WHAT? WHERE?

Holyport College is one of those schools that makes parents do a double take. A state-funded, co-ed boarding and day school for 11–19-year-olds, backed by Eton College, nestled away in rural Berkshire and offering something that feels close to an independent education, minus the eye-watering invoices. It’s no surprise then, that it’s an incredibly popular choice (yep, there are waiting lists), and its boarding provisions are particularly fantastic. Unless you are in the local catchment area, boarding is your golden ticket to being more likely to secure a spot.

Opened in 2014 as a state boarding school (it’s still the newest one in the UK), Holyport was designed to blend academic stretch, character education and a strong pastoral backbone. It’s non-selective at 11+, with academic selection only at Sixth Form, and attracts a mix of local day pupils and boarders from across the UK and beyond. In fact, it’s incredibly multicultural, with over 80 nations represented at the college and strikes me as a very down-to-earth school. The ethos is about opportunity, kindness and aspiration, with an emphasis on developing confident, articulate young people who can think for themselves. We likey.

FACILITIES

This isn’t Hogwarts, but it is smart, modern and purpose-built. Teaching spaces are contemporary, light, and well equipped with capacity for around 20 students, and the boarding houses sit neatly above the academic areas, creating a close-knit campus feel. Students also enjoy outdoor learning once a week. As I walked around, classrooms were surprisingly calm, with kids engaged in their work and lessons. I’m a big fan of the quad style layout of the school which is easy to navigate and unintimidating for new students trying to find their way to class.

SPORT

Sport is definitely taken seriously at Holyport. In fact, they do much more than the average state school, with three double sessions of PE on the weekly timetable (one inside, one out, and one at Eton). But it’s more about participation, skill-building and teamwork than chasing elite titles (though they have those too). Pupils can enjoy football, rugby, netball, hockey, cricket, athletics, swimming, and fitness sessions, plus a variety of clubs like martial arts, table tennis and yoga.

Facilities are solid and modern rather than ostentatious, and anything that isn’t on site, they can get access to through links to nearby Eton College. The school has all-weather pitches, a sports hall, tennis/netball courts, outdoor gym and playing fields. There’s also some Fives Courts too, a generous gift from Eton as sport that’s a big part of their heritage. Holyport also are in the unique position where they can play in both state and private sports fixtures which adds to the competitive edge. But it’s not all about winning. Head Alastair Ingall is keen to make sure there are sports teams in every level for kids to get involved with. Naturally, the fixtures list is jam-packed, but it means every child gets their shot.

CREATIVE ARTS

Creativity has a clear place. Pupils can dive into drama, music, art, dance, photography, and design technology, with many opportunities to perform, exhibit and collaborate throughout the year. The school runs regular productions in the sports hall, concerts, art shows and workshops, giving boarders and day pupils alike a chance to shine beyond the classroom.

Facilities are modern and practical: art studios, music practice rooms, a performance hall and IT suites for digital design and media. While not as lavish as some long-established independent schools, the spaces are functional, well-equipped, and foster experimentation and expression. Staff encourage pupils to try new things, whether it’s picking up an instrument for the first time, performing in a play, or exploring digital design projects. It’s a fantastic place to nurture confidence and individuality, with plenty of occasions for students to showcase their work to the wider school community.

CLUBS

There’s a strong emphasis on co-curricular life, from music and drama to service projects and mindfulness, all carefully woven into the school week. There’s 70-80 clubs that kids can choose from which are compulsory, after school wraps up at 4pm, whether it’s chess, debating, robotics, and coding to mindfulness, Duke of Edinburgh Award, drama, and creative writing.

Boarders benefit from evening activities built into the weekly routine, while day pupils can join all of the same clubs after school. It’s all about a push for breadth over burnout. Students are encouraged to be sociable and try new things rather than just sticking with what’s familiar.

TECHNOLOGY

Holyport College takes a modern approach to learning, with technology integrated across subjects. iPads are an essential part of the teaching approach for students in years 7 to 11, and every student has one with Sixth Formers choosing their tech. Teachers use a system called Good Notes which means work can be monitored and marked live in class, providing instantaneous, more personalised feedback. Classrooms are well equipped with interactive whiteboards, laptops and tablets, and students regularly use technology for research, presentations and collaborative projects. That said, traditional books haven’t been banished to the attic. Exercise books and physical texts still play a visible role alongside the digital toolkit.

