Can't afford uk boarding schools any more. Alternatives please

[Letsgetouttahere2023]

Simply cannot afford/ justify the cost of uk boarding schools. No parental help self funded, it is / will kill us. Would love to try and replicate, happy to move abroad to do so (we can wfh /internatinal jobs)

. 3 girls all brilliant all rounders, but particularly sport talented (hockey). 12y 11y 9y old.

Looking at re locating abroad . English only fluent language
School the priority for relocation, we can easily sort job post covid

Any recommendations For Schools? Not sure where to even start!

Thanks

It’s hard to say. What’s your total budget?

This might be my favourite ever thread. Hilarious.

I have always thought boarding schools were really orphanages for rich kids.

I went to a boarding school and loved it. I am not anti-boarding. But if you can’t afford it, you can’t afford it. You definitely wouldn’t afford it in Switzerland, and I can’t really imagine where you could afford it. Africa, probably, but it might not be quite the experience you’re looking for.

If your children actually are brilliant, they’ll be fine wherever you send them. Stop dreaming of things that are out of your reach and focus on the real world.

Why would children who don’t board be glued to a phone for hours every evening, not socialise and have phones in their room at night? If that’s how you parent your children, then that is on you. The vast majority of us have kids in school during the day, pay for clubs so kids are busy and socialised, and let them have friends round. We limit screen time and no phones in bed. Parenting choices can still be made when parenting your own children, paying for boarding school isn’t the only way to do it.

Your priorities are weird but South African boarding schools would fulfil your criteria - about a third of the price of UK, modelled on British public schools and under sporty

@Letsgetouttahere2023

if you can’t afford or OP, you can’t afford it.
thems the breaks 🤷‍♀️

p.s they totally will have access to social media at boarding school

But the hockey, what about the HOCKEY!

I have an amazing way of getting my kids educated, playing sport, and not being on their phones at midnight.

I send them to school, the local state school (could have chosen private but I don’t have the funds ). When they want to play sport I drive them there, which has the added bonus of me being able to watch their matches. And at bed time I take their phones off them.

I think that ticks your boxes OP, and it’s free!

Are your children already at boarding school? 9 is quite young these days.

I can't really offer a decent suggestion for reasons that others have outlined. However, I would suggest that you go back and re-think your rationale for boarding. The only way to truly make sure that your children are screen free and emersed in edifying culture and experience is to be at home with them. Boarding schools are less supervised than you think. My friends who boarded had a great time (they were older), but they were having fun taking drugs and sleeping with their boyfriends! Their schools and parents had no idea....

Royal Alexandra and Albert State Boarding School - beautiful grounds with ponies but very cheap fees

Yes plenty of decent ones here.

Some are very expensive too.

Quite a big move and adjustment for everyone just to keep the dc in boarding though.

You can have an 'immersive education' experience without it being boarding school.

Have rules around social media use.

Choose a school which offers after school activities.

My daughter's school day is 8.30am to 5.15pm.

Exceptional sporting opportunities.

Something like 150 extra curricular clubs and activities.

I’m a not bemused that you have so low an opinion of your own offspring, and your own parenting that you think the only alternative to an adolescence hooked on social media is to farm them out to be raised by a commercial institution.

The great majority of day educated kids I know are well-balanced, socially included in their communities, and with an interesting range of hobbies that most boarding schools wouldn’t cater for (DD loves Scouts, parkour and very high level music at a specialist London music Saturday school that would not be an option at a boarding school). The only child I know of DD’s generation in full boarding is socially awkward, with quite a boring and limited life experience (except, according to DD he does know loads about certain class B drugs).

Just do you and your kids a favour and parent them at home.

If boarding school is so important, it’s hard to understand why you chose to have three children? It must be financially ruinous putting all three through boarding school without help!

If you get the answer lmk, asking for a friend x

@Letsgetouttahere2023

also op… do you not have a life?! I.e family, friends, hobbies etc where you live now? Do you really want to give them all up for boarding school?

I have a friend who was sent to boarding school as a teen under similar circumstances by that I mean when her parents couldn't afford it. To make it affordable her parents pushed her to obtain a 50% scholarship ( which she did). The pressure was way too much for her she hated it ran away multiple times, ended up depressed and suicidal.

Her parents caved and allowed her to return home when she was 15. From there she attended the local grammer school ( oh the shame of a state school). She excelled living at home without the pressure to obtain the scholarships ect.

If you can't afford it just send your children to a day school be that private or state. There are many with excellent options

If you want a non-state school, you could look at independent day schools. Lots of them are academically respected, with good sports and extracurricular options.

Or, and this may be swinging to the other extreme, home education? There are virtual schools covering curricula, then you find local sports resources. As their school is also their home, you can create the immersive environment of your choice and your own rules about phones, etc.

Move to India? English widely used and good uni. acceptance. or more realistically, a good day school?'

I honestly think this is a joke? Please say your winding us up!

She only wants to see them for the occasional weekend, HE is hardly going to fit the bill

Lay off the OP, she's posted on the BOARDING SCHOOL board, not AIBU.

I really do not understand mumsnet, the op has posted on the boarding school topic and is slated about sending her children to boarding school!! ?? And corrected on their grammar...It's the same on style and beauty .... maybe sit back and think would I be so insulting in real life?? NO