I'm a boarding school house parent! AMA!

[BoysAreEasier]

What it says... :)

Would you put your own young children in boarding schools?

What do you think about 'boarding school syndrome' problems that are documented?

Personally, no, I wouldn't but I do understand why people do.
I can see how it works for some families.
I think boarding schools are a lot different to how they used to be. Ours is like a family unit, the boys are really happy and secure.
Alot of day boys end up asking to board as they feel like they're missing out.
So, I like to think the boarding school syndrome doesn't really happen as much now...

What age group? What proportion boarders to day at your school? Do you have weekly boarders? That always seems like a good compromise if viable.

In my boarding house we have 60 teenage boys, age 14-18 years. Only nine are day boys, no weekly boarders. Most boarders are from too far away to be weekly..

Why do you think parents send their children to boarding school?

Do you judge parents that choose to board their DCs without distance being the deciding factor?
Are there any boys who tell of unhappy home lives that make them prefer boarding and how do you handle that?

Why did you not immediately question the term ‘young children’ used by a poster above?

Do you have young children as boarders at your school?

I was sent to boarding school as my mother was dying.

@DreamingOfSunshine
Lots of different reasons - some just because it's the norm, their parents / grandparents went to BS. Some it's a cultural thing.
Others for the education, the 'status' and opportunities it gives them.
Also a lot come from military families. They are moved around so much its stability for them.

@marriednotdead
I don't judge, everyone has their own reasons, I just do the best I can to make sure their child is safe, happy and protected.
Yes, there are some with very unhappy backgrounds but I feel they're better with us.. Some I'd take home with me if I could!

@GeorgeTheBleeder
I assumed it was a hypothetical question, we take boarders from 11 years old. My DD is 14 and I'd send her as a day pupil if I could afford to. The opportunities, class sizes, sports and environment is amazing. Unfortunately I can't afford it, even with the staff discount ☺️

My Dad went to boarding school, it was only a 20 minute drive away but he really liked it and was happy. DGM remarried and they didn't want him around so boarding school was a great place for him. He's still best friends with two fellow boarders 45 years on.

@littlemeitslyn
That's sad, sorry to read that. Did you resent being away for that?
We have children with very poorly parents, that's always quite hard to handle

Why have kids just to send them away? Don’t tell me to get a good education don’t have children just to send them away! Yuck!

Sorry may have jumped the gun! I just don’t understand why I apologise

I know people who adored BS and some (actually, only one) who hated it. The ‘why have children just to send them away’ attitude is so narrow minded. To each their own (I would have loved it and would send a child if I thought they would benefit and enjoy it).

(That wasn’t meant for you SinglePringle!)

@growuppeople
There are definitely some cases where I completely agree and BS really isn't the place for them.
There are also cases where kids have stopped making friends because they know every couple of years they'll be on the move again (army) so BS gives them security and lasting relationships.
Yes, you can get perfectly good education in state schools, not doubting that at all.

How easy is your house to break out of? We used to jump out of a first floor window to carry on partying and would then spend the dawn hours aimlessly wandering round the city waiting for the house to open again

No worries George 😃

How easy is it to break out of the house? We used to have to jump out of a first floor window and shimmy down a drainpipe to carry on partying after curfew.... amazed that most of us survived without too many serious injuries.

Oops! Posted twice - sorry

@knockout
Ha! Hopefully not as we're four and five stories up! We are a boarding house of 60 teenage boys though so plenty of things happen at night as you can probably imagine (and we probably don't know about!!)

XH and siblings lived five minutes walk from their prep school, they actually asked to board as they were missing out ~and hated their Mum~ - this is from Year 3.

What would you say are the negatives of boarding?

What hours do you work each week and how many weeks holiday a year do you get?

What's your typical day look like?