Dickinson School Consulting Ltd

School inspection reports are clearly useful for families researching schools, so we're pleased to provide this quick guide to them, to use alongside the expert guidance we offer.
By combining inspection insight with first-hand knowledge of British boarding schools, we help families make confident, well-informed decisions about their child’s education.

How UK boarding school inspections help parents make informed choices | Dickinson British School Consulting Learn how UK boarding school inspections work, what ISI and Ofsted reports reveal, and how parents can use inspection findings to choose the right boarding school.

Always happy to share news of improvements at our British boarding schools. Designed to provide a home from home, who wouldn't want to live here at Ackworth School?
If your child fancies it, contact us for help with finding them a place!

Ackworth School Update | British Boarding School in Yorkshire | Dickinson School Consulting Update on Ackworth School’s boarding provision, recently refurbished to offer a welcoming and supportive environment for pupils from the UK and overseas.

We’re delighted to share that Gina will be joining next month’s British Boarding Schools Network online event as both an attendee and one of the event’s expert speakers.
Alongside catch-up meetings with British boarding schools, Gina will be sharing a market update on Germany on day one of the event.
At the end she will also take part in an interactive discussion together with school speakers, reflecting on key takeaways, highlighting emerging themes, and exploring how partnerships can continue to develop beyond the event.
We’re looking forward to the conversations ahead and to strengthening connections across the sector.

Gina’s latest trip took her to Stonyhurst in Lancashire, not only to refresh her knowledge of the school but also to catch up with two of our students, one of whom said, “If I had to describe Stonyhurst in just three words, I would say impressive, traditional and encouraging.”, while the other said, “When I saw the school for the first time, it just felt right!”
Founded in 1593, Stonyhurst’s beautiful historic buildings are complemented by some impressive modern facilities such as the bright and airy dining hall, and brand-new Sixth Form Centre offering Year 12 and Year 13 students their own study and social space, complete with barista café.
The Senior School currently has 550 students, predominantly boarding, with 320 full-boarders, 67 weekly boarders and just 3 flexi-boarders, the remainder being day pupils. Gina was impressed by the girls’ boarding house she visited. Lovely twin and single rooms are ensuite, and its beautifully appointed common room includes a modern kitchen.
The school’s vibrant, positive and diverse community is around 55% international, representing 27 different nationalities. The resulting far-reaching international network, including Stonyhurst in Malaysia, means pupils enjoy wonderful global connections and opportunities, long after they have left. As our contact in Admissions said, “We are a family that continues even years after school.”
In Sixth Form, pupils can choose to study for A Levels or the IB, with roughly half now opting for the latter.
Excellent facilities include the recently refurbished Art department, where the quality of the work on display was outstanding, while the indoor tennis dome offers year-round opportunities to train and play. Stonyhurst is in the top 5 UK schools for tennis, in fact, with Andy Murray’s mother Judy a regular visitor to help coach the girls.
We’ll leave the last words to one of those students we helped place here, who also said, “Thank you for your expertise. Before we contacted you, we were looking at a lot of different schools and with your help we could not have made a better decision.”
Why don’t you trust in that expertise to help find the right British boarding school for your child?

Gina has just enjoyed a catch up with Barnard Castle School.
Situated on the edge of the small town it is named after, Barney (as it is also affectionately known) currently has 560 pupils in its warm, friendly community. 425 are in the Senior School and around 100 are boarders, just under a third of whom are from overseas.
There is real commitment to supporting every child to achieve their own individual academic potential. As Headmaster David Cresswell said to Gina, Barney stands out pastorally because “we genuinely take the time to get into the mix and deal with the complicated stuff on a deeper level.”
Boarders are accommodated across four houses – one junior house, two boys’ houses above the main school, and one girls’ house which Gina found to be particularly homely and welcoming. Students enjoy excellent food served in a lovely traditional dining hall.
Academic features of note are that Barney still offers Classics, while Music, Art, DT and Drama are all thriving too. In their crucial last two years of school, students benefit from a light and airy learning and socialising space in the modern Sixth Form Centre.
Impressive sports facilities include extensive playing fields, tennis courts, a sports hall, indoor heated swimming pool, a floodlit all-weather sports pitch and a fitness suite with a dance studio. While particularly renowned for rugby, the school also enjoys success in cricket, football, hockey, netball, squash, swimming and tennis.
If you would like to benefit from Gina’s recently refreshed, firsthand experience of Barney to see if it could be the right British boarding school for your child, please contact us.

We've enjoyed working with Bloxham School for many years, but it's always good to visit in person to refresh the memory and find out what's new, so here are Neil's findings from his trip there.
Enjoy, and if you would like advice on whether Bloxham School is the right fit for your child, we can provide tailored, independent guidance based on your family’s priorities and educational goals. Please do get in touch!

Bloxham School Review | British Boarding School Near Oxford | Dickinson School Consulting First-hand review of Bloxham School near Oxford, covering academics, boarding life, co-curricular opportunities and pastoral care.

Gina recently visited Downe House School, an all-girls school in West Berkshire, under an hour’s drive to Heathrow Airport.
Predominantly full-boarding, a small number of girls attend as flexi-boarders or day girls, and a strong house system ensures excellent pastoral care offering tailored support for every stage of development.
The school enjoys an excellent academic reputation. Girls meet their academic tutors every week and, in 2025, 90% of leavers joined Russell Group universities and 26% achieved places at Oxbridge or top London universities.
It also has a fantastic extra-curricular offering across sport, including lacrosse, hockey, netball, squash and tennis, Creative and Performing Arts, and music. It even has a Dance Academy and Dance Company offering all the main forms of dance including Ballet, Tap, Contemporary and K-Pop.
If this sounds like the British boarding school for your daughter, do get in touch to find out more and get assistance with applying.

It's the time of year when lots of British boarding school students complete The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award expeditions, such as this one featured by Mount Kelly.
If you'd like to know more about the Awards, how beneficial to young people they are, and which schools offer them, please get in touch.

This Friday 24th April at 9.15 BST there is a virtual / online opportunity to meet the Head of Barnard Castle School.
Time to talk to Gina about whether this could be a good option for your child, then follow the link to book your place and hear more about this lovely British boarding school.

Open Events Discover our school's vision and values at our open events. Experience a taste of our classrooms, activities and performances.

Follow this link to book your online opportunity to explore life at Taunton School from 18.00 BST on Tuesday 28th April 2026.
This virtual event will be hosted by the friendly staff, who will tell you about the school's outstanding co-curricular opportunities, world-class facilities across a 56-acre campus, and the wide range of academic subjects and pathways available.
They'll answer any questions you may have too, but why not speak to Gina first about whether this could be the British boarding school for your child?
https://www.tauntonschool.co.uk/events/virtual-open-event-6/

Virtual Open Event | Taunton School Join our Virtual Open Event at Taunton School on 31st January 2026. Explore campus, meet staff, and discover more about life at Taunton School.