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Best boarding schools near Ealing

Our local expert guides you through the boarding school options that make most sense to Ealing families, from nearby preps to leading senior schools across London and the home counties.
Eton College Chapel at sunset

Ealing has no boarding schools but they abound to the west of the borough. A short journey along the M4 and M40 and you are very much in boarding school territory. Not many locals choose this style of education for their children but those who do find no shortage of conveniently located options.

Boarding prep schools near Ealing

London has little to offer when it comes to boarding at this age. There are the choir schools – St Paul’s Cathedral School, Westminster Abbey Choir School, Westminster Cathedral Choir School – all in central London, offering boarding for choristers and others who are keen.

Boarding preps in the M4 corridor appeal to west London families due to the ease with which parents can get to matches, concerts or bring children home for the weekend. St John’s Beaumont, St George’s School, Windsor Castle and Sunningdale School all fit the bill. Caldicott, Papplewick School and Lambrook School go the extra mile for returning boarders with a Monday morning minibus back to school from Chiswick.

Choristers of St Paul's Cathedral singing in the cathedral stalls
Choristers of St Paul’s Cathedral, St Paul’s Cathedral School

Boarding senior schools near Ealing

There are only a few boarding schools in London, of which Harrow School (boys) is exclusively full boarding. St Paul’s School (boys), Westminster School (coeducational sixth form and soon to be co-ed throughout) and Dulwich College (boys) offer boarding. Marymount International School (girls) in Kingston and Mill Hill School (coeducational) offer attractive weekly and flexible boarding as do several of the inner London independent sixth form colleges (Mander Portman Woodward, DLD College London). Kensington Park School offers boarding from 13-years-old, although most boarders are from overseas. Leavers from Durston House – Ealing’s most prominent prep – mostly go on to day schools but a few gain boarding places in Berkshire, Surrey and Bucks or even further away eg Eton College, Marlborough College, Winchester College. A few country schools now offer flexible or weekly boarding to suit London families – see Hurstpierpoint, St Edward’s Oxford, Caterham School, for example.

Neurodiverse children who need more support can board at Bruern Abbey Prep in Oxfordshire or at the senior school in Buckinghamshire where they receive additional help for specific learning needs as well as enjoying all the sports and extra-curricular benefits of a traditional boarding school. A weekly bus leaves London from Sloane Square and stops along the A40 for pick up.