Boarding

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.

Young people’s physical and mental health and wellbeing are in the spotlight a great deal at the best of times, perhaps never more so than at this time of year while they are sitting exams. With boarding schools being in loco parentis, the onus is on them to ensure their students are supported to stay healthy in every way and we have recently heard from several how they do this.

As spring gradually transforms into summer here in the UK, some of the British boarding schools we work with look to their own transformation during the long summer holiday, when they offer English language courses to short stay students.

These courses aren’t just an ideal way to give international students’ English language learning a boost; as the summer schools complement their academic offering with all the sports and other activities available on and around their campuses, this is the ideal “taster stay” for any child considering a longer placement in a British school.

Roedean School has recently upcycled an existing boarding house with study facilities for Year 13 students into a Sixth Form Centre where both Year 12 and Year 13 students can socialise and study.