Boarding

Continuing this little series, the next question is, “What makes resilience so important today and how can boarding help to build it?”

So, what’s boarding life at a British boarding school really like? We’ve just received this lovely YouTube film of our student Taya, who talks about her experience of life at her boarding school in the South of England, Leighton Park.

For the second blog in this series, we asked two boarding schools in England’s South West, “Have you adopted vertical or horizontal boarding across your boarding houses and why is your chosen model best for your students?”

1. Relative cost. Boarding schools in the South of England, around 1 to 1.5 hours from London, tend to be the priciest, as easy access to the Capital means they are often popular with British families whose children board during the week and return for the weekend, even if only for a Saturday evening every other week or so. Boarding schools in the Southwest, in regions such as Cornwall or Somerset, in Wales, and in the North of England and Scotland are often more reasonably priced, as they are rather more remote and not quite so accessible – supply and demand!

We understand that not everyone wants to commit to completing their education at an English boarding school. Therefore, recent news from Rossall School about their short stay option this summer is a welcome addition to our portfolio.

Just after National Boarding Week, here’s a quick round up of places to read more about being a boarder in a British boarding school.

Our own website offers an overview of the benefits of boarding here in the UK, while almost all the schools have a page outlining their provision. Here are a few you might find interesting.

Westonbirt has always been a fantastic option for girls seeking a truly traditional British boarding school experience. Set within a stately home rumoured to be the most expensive built during Victorian times, the school is surrounded by 210 acres of beautiful gardens and landscaped parkland in the heart of the Cotswolds and has to be seen to be believed. Following its recent transition to coeducation, and with 40% of Key Stage 3 made up of boys, Westonbirt launched boys’ boarding in September 2021, so that same experience is now available to all children.

The ongoing pandemic is making this a difficult time for all of us. From governments to individuals, we are all trying to find a balance between safety and relative normality, especially for our children. Fortunately, the British government recognises the importance of in-school education, so our schools remain open and we are impressed by how well they are adapting their provision and policies to accommodate the needs of families from all over the world.

Towards the end of May, the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA) launched its Covid-Safe Charter. This is a voluntary code, aiming to give confidence to everyone that the school is following all appropriate measures to ensure that boarding is a safe environment for pupils.

Member schools choosing to adopt the Charter must guarantee to meet all its requirements. These include measures to be undertaken:

We were delighted to receive a copy of West Buckland School’s first International Newsletter at the end of last term, especially as it reported their nomination for Boarding School of the Year in the TES Independent School Awards 2019.