UK INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS


of travel back to far-flung countries, or near the mountains, giving pupils more access to the great outdoors; in the middle of fine cities with all their facilities, or in small country towns where the high street is a safe and friendly resource for young people off site for a couple of hours.”


GLOBAL MOBILITY AND BOARDING But it is for the relocating family that the option of a residential education could be a particularly appealing option. Karin Purcell, of Marymount London, a Catholic boarding school for girls, believes that choosing a boarding education can have very obvious advantages in the global mobility 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.


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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. But, says Ruth Hughes, of Catholic coeducational day and boarding school Stonyhurst, in Lancashire, which was established in 1593 and offers both A Levels and the International Baccalaureate, it is important when choosing this option to ensure that the team in charge of running the boarding houses is trained in boarding management.


“One of the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous schools we’ve ever seen” GOOD SCHOOLS GUIDE


ORWELL PARK SCHOOL Leading Independent Prep School Co-educational Boarding and Day 2½ to 13


t: 01473 659225 e: admissions@orwellpark.org www.orwellpark.co.uk Orwell Park, Nacton, Ipswich, Suffolk IP10 0ER


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