Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

How do you justify seding your child to boarding school?

882 replies

sunshine75 · 05/08/2014 19:15

I've read some pretty horrific things lately about boarding schools and the damage they can cause. See this article from the Guardian.

www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/20/damage-boarding-school-sexual-abuse-children

However, I have no personal experience of one and have no close friends who went to one. Therefore, I don't want to be hasty in forming a negative opinion about them.

So, if you chose to send your child to a boarding school then I'm curious as to why you chose to? For example, why did you chose boarding over a really good day school? Is there anyone who chose a boarding school for a much younger child and was this a really hard thing to do?

OP posts:
TeenAndTween · 05/08/2014 22:05

off the top of my head.

potential benefits:

  • great academics
  • good extra curricula activities
  • friends always on tap
  • good for parents who work long or unpredictable hours
  • good stability when parents move around a lot for work (eg services)
  • develops independence
  • long school holidays
  • often single sex, helping to focus on academics
  • keeps teens 'on the rails' by not giving them opportunity to 'hang about'
  • no arguments at home re schoolwork
  • following family tradition

potential downsides

  • you have to have trust in the school to keep them safe
  • not spending so much time with your child, may impact relationship
  • ££££
  • if have friendship problems in school, can't get away from them - more important than ever that the school is 'right' for your child
  • often single sex so child may have difficulty relating to opposite sex

Many schools now do weekly boarding or have 'day boarders'. Things much more flexible these days than 30 years ago. A lot of experiences of now-parents are way different from those of children today. (Think mobile phones and Skype for keeping in contact for example). Also safeguarding much more strong now.

Lots of children go to boarding school and love it.
Some children go to boarding school and hate it.

It's a judgement call for individual parents in individual circumstances, no black or white right or wrong answer.

Maryz · 05/08/2014 22:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Lottiedoubtie · 05/08/2014 22:03

That article is deeply disturbing. But lets be clear it is about the horrendous tragedy caused by abuse in boarding schools. It is not about boarding schools in general.

happygardening · 05/08/2014 21:49

I'm not sure I have the energy to join this debate (I have tooth ache) so think I'll leave it for a while and just watch what happens.

Original poster
sunshine75 · 05/08/2014 19:30

Thanks - I haven't been on here for a while. I will check the thread out.

OP posts:
babasheep · 05/08/2014 19:24

I think people left their dcs in boarding schools because their jobs require them to stay away a lot. Also some parents work hours are very irregular and long, basically use the board schools as childcare. Then they spend quality time with their dcs over weekends and holidays.

goinggetstough · 05/08/2014 19:22

Just in case you missed all the previous posts on this subject:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2015376-If-you-have-a-child-at-boarding-school