UNITED KINGDOM


context. “The benefits of continuity and academic consistency provided by remaining at the same school are immeasurable,” says Ms Purcell. “This removes the stress of changing systems, languages, climates, cultures and friends, especially in the final years of education, when disruption is least desirable.” This theory certainly holds true when looking at the statistics. According to the 2016 Independent Schools Council (ISC) Census, boarding was far more prevalent at sixth-form than at junior level, and sixth-formers were more likely to board on a full-time basis.


Some 14 per cent of pupils at ISC schools board.


However, at sixth form, this proportion more than doubles to over one-third of all pupils. For junior pupils this proportion is significantly lower, with only 2 per cent of pupils boarding. In addition to boarding’s being far more prevalent at sixth-form than at junior level, sixth-form pupils are far more likely to board on a full-time basis: 92 per cent of sixth-form boarding pupils are full boarders, 6 per cent are weekly boarders, and 3 per cent are flexi-boarders. In contrast, fewer than half of junior boarding pupils board full time. One school that offers boarding for younger pupils is the National Maths and Science College (NMSC). Its Homestay option sees children board with selected families who are accredited and overseen by Aegis, the Association for the Education and Guardianship of International Students. Host families offer a home-from-home environment in which


students have the opportunity to reach their full potential and are immersed in English language and culture. Aegis ensures that students have comfortable beds, food is of good quality, and – most important of all – hosts care about the well-being of their guests.


It is this flexibility of options that really marks out modern boarding from its traditional reputation of stiff upper lip and challenging parental separation. Long gone are the days when families were forced to wave their children off on the first day of term, not to lay eyes on them again until the last. There is a range of residential options to choose from, including full boarding, weekly boarding and flexi-boarding.


FULL, WEEKLY OR FLEXI? “Modern boarding can be a flexible option,” says Antonia


Beary, headteacher of Mayfield School, a Catholic independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11–18, set in the Sussex countryside. “It can allow parents more freedom within increasingly busy schedules while removing the sometimes substantial travelling time from a child’s day, enable children to participate in more sport and extracurricular activities, and allow extra study time.” Full boarding provides residential education for pupils


during the week and over the weekend for the whole term. This type of boarding usually appeals to overseas families and those who would ordinarily have a long journey to the school.


Boarding school, where excellence is a habit


COME AND HAVE A TASTER DAY


• Idyllic 80 acre campus • Outstanding academic success • Within 55 minutes from London and its airports • All boarding on the school campus • 70 leisure time activities • Renowned for its pastoral care • Excellent sporting facilities


Senior School 01227 813 906


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