Boarding for quirky introverts

[blondecat]

Hi All

Our lovely, quirky, over sensitive, super imaginative, introvert thirsty for friends DD wants to weekly board. The place is a day school with a tiny boarding attachment, as in maybe 10-15% boarders. And she could be home every Friday PM and go back Monday early
Am I crazy to consider this?

She is really unhappy at her current day school and there are no close enough to commute alternatives.
they have like 2 boarding houses for girls, maybe 15-20 in each with rooms of 2-3 sharing. So it’s sort of homely if somewhat ersatz

Or is it better to push for a “real boarding school” with nice facilities and good record of pastoral care?

thank you

I have really changed my mind on this. I was sceptical and anxious but now have a quirky ds1 with ASD, dyspraxia, anxiety who is LOVING weekly boarding. He loves the structure and the staff get to know them so well. It is not an uber selective so broad range of kids attending in terms of type, personality, ability. Coed helps with an accepting cohort.
he is at a school with a lot of boarders - I would look at all your options within reasonable distance.we decided against another option that was mostly day as the offer in terms of clubs, activities, socials was much poorer and it felt like a school that was a day school with a few boarders rather than a true boarding school. We also went for small dorms, 3-4 in current year9 , share in pairs in yr10 then own room.
ask if there is a quiet space your dd can go if dorm/social areas are too noisy. Ask to speak to the parents of another quirky or introverted boarders- I asked multiple schools if they would put me in touch with another parent of neurodiverse pupil - some just said no but most tried to do this . Also consider if the boarders are relatively local dc or international.

@blondecat we are in very similar situation with daughter who wants to board for 6th form. @thehousewiththesagegreensofa @HalfSiblingsMadeContact thank you for very useful posts too.
DD quirky shy introvert desperate to make friends and get away from a few alpha mean girls at her current girls only day school. Her siblings board and love it, she chose to stay at home - and regrets it as she sees her siblings with fabulous friends. I am worried it is just ‘grass is greener’ but we are going for it - it is only 2 years (18 months) after all, she can leave and come back to day school if she is miserable and she is quite stubborn when she makes up her mind! We are going for boarding schools with high proportions of full boarders - this means being further away, but we have very little choice geographically. Trying to decide between a very shiny co ed school with amazing facilities and loads of co curricular opportunities that play to her strengths (drama, rowing) and a smaller girls school with ‘the nicest girls ever’ - her quote after a taster. I know many will think that a no brainer (nice girls rule) but she is quite ambitious and weirdly may thrive in a co ed bigger school. Or she may fall spectacularly. Who knows?! I am honestly terrified.

As an ex boarder myself, please know that there are ‘mean girls’ in every school and they would have churned out the nicest girls to spend time with your daughter for her taster session. That doesn’t necessarily mean they will be the people she is friends with. The only difference is you can’t escape the ‘mean girls.’
It’s good she can leave if she hates it though, but please be true to your word on this..

I would be tempted to go co-ed. Our daughter found all girls too intense and is much happier in a co-ed environment