UK Boarding Schools
From UK Independent Schools
Boarding schools
Boarding schools range from day schools with a handful of boarders to boarding schools with the occasional day pupil. A large number now offer weekly boarding as a half-way house or flexi-boarding, which enables pupils to stay at school on an occasional basis, to fit in with their activities or their parents’ diaries.
What is on offer varies considerably. Quite obviously there is very much more time to present a full educational programme, including outdoor, sporting, cultural and community activities, than there is at a day school. Good boarding schools capitalise on this and, if they take day pupils as well, may expect them to be there late in the day and at weekends; inefficient ones, or those with few boarders, may ignore the weekends and evenings, leaving teenagers at a loose end.
Boarding makes especially good sense to parents if there are no suitable day schools within reach, if you are likely to move during critical periods of your child’s school career or if your work makes it difficult to manage children at day schools. From the child’s stand-point, you need to make sure your child is happy with the idea, particularly if there are problems at home. Some children are very independent and will flourish in a boarding school; others may be homesick, feel rejected and become demotivated. Quality boarding schools offer a taster boarding experience - worth considering if your child is undecided about boarding. It is also worth thinking about:
Distance: most parents choose a UK boarding school that is within about 1½ hours’ travelling time of home (you can easily stay in touch, support the school’s team etc). If that is impossible, is there one close to grandparents, friends or relations?
Schedule and extra-curricular activities: what is available, especially at weekends, and how much of the day is scheduled and organised? Is it geared to boarders or day pupils? Are children free to pursue their own interests as well as those that the school regards as appropriate? What sort of contact is there with the local community or other schools? Are they allowed into the local town - accompanied or unaccompanied?
Home contact: does the school provide sufficient telephones and good e-mail facilities for boarding pupils to contact their family and friends?
Food: more important for boarders who cannot rely on daily supplements from home. What other food can they buy and cook? What are the house kitchen facilities?
Houses: meet the house staff. Are there sufficient and suitably qualified staff to offer the right level and type of pastoral care? What are dormitories and other rooms like? How much privacy do pupils have? Are they allowed into dormitories/bedrooms during the day? Are bed-times sensible?
Exeats: how many and for how long? Are they fixed or flexible? What if you want to take your child out of school at short notice, or before the end of term? Is weekly or flexi-boarding available and how widespread is it? Do the boarding houses empty out every weekend?
Sickness
What provision is there for ill children? Is there a nurse on the premises and a nearby doctor on call?
