Eastlife Spring 2020

EDUCATION
Benefits of
Boarding
Written by Simon Lockyer, Head Master at Royal Hospital School
www.royalhospitalschool.org
The idea of a child going away to boarding school can
be daunting, especially for parents who will experience
an A-Z of emotions about making such a decision.
Although a child might seem hesitant at first to live away
from home, the majority take to it very quickly and soon
find life as a boarder is like one long sleepover with their
friends and most never look back.
Independent schools offer a child the chance to experience
inspirational teaching, an extraordinary range of
co-curricular activities and the opportunity to develop
friendships that last a lifetime.
What are the differences between
day and boarding?
When it comes to the day to day education, there is no
difference and every pupil takes part in a full timetable of
lessons together with the chance to experience a huge
variety of co-curricular activities from sailing and singing
to the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and Combined
Cadet Force (CCF). However once school is over for the
day, boarders head to their respective boarding houses
whilst day pupils go home for the night. It is at these
times and over the weekends the role of the house staff
and tutors come into play providing opportunities to play
with friends, enriching activities alongside downtime.
What options are there for boarding?
In days of yore, boarding used to mean dropping your child off at
the start of term and not seeing them until the holiday. However,
modern boarding allows families to tailor their choice to match
their busy lifestyles.
Of course, for families who live abroad or where both parents
work full time and travel on a regular basis, full boarding is the
ideal solution. This means a child stays at school seven nights a
week, going home at half-term and holidays.
However, there are numerous alternatives such as weekly boarding,
three-night boarding and even’ boarding bundles’ where parents
buy a given number of nights in advance, using them on an
ad hoc basis during the school term to fit in with their schedule.
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