Advice for weekly boarder

[BettlejuicesMum]

My daughter is boarding for the first time this academic year. She’s joining year 9 on a weekly boarding basis.
we have the kit list from her school. But what are some other hints/ tips or advice is there to support her weekly boarding. What sorts of things should I pack that may not be on the kit list. Are there any must haves?

When DD went to weekly boarding I bought a few bits that would make the room feel more homely: battery powered fairy lights, teddy bear throw/cushion, photo frame, extension cord with extra sockets. Also throw in a hot water bottle, battery-powered alarm clock (that doesn’t tick) and a night stand lamp (assuming she doesn’t have one provided). Other useful things - sliders to walk to and from the showers, spider spray (she is arachnophobic) command hooks to hang the fairy lights, bluetack for pictures (a monthly free 40photo printing service is also good at that age) a mug and coaster (and a supply of whatever hot drink she likes) mattress topper. This might not apply to you, but As DD was boarding at 6th form in her own room, I bought a laptop safe for the bottom of the wardrobe to hold her laptop, and also any jewellery she wanted to keep safe when not in use. She also asked for a free standing mirror as there wasn’t a full length one in the room. A hairdryer she can leave there is also useful for when they come home at the weekend. Ditto a wheelie case. Label absolutely everything and don’t choose white bedding for the room - it will become discoloured. I found habitat at Sainsbury’s to be the best at reasonably priced bedding and bits for the room.

Good luck to her in her new school!

have you scoured the school web page?
dgd boarded last year and the list was pretty specific and included all that she needed, a few days/weeks in she had some specific desk organizer requests but the list was complete.
the school also accepted parcels on the girls behalf so i could ship amazon stuff directly to her.
have you looked over this old thread?
Practical advice for new boarders | Mumsnet

Thank you both very much for the replies and advice. The school have provided a packing list but that’s very much limited to the essentials. I guess I was asking what stuff outside the list would you pack to make her down feel more homely and any tips for the transition.
she has a locked drawer/ cabinet - need to see it to know what capacity it has, so I suspect we may do some shopping during her first weekend home once she knows what space she has and sees how other girls personalise their space.

I hadn’t considered things like blue tac or command strips, or an extension lead. So great suggestions and a shopping list written.

just going to look at the link now for other bits of advice.

thank you again

my daughter will be in a dorm with 5/6 other girls I believe. I assumed things like suitcases would come home with me after I dropped her off and settled her in.
i have so much to learn.

The one thing that makes weekly boarding much easier than people expect is keeping a duplicate set of toiletries and chargers permanently at school. Friday packing then takes five minutes rather than thirty, and the Sunday night panic of forgotten items mostly stops. Beyond what the other replies have covered, a small snack supply in the room is worth adding to the list. Schools vary a lot on how accessible food is between meals, and having something in the room matters more than most kit lists suggest. I write about the less obvious practical side of first term from the inside at @boardingschoolguide if that is useful.

That is great advice thank you, I will make sure we have duplicates of toiletries and charging cables because I can already see that problem!

I will go check out your handle too - thank you much

You may need to leave at least one suitcase at school.

When I worked at a school with weekly boarding, most of the boarders had a suitcase at school. That bag stayed in a communal area of the school. Pupils arriving on Monday morning would leave their bag there and retrieve their boarding bag on their way to the dorms either just before or just after boarders' tea. Any boarders who were not staying the full week - some were flexi - would bring their bags to the usual place on the way to breakfast so that they could grab them on their way out to the traffic circle for pick up in the afternoon.

In y9, fairy lights can be so annoying! Especially if she doesn’t have her own room. I’d look and see where she’s going to sleep first.

You only need fairly basic stuff as she’s coming home! You can easily buy any extras when she’s home and she’s a better idea of what she wants. Don’t pre load. My DDs had lockable storage for laptops so suss it out. They really won’t want free standing mirrors in a dorm. Don’t do this.

I would assume she’s bringing laundry home. A lot of weekly boarders do. So a big laundry bag! Plus, line the trunk with blankets in 2 layers. Then take each layer up the stairs to the dorm. If they don’t have trunk storage, take suitcases but make sure you can take sections of the packing out so it’s easy to carry up any stairs.

Any electrical items must be safety checked. You need to know school policy on this.

My DDs had a blanket for snuggling into, a few mementos if home - dog pictures, us etc. A cuddly toy and headphones. You can easily work out if she needs any more informal clothes for the evenings but as she doesn’t have weekends in, it’s pretty minimal really. If the bed is not great, buy a mattress topper. Just don’t go mad until you see what extras are needed because often girls don’t have much space. Mine had lockable tuck boxes for personal items. Has the school suggested these?

