I attended Wycombe Abbey School, a British girls' boarding school, from the mid 70s to early 80s. It's academically first-rate, on a par with American schools such as Exeter, Andover, St. Pauls, etc..( I went on to Smith College afterwards and found it intellectually understimulating after WAS. ) It's very
conservative, traditional, and no-nonsense-but less intimidating than other British girls' schools such as Roedean, Cheltenham Ladies, etc.. You go to Wycombe Abbey to work VERY hard. The girls pride themselves on their stamina which enables them to deal with the pressure-cooker atmosphere.
Girls are also expected to engage in many extra-curriculars, play ay least
one instrument, and do volunteer work. The sports teams are also superb,
but non-athletes aren't stigmatized, just baby-sat in basic gym classes while
the athletes are discovered early on and put into teams. The facilities
and grounds are breathtaking. The school is now much more racially diverse
than it was in my time, but, alas, still not socioeconomically diverse. I loved
the school (its a family tradition to go there, even though we're American)
but as a gentle soul, I sometimes found it overwhelming.