EDUCATION WEEKENDS FULL OF FUN
Why is the full boarding option considered so important for some Service families? Jenny Schneider, Director of External Relations at the Dragon School in Oxford, asked the question of parents and pupils of the school.
B
oarding schools have changed a lot in a generation and are now well known for kindness, comfort and a great deal of
fun. They are also, in very many cases, offering attractive options such as weekly or flexible boarding and this can appeal to families within an hour’s drive who can take advantage of a boarding education during the week.
For some service families however, this is just not an option and a school with too many weekly boarders can work to the detriment of those who stay for the weekends. For parents it becomes vital to know, when choosing a school, that if boarding is required it will include full and happy weekends at school. And this is where schools which still offer traditional full boarding come into their own.
years, not only enjoy the huge choice of extra- curricular activities such as climbing, rowing, chess, art, music, cooking but they also have a programme of outings and activities at weekends from den building and bowling to circus skills and inflatable games. And in the boarding houses there are talent nights, cooking competitions, international evenings, fashion shows, pool tournaments and barbeques to share with houseparents and their children.
Parents can be reassured that the fun surrounds a well-rounded and extensive education which boarding fully supports with, for example, supervised prep in the evenings.
As one forces father put it:
“The Dragon is unique as the only truly national, co-ed prep school in the country where brothers and sisters can be educated together until the age of 13 from any posting in the world. It is big enough to achieve weekend mass, there are no small handfuls of children trying to eke out their own fun; the weekend is where their characters are really developed.”
This is not just the parental view – the children themselves are quick to say that weekends are the best thing about boarding. Both parents and boarders also appreciate that a ‘full’ boarding school also offers long holidays and half-terms and regular exeats so that there is a good deal of time at home in a planned and manageable way.
So what is it that makes free time so enjoyable at full boarding schools? At the Dragon the boarders, who range in age from 8 to 13
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“The academic nurture is unsurpassed” said a parent, “A 100% pass rate at Common Entrance is what every parent wants. The school policies are full of common sense and really help the children make the most of their time as boarders.
“Best of all are the staff, from top to bottom they are responsive, thoughtful and deeply caring about the children. The houseparents are available at any time of the day or night and the pastoral care is amazing, the staff are often better than we parents!”
Full prep-age boarding then can offer the perfect solution for some service families: fully occupied and full of fun, it gives girls and boys an outstanding school experience and leaves the parents in the knowledge that when they can’t be with their children they are happily occupied and amongst lots of friends.
Envoy Winter 2013 31
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