AI is beginning to shape the learning landscape here too, but with a measured, thoughtful approach. The school is broadly pro-AI yet cautious, focusing on responsible, ethical use rather than quick fixes. Students are encouraged to use AI as a learning companion rather than a shortcut, generating practice questions, receiving feedback on essays or engaging in debate-style conversations to deepen understanding. AI literacy forms part of digital education and PSHE, with discussions around misinformation, critical thinking and digital responsibility.

Clear policies underpin this approach. Coursework must reference any AI use, and staff can review interactions where necessary to safeguard academic integrity. Leadership emphasises that technology should enhance curiosity, creativity and problem-solving, not replace genuine effort. The overall feel is pragmatic and future-ready: pupils learn to harness powerful tools while still building the resilience, judgement and independent thinking that matter most beyond the classroom.

BOARDING

Boarding sits right at the heart of Holyport College’s identity. Around 40% of pupils board and spread across four houses that feel calm, purposeful and sociable. You genuinely can’t tell who boards and who’s day, helped by a busy school day that runs until around 5pm, a strong sense of shared community, and no packed lunches. Everyone, day or not, has to eat together with all diets and needs catered for.

Younger pupils may share dorms of up to six, moving into smaller shared rooms by Year 9 with a dedicated desk-bed study setup. It has a real university halls feel to it with shared lounges, kitchens and common rooms that students decorate themselves with an annual budget. Cue the random purchases. Crucially, this isn’t hot-bedding or transient boarding: every child has their own space and keeps their belongings on site, providing stability.

I love that real-world independence is really encouraged here. And while daily cleaners keep things ticking over, students are expected to take pride in their spaces and manage their routines – each given scores out of 10 for cleanliness in the morning. And if they hit below a 7? There are consequences. In the form of confiscated phones that is. Unsurprisingly, hoovers quickly make an appearance.

One of the biggest draws for boarding is the clever hybrid model. Families pay for a boarding place rather than individual nights, and younger pupils can start gently with a minimum of two nights a week before building up to full weekly boarding by around Year 9. It’s a huge reassurance for first-time boarding families and particularly popular with locals who want the structure and independence of boarding without losing weekly home life. Interestingly, many pupils who begin cautiously end up choosing to stay more nights once they’ve found their feet.

As for life in the houses, it’s structured but homely. Younger boarders have clear routines, earlier bedtimes and more organised evening activities, from baking sessions to quiet wind-down time with books or audiobooks. Phone-free dinners help build connections, and everyone eats three meals a day together. As pupils grow older, the structure loosens, evenings become more independent and students balance prep with clubs, extremely popular gym trips, external commitments or simply downtime with friends. The transition is designed to mirror real life, gradually shifting responsibility from staff-led schedules to student choice.

Pastoral care is a standout. Multiple staff live on site with their families, and each house has House Masters, a nod to the Eton way of naming boarding staff, with assistants and resident boarding staff, creating a strong safety net. I spoke to some boarders who say the relationships with staff are one of the biggest strengths, describing boarding as feeling more like home than school. Emotional support is immediate, whether after exams or during stressful periods, and staff actively monitor wellbeing, encouraging breaks and balance when needed. They also spoke glowingly about the sense of belonging, the friendships and the independence they gain. It’s always great to speak to confident young people who know their own minds.

Weekends are flexible. Pupils can go home or stay on campus, and while traditional exeat weekends still exist, the school has introduced optional, affordable trips for those who can’t easily travel home, particularly international boarders. Recent adventures have included glamping, city visits, activity camps and food-themed tours, proving exceptionally popular with both overseas and local pupils alike. I wonder why! So, what would the current boarders improve? The food apparently. Well, you can’t please every teen palate! That being said, they can join regular supermarket trips for snack top ups – an unsurprisingly popular outing.

Let’s not forget it’s literally the financially savvy option. Families pay for boarding, but the highly sought-after, catchment-based daytime education itself is state-funded, so for many families boarding is also the most realistic route in. It means you’re basically getting a premium school-level education and opportunities for free. A win, win.

SIXTH FORM

Holyport’s Sixth Form is where the school really stretches its wings. Catering to 16–19-year-olds, it offers an academic curriculum with A-levels at its core, alongside tailored support for university applications, apprenticeships, and careers. Entry is selective at this stage, around half of pupils stay on from Year 11, with pupils expected to meet academic requirements to ensure they thrive in the more independent environment.

