State Boarding Schools

[Lone4anger]

Would it be unreasonable to suggest that the government should invest in state boarding schools?

Everyone bashes on about private schools as though they don’t bring any money into the economy and are only used by the wealthy - the schools close to me have quite a few overseas students as well as pupils with parents on benefits to the super wealthy - the overseas students have to employ a UK based family to host the children; accommodation is paid for by the parents when they visit; shops, restaurants receive money from the tourism.
If only 7% go to private school charging VAT will not raise the money that is expected.
If the plan is to charge overseas students more, they won’t come to school here. Smart schools will do outreach programmes & set up overseas hubs.
Also, for those parents who use boarding schools - whether they are in the armed forces, have a challenging home life or work just means they want somewhere consistent for their child(ren) - what will they do?
we should advocate for state boarding schools to take over private schools - therefore the education is free, you only have to pay for the boarding element. This means that those who require the boarding element will not be left high and dry.
is it unreasonable to advocate for more state boarding schools?

Ripping children from their families and putting them in institutions is hardly the ideal… even if the very wealthy do it, most people would prefer to raise their children not outsource the task to strangers.

Not every child lives in a nice two parent middle class household in a leafy green suburb. There are plenty of children growing up in rough urban environments at risk of exposure to county lines/gangs etc. For some of them state boarding is a better option.

One of my eldest DCs friends had a younger very severely disabled brother. Her parents took the decision (and she was consulted and in favour) to send her to board at 11 so that she could benefit from not being a young carer and develop her own interests and hobbies that the family with the best will in the world were simply unable to take her to.

Teenagers with very heavy extra curricular schedules - eg national pathway athletes, high level musicians and dancers etc often benefit from boarding to allow on site training without disrupting their education with constant time off and more time to practice without the need to commute to school.

Ripping children from their families and putting them in institutions is hardly the ideal… even if the very wealthy do it, most people would prefer to raise their children not outsource the task to strangers.

Some people just don't love their children. "Education" is just an excuse, unless circumstances are really extreme.

Pls help a confused mother. My son has been granted a bursary place in a state boarding school, I was expecting it to be an independent boarding school as he was in a prep independent school for 2 years before being offered this school (Holyport college). I am thinking what is the point of sending him to a state boarding school if I am capable of raising him at home and he can go to a state Day school. Should I take the offer or not.

I assume you applied for a place at this school? Are you close enough for him to be a day pupil at this specific school? If not is your nearest state school as good as the one you’ve been offered? But I agree if you have no reason for him to need to board (ie living abroad or in the forces) then I don’t see the benefit.

They’ve been around for years. When I was at school in Somerset a few of my friends went to Sexeys.

My dad worked at a state boarding school for years and it was a great school. However, he said there were loads of pastoral issues including drugs being taken in the evening and allegations of sexual assault. I would rather keep my kids with me! I agree it’s hard to make work and childcare fit but surely this is a bit extreme? My dad also worked all hours and his wife was the boarding house mistress there. They were on call a lot and I don’t know how many teachers you’d find willing to put in these hours.

I am thinking what is the point of sending him to a state boarding school if I am capable of raising him at home and he can go to a state Day school

Agreed, I would not see the point of boarding in that situation. Its a poor second choice to living at home with a loving family supporting you.

When you say “I was expecting it to be an independent boarding school”, what do you mean? Did you not apply to the school? I live local to Holyport College and it’s very sought-after. Some parents will agree to their child weekly boarding just so they are able to attend the school. But it’s not for everyone, obviously, and there are lots of other state options locally, depending on where exactly you are - Desborough, Furze Platt etc.

On state boarding, I’m broadly in favour (I briefly considered sending my son to a boarding state grammar, and will think about it again in Y9). And I have a friend who
is very involved with, and evangelical about, Christ’s Hospital, which isn’t state but has a similar function in that it funds bright children in need through an excellent boarding education. But in the state sector I’m not sure it’s where the money is most needed at the moment.

We are in catchment for a state boarding school and my child was offered a place there despite us putting another school (closer to where we live) down as our first choice.
We turned it down.

The boarders have created an enormous drug problem at the school. There’s no way I would send my child there.

