The Common Pre-Test are online age-standardised tests taken in Years 6 or 7 (when a child is aged between 10 and 12) and are used to assess pupils’ potential and attainment before they take the Common Entrance exam in Year 8.
Read More
Senior schools’ admissions process Years ago, the switch from prep school to senior school was relatively simple. Parents would choose a boarding school for their child, register and then the child would sit Common Entrance at the end of prep school (Year 8). If they passed, they were in. Today the senior schools’ admissions process is very different and increasingly over the last decade fewer and fewer schools are using Common Entrance alone as the entrance test. Top photo and above: Box Hill School, Surrey Senior school entry requirements vary considerably, and all have admission procedures that need to be…
Read More
UK Boarding schools provide an amazing all-round education with a strong emphasis on holistic development. As a parent, it is one of the best decisions you can make for your child. No matter how convinced you are of this, it is a heart-wrenching experience to hear they’re homesick. Receiving tearful phone calls and miserable emails from your child, having just started boarding school for the first time. I know because I have been one of those parents. Homesickness is a very human emotion and is tough on both pupil and parent. It can affect any pupil at any time in…
Read More
We are extremely proud to announce that Claire Calder Consultancy Ltd have signed the Armed Forces Covenant. The Armed Forces Covenant is a national pledge to treat our veterans and military families with fairness and respect. Any organisation in the UK can pledge their support. As military spouses ourselves, it means so much to us to be able to support our service families. As parents of boarding school children, we understand the decisions you may currently be considering for your child. Between us we have lost count of the times we have moved house as well as overseas postings to…
Read More
We are very proud to announce that Claire Calder Consultancy has been given Approved Agent status and has gained membership of the British Boarding Schools Network (BBSN). It is an honour to be recognised and to be joining a renowned network of international educational consultants working in partnership with the best UK Boarding schools. Being an Approved Agent member of the BBSN means we have satisfied the strict quality assurance standards set out by the BBSN. It is a mark of excellence and recognises our professionalism, credibility and endorses the valuable work that we do as well as giving schools…
Read More
Open Day season is nearly upon us and now is the perfect time to start preparing and planning for your child’s next step in their education. Reading a school prospectus or looking at a website can only give you so much information. Visiting a school is vitally important and so Open Days are an excellent starting point if you are considering a boarding school for your child. All independent schools across the UK will have their Open Days coming up between mid-September and mid-November and now is the time to register to secure your spot. Attending an Open Day gives…
Read More
Claire Calder will be at the Shrivenham Station Welcome Coffee Morning on 30th August. Pop along for a cup of coffee and a chat with Claire about the very best boarding options available for your children. Claire has been helping families with their boarding school choices for several years. As an army wife and mother of two boarding school children and several overseas postings, she has a wealth of personal experience for those either looking to embark on their boarding school journey or for those who are wondering if it’ll work for them. Academics, boarding provision, pastoral care, specialist sports,…
Read More
We’re delighted to be supporting and sponsoring The Early Early Christmas Fair 2023 on 26 – 27th September at Tedworth Park, in Wiltshire in aid of a cause close to our hearts – The ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.
Read More
Armed Forces Day always takes place on the last Saturday of June in the UK and this year is being celebrated on 24th June. We look at why Armed Forces Day means so much to military spouses and their children.
Read More
Choosing a senior boarding school for your children is a major decision. Ultimately, it is the platform for their future, and you are entrusting that school with your child’s academic and social development.
Read More
Looking for a top UK boarding school? Claire Calder is hosting the Shrivenham Station UK Boarding School Exhibition. Meet with heads and representatives of 27 leading UK boarding schools.
Read More
The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a much-loved part of boarding school life for many of our Forces children. Over 500 independent UK secondary schools have a CCF unit your child can join. It gives them the opportunity to learn things that aren’t part of the school curriculum. They get a unique chance to develop the skills, teamwork and leadership qualities that we’re so proud to see in our Armed Services personnel. Find out more about CCF at UK boarding schools The CCF’s stated aim is “to enable the development of personal responsibility, leadership and self-discipline.” And they do this…
Read More
On our recent tours, we visited Lancing College in West Sussex. Commanding a stunning hilltop location on the South Downs, it’s 90ft beautiful Victorian
Read More
Claire Calder and her colleague Linda Lloyd-Jones were thrilled to receive the Silver Defence Employer Award at His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant’s Award Ceremony at Imjin Barracks.
Read More
As two mother’s whose children have all attended boarding Prep schools due to living overseas, we fully understand what parents are looking for when sending their children to a boarding school for the first time and at such a young age. We recently visited Prep School Port Regis School near […]
Read More
Recently, we had a super visit to all-girls day and boarding school Queenswood School, set in 120 acres near Hatfield in Hertfordshire. It has a reputation for its academics, sporting excellence and a strong art, drama and dance department. 450 girls aged 11-18 attend Queenswood with around 220 of those boarding. It […]
Read More
The South West has some excellent full boarding schools and we recently visited boarding school Bryanston, near Blandford Forum in Dorset. Bryanston offers co-educational boarding for around 700 pupils aged 13-18 set within a stunning campus. Bryanston Prep School, a boarding prep school is two miles away from the main […]
Read More
Malvern St James Girls’ School (MSJ) is a leading day and boarding school for girls aged 3-18 in Malvern, Worcestershire. An all girls’ boarding school combines the nurturing environment for girls to pursue their ambitions whilst offering exceptional academic, sport, music, drama, and equestrian provision. My colleague Linda and I […]
Read More
Our recent tour of schools took us to Independent day and boarding school Taunton School in Taunton, one of the South West’s leading co-educational independent schools. The school is made up of a pre-prep, prep, senior and sixth form which all share one beautiful 56-acre campus with most pupils at […]
Read More
Visiting schools and meeting the admissions teams is an essential part of our work and so our recent tour of boarding schools in the South West took us to Canford near Wimborne in Dorset. This is a school which has always been very popular with many of our clients, and […]
Read More
King’s College and King’s College Prep School in Taunton, Somerset are both co-educational day and boarding schools providing continuous education for ages 2-18 with boarding starting in the prep school at Year 3. One happy community King’s is such a warm friendly school with an incredible sense of community and […]
Read More
Continuing our tours of schools in the south, we recently visited co-educational day and prep boarding school Westbourne House School which is a for children aged 2 ½ to 13 years old. Situated in 100 acres of parkland near Chichester, West Sussex, Westbourne House is the ideal prep school. It is […]
Read More
Educational Consultants | Private Schools Fees UK Explained | Find Private Boarding Schools Near Me | Private Schools England | Find the best boarding schools & colleges
