A 21st century guide to boarding school life

Wellbeing and mental health have long been a priority at good boarding schools, says Tom Rogerson, headmaster of Cottesmore School in West Sussex, a preparatory school for four to 13-year-olds.

"The days of the stiff upper lip are long gone," he says. "Pupils are now encouraged and expected to express their feelings openly and freely."

In some schools, including Cottesmore, the entire adult team is trained in mental health, and there are sophisticated diagnostics and processes in place to deliver help to those who need it.

"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the children are safer at a well-appointed boarding school than at home, due to a plethora of trained medical experts available in the form of school nurses, matrons, and boarding 'parents',"  says Mr Rogerson.

"Doctors visit the schools regularly, and some boarding schools' medical facilities resemble state-of-the-art hospitals."

Newcomers are often given a "shadow" or a "buddy" upon arrival who will look after them for the first few weeks.

"In many boarding schools, you then become a peer pastoral mentor for others as well as being assigned one yourself, so that you always have other pupils to talk to." 

In addition, a pastoral or form tutor is usually on hand to help with a pupil's logistical and emotional needs. 

Weekends and free time

In traditional full-boarding schools, Saturdays are typically a "normal" busy day, with lessons in the morning and sports matches in the afternoon, while Sundays are usually devoted to leisure time.

"Sundays are an amazing opportunity to bond and have fun together: the week can be hectic and busy, so it's a wonderful time to be more leisurely," says Mr Rogerson.

"Having said that," he adds, "children and young adults are much more used to being entertained every hour of the day, so the culture has changed somewhat in the last decade.

"These days, Sundays are often filled with fun trips and excursions like laser tag and go-karting."

There is typically plenty to interest pupils during their other free periods, such as evenings and lunchtimes. 

At the Royal High School in Bath, a school for girls aged three to 18 with boarding from age 11 which is part of the Girls' Day School Trust, there are over 80 activities on offer to students at lunchtimes and after school, including dance, music, art and sports clubs.

As children get older, they are given more independence, and - depending on the school's policy and location - will be given permission to leave the school grounds unaccompanied. 

For those students daunted by the prospect of spending a whole week away from their parents, there is usually the option of flexi or occasional boarding for just a few days a week.

What about homework?

"Prep is supervised for younger pupils and unsupervised as they grow older and are encouraged to develop independent study skills," Jo Duncan, head of the Royal High School, says.

Community life

Living as part of a community can often take a bit of getting used to, especially for children used to being the centre of attention. But the skills you learn from this experience can set you up for life, according to Mr Rogerson.  

"One of the most important lessons that boarding teaches you is that you exist as part of a whole and that the world does not exist solely to serve you," he says.

"You must contribute to the society of which you are a member. The fun you have will only match the effort you put in; you are part of a wider team and the success of that team relies on your contributions and your good character to thrive."

At day schools, parents will often leap in to solve their child's problems for them, but boarding-school pupils need to learn to be more independent. 

"To fight your own corner in a controlled and caring environment is worth more than any amount of lessons on calculus, oxbow lakes or Milton," says Mr Rogerson. "These are experiences that all good boarding schools should give their pupils - and do." 

It is this lesson, he believes, that is behind the success of so many ex-boarding-school pupils.

"If you choose to fully engage with boarding-school life, you will have enormous amounts of opportunity to practise and perfect these skills before you reach the wider world."

But boarding school is not just about the community inside the school, points out Jo Duncan, head teacher at the Royal High School.

"Our girls also go out into the community to help others - whether it is volunteering at an old people's home or helping to run activities for younger children from other schools."

Curriculum

Independent boarding schools are not bound to follow the National Curriculum, with different schools choosing to follow their own curricula as they see fit. 

However, schools are regularly inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) to ensure that pupils' studies and pastoral care are of a high standard. 

As well as traditional GCSEs, many boarding schools now offer iGCSEs - an internationally-recognised qualification that prepares students for the International Baccalaureate as well as A-levels.

"We find that the iGCSE often gives the children a broader range of knowledge in each subject area, and they are often more challenging. But that is not always the case, so we are guided by the subject specialists in each department," says Mrs Duncan.

"Girls may often end up, therefore, taking a mix of iGCSEs and GCSEs."

In sixth form, some boarding schools offer the International Baccalaureate instead of, or as well as, A-levels.

"The IB enables pupils to study a wider range of subjects instead of specialising at 16 – and is therefore popular with students who are undecided about their future path of study, or who are interested in following a joint and diverse degree-course at university, or who just prefer the course to A-levels," says Mrs Duncan.

Sport and extra-curricular activities

Most boarding schools provide a wide variety of facilities for extra-curricular activities, such as sports fields, music rooms, theatres and swimming pools. 

After school, there are usually a variety of clubs to keep boarders occupied - from sports and academic clubs to performance arts, dance and music clubs.​

While many think of boarding school as having a very academic environment, most strike a healthy balance between life within and outside the classroom.

"Everything we do here – from sport to music to drama, to all the many activities available – contributes to the academic life of the school and the development of our pupils," says Mrs Duncan.

"Life for a 21st century boarder – as it is for our day pupils – is about far more than what they achieve in the classroom.

"It is about the all-round experience they have and the opportunities and challenges which help them to develop into rounded, independent and confident young adults.

'They aid pupils' personal development ahead of university and work years, and invaluable skills are learnt along the way - including resilience, confidence and self-awareness. All of these skills are highly valued by universities."