How many people do you know with children in boarding school?

[Intoand]

Curious about this as, living in London, and having children in school and friends with children in school about how many seem to be looking into boarding or have children boarding currently. Although not a crazy amount it’s more than I would have thought. Two of my friends have children boarding, and another is looking into a girls boarding school for her DD. Some of what I’ve heard has been friends of friends too, but still more than I originally thought.

I have a fair few friends met at Uni who were boarders, but none have chosen that for their children

Loads. My children boarded from age 13, home on most Saturday evenings for 24 hours. Most of the people I know boarded themselves and their children board. My DD has one friend who goes to state school and they are fascinated by how different their school weeks are. I don’t think my DS knows anyone who doesn’t board. We are in Hampshire.

Quite a few. Dd 1 is currently a day girl but is likely to flexi board a few nights a week from yr10 onwards.

Of the families I know of, the vast majority are internationals or both parents have demanding work schedules. Another where the wife sadly passed and the husband worked long hours in the city, so boarding for all four children was necessary.

My dd boarded on a military bursary. It's far more common if military or diplomatic service though less than it used to be. We know others but for specific reasons again

Two (not related)but both for specialist provision (secondary). Their respective parents found it incredibly challenging but knew it was giving both children the very best opportunity.

I know a lot of people who went themselves, but no one who now sends their children to boarding school ... make of that what you will!

None, it’s not really a thing in the ‘true’ north. We have close knit communities with generations living quite close to each other. Boarding school does not fit in with that.

None. The few we know who go to fee-paying schools are all day boys/girls.

Where is the “true North” exactly? Because boarding is often a necessity in the Highlands & Islands.

One family where both their kids board but it’s an international school in the Himalayas, they live in a small Indian village so local schools are not appropriate for their needs. Both are extremely academic, as are their parents.

my mum and all my aunts and uncles boarded, I know another handful of adults who did too.

None.

Oh I see, people are only truly “Northern” if they continue to live in the same place that they grew up in. So my brother, cousins and myself are not truly Northern because we dared to get an education and move to different parts of the country and abroad for work?!!!

I would initially have said zero, but when I thought a bit more carefully I actually know four!

One is an old school friend who now lives abroad but has sent her DC back to the UK to board for secondary. Another is a local friend who went down the prep/ boarding route for her DS. A third lives abroad and her eldest now boards weekly in the same country. And the last one is my old hairdresser, which is probably the most random one (he started attending the school as a day pupil but moved to weekly boarding).

It's becoming a lot less common as the prices increase. DH and I each have a parent who boarded (the others were grammar/private day school), of our siblings only one boarded (for an important year at school when family posted abroad), one family went private, the other didn't. Of our children's generation all have been state educated.

I don't know anyone whose children board but know plenty who have gone private.

Two, and loads in private day schools. Not us though. State schools from day one.

You sound like you want a medal?

Maybe 12 families? IME a lot of people who would have sent their children to boarding school a generation ago now choose indie day schools.

4 including 1 in state boarding.

off the top of my head I know 3 people who sent their children to board and another who is considering it.

I know 2 families and also in our extended family one DC came to the UK for a year to board and get his English skills up to a high standard.

Far fewer than I would have anticipated given that I boarded myself and so did everyone I knew growing up. Not a single one of my childhood friends is considering it for their own children (and I wouldn’t in a million years!) I have quite a lot of cousins who I’m not close to who have maintained it as “the done thing” but there’s been a huge generational shift otherwise among people I know. DH teaches in a full boarding school which is always over-subscribed though, so it definitely hasn’t died out quite yet.

This is similar for us. Many of our friends boarded, none of their children do. We never entertained the possibility.

DMIL assumed we would opt for boarding, and it was tricky for her to understand our choice.

DH's family all boarded until this generation. DH has several older cousins whose kids are now late secondary university age who boarded for senior school. But our kids (late primary to late secondary) and below have not boarded. The money is there, but all have opted for independent day schools/ grammars.

Zero, I'd imagine it's very unusual.
Although tbf I tend to meet Mums at the school gate and various kids activities.
So if the kids are away boarding...I guess they wouldn't be at those things

Oh hang on....that's not true. I know one person who's teenage son is a boarder at a ballet school.

One but they are a military family.