Full boarding at Brighton College - weekends

[Lookforward25]

DS got accepted into Brighton College, full boarding (we live abroad). I have some reservations about the fact that many boarders leave on Friday, hence the weekends may be lonely. Any views (especially if you have full boarders there)?

I have no experience of Brighton College at all, but do they not have lessons on a Saturday morning and compulsory matches on Saturday afternoon? If not, I would imagine you're right that the place will clear out.

Thanks. No lessons on Saturday there. There are indeed matches, but I heard local boarders still prefer going home on Fridays and going to matches from there.

Ask the school for numbers of full boarders who do stay for the weekends. Not sure what the boarding arrangements are there but some schools put boarders into their own house or have all boarders’ accommodation together, and some will mix the boarders and day pupils in house. If it’s the latter then I would also ask how many full boarders staying weekends are in your son’s house because that can lead to very small numbers around over the weekend. Also ask for lots of detail about the weekend routine for those who are around, some schools have more going on and occupy their every moment and some don’t.

i had this. Was depressing. In the end I become a weekly boarder as weekends were just so lonely and truely boring.

@BlueyDragon , the school has shared with us there are about 150 full boarders stay and join for activities over the weekend. There are about 90 boarders in Year 9, so probably around 550 in the whole school (given it expands at sixth form), ie roughly 1 in 4 stay over the weekend. So we are trying to gauge how that feels… Thanks for the good idea to check it full boarders are concentrated in a particular house or spread across

Thank you, @Emiliana52 , for sharing your experience.

Hi, despite professing to be full boarding and charging an eye watering resulting annual fee, Brighton College is absolutely not a full boarding school, and it should not be viewed as such. A full boarding school will have exeats only and Saturday lessons, as well as scheduled activities on a Sunday. Not only does Brighton College do neither of these, but as it is in effect a weekly boarding school, they need to cram all that academic and co curricular work (and the academic pressure is significant), into only 5 days rather than 7 as a full boarding school would. A child needs to be ready to accept that pressure. There is a lot to be said for a full boarding school where both academic and co curricular provision can be spaced out over 7 days.

The full boarders share rooms with weekly boarders. Lots of weekly boarders stay in Fri for matches rehearsals or open days and some go back sun evening too.
about a third of the year in our house are full boarders. Weekly day and full kids all mix with ease in friendship groups

Thank you for sharing your perspectives and experience, @Runningupthathill1980 and @Cruisinforcroissant .

@Cruisinforcroissant , would you have any recommendations on the boys house to prioritize in our preferences?
thanks again!

I have a girl so can’t help with boys houses I’m afraid. We toured all houses to get a feeling and when asked for preference made our pitch. We got our first choice house as did almost everyone I’ve spoken too. House events are often Fridays and there seems to be whole house Sunday events which also keep weekly kids keen to be flexible about when they are in school.

Thanks, @Cruisinforcroissant !