you have a grasp of this, finding the right match is easier. There’s more information about schools available now on the internet, through education consultants like Waypoints or at events like the BESSA.”
Is boarding in the UK suitable for your child?
Some of the biggest skills that your child will acquire through boarding in the UK are time management and how to adapt to different living styles.
Stephanie, who attended UK boarding school herself in the 1980s from the age of 13 to 18 shares her personal experience:
“Boarding suits people who are always game to put up their hand and just ‘muck in’ – which is me! It’s important to balance the amount of time studying with extra-curricular activities. In my first year, I signed up for too many extras and my academic work suffered, especially because I had to transition from the teaching style in Singapore and get used to living in a new country. In the end, I learnt how to prioritise and I worked hard but played hard too.
Boarding also taught me to consider others and how to adapt to different environments. The school had students from many countries, cultures and backgrounds. Each boarding house had about 10 girls in each year group. Back then, we had no choice about who we shared with in a dormitory. You learnt how to live with others and co-exist. It wasn’t always plain sailing, but I made some lasting friendships. Even now when I meet other alumni, we bond in some way even though we didn’t overlap at school, thanks to our common experiences.”
Testimonials
Hear from Grace Thomas, a parent who attended BESSA before applying to UK boarding schools:
“I’m not familiar with the UK boarding school system as I grew up in America so I found BESSA incredibly helpful. I was able to speak with a handful of schools I was already curious about as well as learn more about a few unfamiliar ones. Attending BESSA enabled me to whittle down my list of schools and settle on three schools to pursue.
After meeting and chatting with the admissions teams, we delved further into learning more about the schools and decided on our first choice very much based on that one-on-one conversation and personal touch that BESSA was able to offer. As we don’t live in the UK, being able to access so many different schools face-to-face was very special.
I would recommend chatting to as many schools as possible because sometimes it’s just a feeling and a connection and BESSA allows the schools to be more than just numbers and statistics.”
Hear from another parent who wanted to discover more of the best UK boarding schools:
“Because Singapore is on the other side of the world and the timings for holidays and other commitments don’t always align with school open days, BESSA is a wonderful way to get an informal but also in depth and personal introduction to the schools. Waypoints education consultant has an amazing relationship with all the schools and I felt this was like having a more personal introduction to the school.
I think it’s absolutely crucial to attend BESSA if you’re considering boarding in the UK. In addition to you learning about the school, the school gets to know who you are as a family as well as meet your child. For families who are very interested in pursuing an application, the schools do try to arrange follow-up meetings while in Singapore.
I would strongly advise to do homework on the schools before attending so that you can focus on things that don’t have answers on their website. This will help you get a good overall impression of their values, pastoral concerns, their vision for the school and the types of young people they want to see graduating.
My biggest tip would be to join as many of the talks as is realistic as well as try to meet as many of the school representatives as possible as you don’t know what you’ll discover!”
Visit BESSA in Singapore
BESSA is being held on Saturday, 2 November from 10am to 4pm at the Grand Hyatt, and is free to attend. For more information about the event, head to bessa.asia/faqs.
To book an appointment with a school, write to contact@waypointsasia.com or WhatsApp 8742 1827 with your request.
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