Cup noodles!
If late back from sports & can’t be bothered with dining room or dinner is bad!
YY blanket/ bedding from home.
otherwise, as weekly boarding- top up as you go. I guess every school is different in facilities and what is needed or allowed

Dgd has to fully make the bed each am, it’s a small bed pushed up against a wall on two sides with a desk unit/dresser attached. Then to make it harder the girls switch beds monthly to encourage friendships with the entire group. Extra bedding and a mattress topper sounds like a nightmare. But extra tuck is a good plan.

@CostcoFanofThree My DDs never had beds against a wall. They had separate work stations in school so no desk arrangement with the bed in y7-11. Mattress toppers matter if it’s a crap mattress! It might not be of course.

Have just asked DD and she's confirmed mattress topper is essential and a huge laundry bag (as a weekly she doesn't have access to school laundry facilities). She managed to accumulate a full set of second hand uniform over time which stayed at school in case of a brain fart moment when packing to go back.

She always takes a supply of bags for life both for shopping and for bringing books home at the weekend.

Audio books downloaded onto her kindle with secret earbuds were also a life saver for the first few nights.

@MKDmumofflash Yes - laundry bag! Even full boarders need them if the laundry boils everything and it shrinks! Or gets discoloured. Fun days.

Do they still have dorms? The DDs (who went to different schools) both had their own rooms with a bathroom shared with one other. Agree not to go too mad until you see what is supplied/allowed.

@Aydel Further up the school
yes, you might get your one room. My DDs did for 6th form. But y7-11 it’s still the norm to share rooms (4-6 beds) and bathrooms. Schools are not generally hotels. Which schools have en suite for y9’s?

My DDs didn’t like trousers much. They quite liked skirts. Trousers when a uniform are universally badly fitting and often unflattering. My DD2 had a skirt for uniform in Lower 6th. Just plain blue and a plain blue pullover and white shirt. So wearable and not fussy.

@MeetMeOnTheCorner my dgd's school trousers are clownish i've never seen blue and orange plaid look so bad in my life, partially because it's a large print. it's bad, very very bad even if it was possible to fit them properly.

Weekly boarding is much easier on the child and the parents than full boarding. You can top up / take stuff home any weekend.
Take a fun duvet set, ear plugs, teddy bears, blu tac and photos, hangers.

@MrPickles73 Well it’s easier for washing and stuff they need being easily accessible. Whether dc have an immersive experience in the school is another matter. Weekend activities are off the agenda and my DDs loved their weekends in school. Parents might be taking dc back in for sports and drama rehearsals for example.

My boys both have Loops earplugs. They don’t often use them but I think having them helps in case there’s a snorer! One of mine has a mattress topper as his mattress is a bit hard, but the other one’s mattress is lovely and soft so doesn’t need one. Maybe take one in the car and you can stick it on if needed.
I send mine with sticky name labels too. But the main thing I’ve learned is not to take too much in as stuff goes in over the year and in July you get a mountain of stuff back that you forgot about and have to deal with it!

@MeetMeOnTheCorner our school doesn't run that much at the weekends and we have a full on range of hobbies at home (DS is on an Olympic pathway) so more than happy to come home. Horses for courses.

@MrPickles73 That’s a sad thing when too many flexi board. My DDs loved weekend rehearsals and house suppers, days out and even the odd bit of lounging around in the grounds! It got them fully engaged in school life and they had access to art studios too.

@MeetMeOnTheCorneras I said, both of mine had their own rooms, DD2 from year 7 and DD1 from year 9 (when they started boarding). DD1’s “dorms” were an upstairs study bedroom and a downstairs study bedroom with a bathroom between the two. DD2 shared a bathroom with two others but by year 9 it was one bathroom between 2. Some of the flexi boarders at DD2’s school shared a bedroom but all of the others had their own rooms.

Dd boarded and mostly we just sent the listed items at first but the parents Facebook group was helpful for extra. Tuck boxes were a must, but dd had a kitchenette on her floor for instance. Dd was full boarding

@Aydel That’s fairly unusual for y7 though and if a school had hundreds of boarders, it takes a vast number of buildings. My DDs liked friends around them in y7 and onwards (way more fun) and I don't think they would have liked studying on their own. The study rooms with work stations suited them. However if OP’s DD IS sharing, she needs to consider others, electrical equipment rules and not having so much stuff your space is a mess and your lights etc annoy others. Keep it simple until there’s a general consensus.