Coronavirus update

Once again, we hope you are keeping well, staying safe and staying at home.

During these strange and unsettling times, with the situation ever changing, it can be hard to strike the right balance between taking each day as it comes and looking ahead to when the storm has passed. The British boarding schools we recommend are doing well on that score, adjusting their offering to best serve their students and the communities around them right now, while also ensuring their Admissions departments are staffed and ready to take applications for this September and beyond.

We have been receiving a wealth of information from the schools about their online learning provision for existing students and the resources they have put in place for prospective students. With visiting boarding schools in England out of the question at the moment, many have created or updated their video galleries and virtual tours, so please do ask if you’d like to explore a particular school; we can undoubtedly find you a suitable link.

Aware of the additional financial pressures for families currently, UK boarding schools are trying to be as flexible and generous as their budgets will allow in terms of fees. Many English boarding schools are reducing fees for the forthcoming summer term to make allowances for the fact that the pupils are not able to be physically present but are taking part in online learning from home. Equally, some schools are agreeing to waive acceptance deposits for new applicants and / or to extend acceptance deadlines to demonstrate more flexibility towards families in these uncertain times.

A recurring theme in the communications coming from a wide variety of schools is that of community, both in the sense of maintaining a sense of community between students and staff via the various online facilities, and in terms of supporting those close to where the schools are located. The latter takes many forms: caring for the children of key workers; offering boarding houses to NHS staff working long shifts or who need to self-isolate; sending cards and video messages to those locked down in care homes, and arguably best of all – donating or even making PPE!

There is also an overriding sense of positivity; most of our wonderful schools have a long history and are looking forward to a bright future, so please contact us to find out more about the British boarding school that could be right for your child’s future too.

Photo by kind permission of Dauntsey's School