The Sixth Form benefits from dedicated study areas, mentoring, and small class sizes, allowing for personalised attention and plenty of opportunity to ask questions (or even challenge the teachers). Beyond the classroom, students can take part in leadership roles, run clubs, or lead projects that give them real responsibility — part of Holyport’s aim to nurture independent, articulate young adults. It’s a culture that values hard work, ambition and academic seriousness without being overly elitist. There are also dedicated, single-sex study areas and Sixth Formers are able to use their own laptops.

Preparation for life beyond school is a major strength and loved by parents. Holyport’s structured “Uniport” programme supports students from Year 12 through Year 13 with everything from subject exploration and super-curricular lectures to mock interviews (including from Eton masters) and application guidance. The focus is high aspiration paired with honest, tailored advice about best-fit universities, apprenticeships and career routes. Outcomes reflect this approach, with strong results and progression to Russell Group universities and regular success in competitive destinations such as Oxbridge, medicine, dentistry and veterinary science, alongside high-quality professional and vocational pathways.

ACADEMICS

Academically, Holyport punches above its weight. GCSE and A-Level results are consistently above national averages, with particularly strong outcomes in the Sixth Form as noted above. GCSE results in 2025 saw 33% graded 9-7 and 80% graded 9-4. At A-Level, 40% of all grades were A or A* and 64% of entries were graded A*-B. As a result, 77% of students managed to bag places at a Russell Group uni or equivalent.

But while the school is academically ambitious, it is their progress measure (a way to determine how much a student has improved upon their predicted grades) that they are particularly proud of. Unsurprising when it is one of the highest in the country (using the Government’s Progress 8 measure) and significantly above national averages. The emphasis, as Head Alastair explains to me, is about helping less confident learners achieve a strong personal achievement and do the best they possibly can. Holyport has also taken a leaf out of Eton’s book with its Honours Board which features the Top 10 in each subject across the school who are particularly doing well at that moment. A great motivator and boost for kids.

THE HEAD

head of holyport college alastair ingall

Holyport Head Alastair Ingall is refreshingly down-to-earth, hands-on, and entirely in keeping with the school’s unpretentious vibe. There are no airs and graces here. A grounded and quietly ambitious figure, you’re more likely to find him teaching Further Maths, refereeing a rugby match, doing lunch duty or chatting to students in the quad than camping out behind a desk. Visibility matters to him, and he expects the same from his leadership team. Knowing pupils by name, understanding their strengths and quirks, and being fully immersed in day-to-day school life is central to his approach.

Peak commuter bragging rights incoming. Alastair lives on site with his family, and his own daughter attends and boards at the school, which gives him a very real, lived understanding of the boarding community and student experience. Before joining Holyport, he worked at Tiffin School in Kingston, where he gained a reputation for academic rigour and forward-thinking teaching. And he wasted no time shaking things up at Holyport – one of his first major initiatives being the introduction of iPads for every student, a move designed to personalise learning, improve feedback and bring classrooms firmly into the modern era without losing traditional teaching strengths.

His broader vision for the school? Evolution rather than revolution. Academics remain a top priority, but alongside that he’s pushing forward plans for a new performing arts centre, expanding 3D art and design technology, and strengthening the co-curricular offering. Underpinning everything are the school’s core values of ambition, joy and kindness, which he describes not as slogans on a wall but as lived principles that shape daily life. No overly polished or performative fronts here. Expect a head who champions student-led creativity (the good, the bad, and the ugly, that is), embraces steady progress and believes schools should feel lively, inclusive and at its core, human.

QUIRKS

How can we not talk about Eton? At first glance it might sound like a shiny marketing box-ticker, but Holyport College’s partnership with Eton College is the real deal and deeply woven into everyday school life. Far from a token gesture, it’s an active collaboration with dedicated staff on both sides holding weekly planning meetings to keep the programme moving, evolving and genuinely useful for pupils and teachers alike. The result is a relationship that opens doors in tangible, practical ways.

Students benefit from serious resource sharing, including access to Eton’s design technology workshops, elite sports coaching and Olympic-standard rowing facilities at Dorney Lake. Academic collaboration runs just as deep, with subject departments sharing training, expertise and curriculum ideas, ensuring Holyport pupils gain from the breadth of teaching and enrichment usually associated with much larger independent schools. Boarding proximity means the partnership isn’t confined to daylight hours either, with regular evening events and shared activities keeping the connection lively and visible.

One of the biggest draws is the extraordinary talks programme. From Year 9 upwards, pupils can hop on evening minibuses to attend a packed schedule of lectures and speaker events at Eton, sometimes two talks in a single evening and running, not just once a week, but four days. You heard that right. Past speakers have included prime ministers, leading female scientists, lawyers and high-profile figures across multiple fields, offering students invaluable exposure to different career paths at a stage when many are still figuring out what comes next. Inspiring, yes, but it also looks ridiculously good on those UCAS applications too.