Boarding houses need the staff to support them. State school teachers don’t appear to have or want to take on that capacity from what I have observed.

Thank you for your message, I didn’t apply for the place. He is under a charity organisation who helps children from a low income gain exceptional education. He was placed in an independent prep school for year 7 and 8. Now, he has been placed to to a state boarding school to start his year 9 in September till 6th form.

Thank you very much for the idea. We are very far from the school, I will check out my local schools to compare them.

If the school has such a good reputation and is better than local options it might be worth considering. Dd was a day pupil at a state boarding school and no drug problems. There were boarding house staff who were seperate to the school teaching staff and provided pastoral support and practical support and lived in.

Interesting way of looking at boarding education. So you don't see the benefit of boarding for lone parents, parents who work shifts, difficult home environments, parent(s) who may have to work overseas or army parents? For all these scenarios your answer is the children are being ripped from their families?

There are support staff as well. As for drug issues - there have been several incidents at my local state school as well as all the usual bullying and other safeguarding issues. The advantages of boarding are that, like in the old days, the sporting activities are part of school - you don't have to do drop offs / pick ups etc especially if you are in straightened circumstances or have other demands. The children get a chance to socialise + learn to live with other people, learn to live with rules. It is not right for every child and also, as some have suggested, it does not mean you don't love your children. As with any school, parents visit with their child, look at the facilities + ask the questions.

Oh, even if the school didn’t have the problems it does, there’s absolutely NO WAY I’d have let my child board!
If you don’t want to do school pick ups and run around for sports fixtures, don’t have children!

I imagine it's also pretty hand for DC that live very rurally...e.g. Shetland Islands.

I have relatives who used to be weekly boarders for high school (14-18, not in the UK) because otherwise it was just too impractical to get to school 2h+ each way and sometimes impossible in the winter due to the snow.

Yes. Shetland children used to board on the mainland .. not sure if they still do that.

As said, it isn’t for everyone. However I would not blame parents who decided to board.
You are obviously in a fortunate position judging by your vitriol towards those who have a different opinion to yourself. I understand that for you it wouldn’t be an option but at least have the ability to see that not everyone shares your view/is in your circumstances. For some the option of boarding means their children can have a stable environment, or it can offer their child opportunities which they might never have thought they would have, there could be any number of reasons. To discount them in the way you do is not helpful.
I am going to turn off responses for this thread as I think all opinions have had fair hearing.

I think it’s worth exploring as a policy for children in certain circumstances. An alternative to the care system but keeping families intact. Kids who might be vulnerable to county lines etc. You’d have to be careful they didn’t turn into children’s homes

You really think a Dr/nurse/midwife/air steward/pilot/paramedic/delivery driver/teacher/postal worker/bus driver or 1000s of other professions shouldn't have children because they might not be able to do all school runs and might have to find over-night care occasionally?

Or is it actually a brilliant idea to have a familiar, safe, place for your child to stay over-night a few times a year if you have to work abroad occasionally? Or stay once a week while your on a night shift?

People everywhere need to find childcare. Sending a child to boarding school to make life ‘easier’ is not an option for me.
Everyone else can make their own choices of course. But this is how I feel.

The number of parents sending their children to board for an 'easy' life is minimal. They do exist, but not many.

Most state boarders are there because their parents' jobs mean they need some element of overnight care, or continuity of education, or social care.

Either way... there's no need to insult parents and say they shouldn't have children.

It’s easy to say that people “shouldn’t choose to have children if they don’t want to look after them” but the reality is that once you have, it’s not a decision you can revert. I suspect there are far more parents than we realise who have children and then realise they aren’t really cut out for the job of being parents, or haven’t bonded with their children very well. Whilst lower income parents in that situation will just muddle along as best they can, being anything from entirely inadequate to distant and emotionally unavailable, higher income parents in that situation may well opt for boarding school to provide the stable, nurturing environment they can’t.

Though I don’t think that’s the majority of parents who choose boarding by any means: most do so due to complex working patterns, being military, for specialist education, the challenges of living in a remote location, or because it’s cultural: it’s what people of their social class and income level have always done, and what they’ve been raised to see as the perfectly normal way to get an excellent education.