A Boarding School for Cheshire Families

At St David’s College, a mainstream independent boarding and day school for pupils aged 9 to 19 between the mountains and sea of North Wales, families can access an exceptional education in one of the UK’s most inspiring locations.

A boarding experience that fits modern-day life

Boarding has evolved. Today’s families are looking for flexibility, independence and experiences that prepare their children for the future, and St David’s offers exactly that. You can choose between weekly or full boarding, or a direct bus from Chester that operates Monday to Friday.

For busy parents commuting between Chester, Liverpool, Manchester and London, boarding provides reassurance that their child is thriving in a safe, supportive environment while enjoying a rich and fulfilling school life, rather than juggling the demands of jobs, commuting and traffic.

Friday afternoons become the start of something special. Collect your child and, instead of heading straight home, go west together and explore Anglesey’s beaches, the Menai Strait and the coastal paths.

Weekly boarding: the week at school, the weekend at home

Weekly boarding is the option that makes a North Wales school work for Cheshire families. Your child boards Monday to Friday, with evenings of sport, clubs, supervised prep and friends, then comes home for the weekend. No 7am starts, no motorway in the dark, no homework battles at 9pm.

Full boarding is there for families who want it. Read more about boarding school life at St David’s.

Learning outdoors in North Wales

Our 30 acres sit around Gloddaeth Hall, the Grade I listed home of the school and once the seat of the Mostyn family, with the mountains of Eryri on one side and the coast on the other. It gives pupils room for the kind of education most schools can’t offer.

Pupils go rock climbing, abseiling and paddleboarding, sail dinghies on Llyn Brenig and take a keelboat out on the Menai Strait, and find out what they are capable of when the answer is not sitting neatly on a worksheet. Our Year 10 expeditions are heavily subsidised by the school, so they are more accessible than many parents think.

For Cheshire families the geography works both ways: close enough for an easy daily journey, far enough to feel like somewhere else entirely. Pupils leave the noise and pace of the city behind.

Getting here from Chester

By car. About an hour from Chester, almost all of it on the A55 dual carriageway.

By our direct Chester bus. A school bus runs Monday to Friday, picking up at 7.20am from the Sainsbury’s car park on Whitchurch Road, Chester, CH3 5QJ, and returning there at around 5.45pm. Places are booked in advance, subject to availability. See the direct Chester bus route for full details.

St David’s is a realistic daily option, not only a boarding one.

Support for every kind of learner

Some families come to us for the setting. Others come because their child is not thriving where they are, and the schools nearer home have not been able to help.

St David’s College is a mainstream school, and we are non-selective, with no entrance exam. Classes are typically 12 to 15 pupils, so teachers know every pupil personally. Our teachers are trained in multi-sensory methods, and the approaches that help pupils with dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia are used with everyone. See specialist dyslexia support and our whole-school learning support.

In 2025, our pupils achieved a 96% pass rate across A levels and BTEC Level 3, with a third of grades at A*-A or Distinction*-Distinction. Leavers that year went on to courses including Medicine at Cardiff and Chemistry at Edinburgh.

Fees and bursaries

We publish our fees in full, by year group and inclusive of VAT, because you should be able to work out affordability without making a phone call. There is a 10% sibling discount, discounts for the children of clergy, service personnel and Old Davideans, a monthly payment plan, and means-tested bursaries. See fees and bursaries in full.

Chester and Cheshire families: your questions

How far is St David’s College from Chester?

About an hour by car, almost entirely on the A55. There is also a direct weekday school bus from Chester, leaving Sainsbury’s on Whitchurch Road at 7.20am.

Is there a boarding school in Cheshire?

Cheshire has far more independent day schools than boarding ones, so families wanting mainstream boarding often look just outside the county. St David’s is about an hour from Chester on the A55, in North Wales, and offers weekly and full boarding.

What is the best boarding school near Chester?

That depends entirely on the child. If you want a large, academically selective school, there are several within reach of Chester. If you want a small, non-selective school where classes are typically 12 to 15 pupils, the outdoors is part of the curriculum, and learning differences are understood rather than tolerated, come and see us. The best way to choose is to visit and compare.

Can my child board during the week if we live close by?

Yes. Weekly boarding means your child is at school Monday to Friday and home for the weekend, which suits families who are near enough for the Friday pick-up.

Are there dyslexia-friendly boarding schools near Chester?

St David’s is registered with CReSTeD as a Dyslexia Specialist Provision school, with specialist provision for dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties built into mainstream teaching, in a school that still expects results. It is about an hour from Chester, and boarding means the support carries on into the evening rather than stopping at the school gate.

What are the fees?

Day and boarding fees are published in full by year group on our fees and bursaries page, along with the discounts above.

Come and see us

We hold open days throughout the year, about an hour’s drive from Chester and worth the morning, and you can arrange a personal tour at a time that suits you. Book an open day, request a prospectus, or read how to apply.