When boarding schools are mentioned to those who have not been through the system themselves or have little up-to-date knowledge of modern boarding, misconceptions and assumptions often abound. They can frequently be based on fictitious portrayals in books and films, where themes such as loneliness, estrangement from family, and uber strict regimes are often depicted. So what is it like to be a boarder in 2024, and how does it differ from what people might perceive or expect? Well, who better to ask than those who are currently in the thick of it?
Family-style support
‘Boarding has been a really positive experience for me,’ says Annie, who has boarded at Ampleforth College in York for seven years. ‘My friendship groups are more like family, and I feel part of the wider school community as we all live together – girls from all years in one boarding house.’
Indeed, many children praise the close bonds that are formed through boarding, and the home-from-home environment it fosters, with peers and staff always on hand to advise, counsel, or just chat.
Francesca, another Ampleforth boarder says the ‘support system’ she has at school is just as good as what she has at home, provided in abundance from her friends, her housemistress, matron, house chaplain and tutors. ‘There is always someone there to listen and to offer advice and help whenever times are tough,’ she explains.
For some children, boarding offers them more opportunities to enjoy extra-curricular activities than they would be able to access if they were day pupils.
‘I get to take part in Model Unites Nations, the poetry society, politics society and do hockey training as well as netball club,’ enthuses Ampleforth boarder Charlotte. ‘It’s so much easier to access these as a boarder as they are made readily available, and it’s a great way to have lots of fun outside of the classroom.’
Nicola Hunter, deputy head pastoral at Canford School in Dorset agrees that boarding helps to ignite a real sense of community and belonging among pupils, as well as widening their leisure and sporting opportunities, but adds that it’s their wellbeing and happiness that is always the main priority for staff.
‘Boarding school life has the care and the wellbeing of every individual child at its heart,’ she says. ‘And boarding provides a safe and nurturing environment where pupils are encouraged to understand themselves and develop emotional resilience.’
A partnership with families
She also agrees that outdated thinking on what boarding involves can cause families to draw the wrong conclusions about what it means to board in the current climate.
‘There are misconceptions such as boarding school means you don’t see your child for weeks on end,’ she says. ‘This is an outdated model and modern boarding looks very different. It’s a true partnership with families, and schools encourages parents to visit for sports matches, concerts and productions.’
Twenty-first century boarding, she says, is ‘truly inclusive’ for the whole family; with programmes of social events for parents, and ‘at homes’ in the students’ houses.
Canford has received awards for its boarding provision, and Nicola believes living-in enables pupils to create a rewarding balance between their academic work and their own interests, through having the chance to be able to use school facilities outside of lesson time to further their academic and co-curricular skillsets.
‘Boarding gives pupils time and space, and a seven-day-week boarding provision like ours means weekends are a time for the houses to get together and have film and pizza evenings, or take part in competitions or quizzes,’ she says, adding that in the summer, ‘great use is made of the house gardens for barbecues.'
More opportunities
Sharing the thoughts of Canford’s current pupil ‘head of school’, who joined as a day girl before switching to boarding, Nicola adds that the social aspects that boarding brings can be life changing.
‘Abi, our head of school, has really enjoyed the social aspects of boarding house life and having the chance to use school facilities to work in the evenings and at weekends, as well as the increased activities on offer; she has led a winning Rifles Cup team, taken part in Ten Tors on Dartmoor and has successfully applied for an army scholarship after university,’ she explains. ‘And when asked how she would sum up what boarding school offers in one word, she said: "opportunity".’
Patrick, a Year 13 student at Ampleforth College is head of his house, St Hugh’s. He concurs that the opportunities that boarding schools offer are immense, and that attending school as a boarder has ‘emphasised the importance of co-curricular activities’ to him.
‘When in the situation, albeit rather out of the ordinary, where you live with 40 other boys in a house, 80 others in your year, or indeed 450 other people in a school, connections and inter-personal relationships are integral to a boarding school life,’ he says. ‘With these connections and little parts of life we share with one another in sports and activities, friendship can be born out of them.’
‘The implications of this are immense. With the perception that one could feel lonely in a boarding school, getting involved in sports and activities, becoming a part of a team, gives you a sense of belonging with people outside of your house and indeed outside of your closest friend groups,’ he adds.
‘And as cliché as it is, by dipping your feet in many different aspects of community, you form mini-families and support networks across school.’
This is a thought shared Dr Andrea Saxel, deputy head pastoral at Cranleigh School, who feels that boarding environments foster tolerance and understanding among students, and an appreciation of what makes a team, and far from feeling lonely, or sad to be away from home, Dr Saxel says that weekly boarding in particular allows children to ‘really get stuck in at school’, safe in the knowledge they will have ‘quality time with their families at the weekend.
‘They have the support of their boarding house staff and tutors in addition to their parents and families to navigate the complexities of the teenage years,’ she says, adding that ‘a boarding experience ensures pupils leave as confident, independent, personable and well-rounded young people who are equipped to make the best of their talents.’
Friends for life
Back at Ampleforth College, boarder Finbar reflects on what boarding means to him, and how he feels when he heads to his boarding house after a hard day of lessons, rather than to his family home:
‘It never feels like a challenging place to return to,’ he says. ‘It’s the place where I have the most fun in the school day, and a place where I can confide in friends – and I know these friendships are ones that will last a lifetime.’
In association with:
The Boarding Schools Association (BSA) is the leading voice for boarding schools in the UK.
bsagroup.org.uk
Find out more:
Ampleforth College, ampleforthcollege.org.uk
Canford, canford.com
Cranleigh school, cranleigh.org