The partnership also works both ways. Joint events such as the Sixth Form quiz-and-curry nights and mixed-team activities hosted at Holyport encourage genuine interaction rather than a one-sided relationship.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Plenty of schools tick the academic and pastoral boxes, but Holyport has a personality all of its own. There’s a strong house system underpinning daily life and a number of fun events throughout the year. A particular highlight is Nations Day – a celebration of the 80 nationalities that study at the school. Think vibrant food stalls, performances and a colourful flag parade led by the youngest pupil from each country. Add in chaotic pancake races on the quad and community celebrations, and it’s clear that Holyport leans into shared experiences with enthusiasm.

The refectory sits at the heart of that community feel. Teachers eat alongside pupils and there’s even a piano tucked into the corner for the occasional impromptu jam session. Food itself reflects the school’s international make-up too. There’s also a charmingly earthy side to life here. Boarders help grow vegetables, with future plans to grow flowers and herbs as part of a push towards sustainability. The site is also home to (very cute) goats, chickens and a developing pond area. It’s quirky, cool, and adds to that down-to-earth, homely feel.

PASTORAL

Pastoral care is frequently cited as one of Holyport’s biggest strengths, supported by a notably wide-ranging network of professionals. Alongside house teams and tutors, students can access multiple qualified counsellors, a drama therapist working with higher-needs or traumatised pupils, and an NHS-linked mental health practitioner on site. There’s even a school therapy dog! Provision is tiered, meaning help can be scaled according to need, from everyday pastoral check-ins to more specialised interventions.

The school has long embraced an inclusive ethos. Rather than focusing solely on narrow attainment measures, the emphasis is on progress, resilience and helping each child find their footing. Mental health is openly recognised as a growing priority, and leadership has invested heavily in building a responsive, informed support structure.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

At Holyport, mobile phones are present but on pause during the school day. Pupils in Years 7–11 must keep phones and devices (including AirPods) switched off and tucked away in bags or lockers from the start of school until the end of classes, and staff will confiscate anything seen or heard. Year 12 and 13 are expected to model good behaviour, as staff would do, by not using any devices in public rather saving their use for their dedicated common rooms. Boarders and day pupils alike are encouraged to use downtime and social spaces to connect with friends face-to-face, with phones kept out of sight to minimise distractions.

OFSTED REPORT

Holyport College’s most recent inspections paint a very positive picture. The boarding provision was judged Outstanding in the February 2025 Ofsted social care inspection, with inspectors praising the highly effective care, support and safeguarding, and noting that pupils feel safe, settled and well looked after.

The full school inspection in May 2023 awarded the school an overall rating of Good, with several areas, including personal development, leadership and management, and the Sixth Form, judged Outstanding. Inspectors highlighted the welcoming culture, respectful staff–pupil relationships, and the school’s inclusive, ambitious environment, where students are encouraged to thrive both academically and socially.

FEES

Holyport College is a state school for the classroom part of the day, so you don’t pay fees if your child is a day pupil, other than for lunches which are invoiced monthly. For boarders, however, there are fees attached which cover meals, accommodation and most activities. The pricing structure is simple. Years 7 to 11: £18,540 annually or £6,180 per term; Sixth Form – Years 12 & 13: £19,680 annually or £6,560 per term. There’s the option to pay monthly too.

WORD ON THE GROUND

Word of mouth is extremely strong here and it goes without saying that a place at Holyport College is incredibly sought-after. Naturally, a big draw for parents is the Eton connection which provides access to world-class facilities. They also love the exposure it gives students, particularly Sixth Formers, to big names and inspirational speakers – a big bonus on their uni applications. Skills in independent living afforded through boarding is another big tick, helping to transition their kids seamlessly into uni life. Honestly, feedback is pretty glowing across the board. A minority do raise concerns over the facilities on offer, but are rest assured anything that’s not onsite can be accessed via Eton.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: Families open to boarding, and who value character development as much as grades. Holyport College offers something genuinely distinctive, down-to-earth, and very good value.

Not for: Those seeking traditional private school polish and luxe facilities might be a tad underwhelmed.

Dare to disagree?! Check out their upcoming Open Days or join for Wednesday morning coffee and individual boarding tours by emailing admissions@holyportcollege.org.uk.

Holyport College, Ascot Rd, Holyport, SL6 3LE.

Holyport College, Holyport

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