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Original poster

Boarding school????

70 replies

Raebabe · 30/11/2010 19:38

I have been reading the boards for a while now and I have several questions about boarding schools.

Why do you have your children board from age eight?
People are always talking about the schools excellent facilities, What are you talking about exactly?
How much contact do you have with your child?
How many children share a dormitory at the school?
How did you decide on a school?

Sorry so many questions.
Hugs, Raeann

OP posts:
Original poster
Raebabe · 01/12/2010 00:12

I have wonderful memories of my school. I first became interested in UK boarding schools when I was sixteen and read an article of how prince William attended boarding school from the age of eight. The article said that he went home ONLY once per month and slept in dormitories of eight. I guess I do not understand WHY a parent would send a child to board at such a young age. In the USA boarding schools do NOT accept children below the age of eleven. Sorry if I sound confrontational. Hugs, Raeann

OP posts:
ChateauRouge · 01/12/2010 00:13

Here we go again... why are you posting this please?

Original poster
Raebabe · 01/12/2010 00:14

Just curious

OP posts:
WingDad · 01/12/2010 00:14

I'm really lost, what's going on?

Boarding schools.........something about wanking.....a blind person......and falconry?

ChateauRouge · 01/12/2010 00:14

Ah x-post.

Everywhere is different. My father boarded from 5.

Please don't "hug"- we don't do that on here... manly pats on the back are about as far as we go.

ChateauRouge · 01/12/2010 00:14

You love it really WD!

RumourOfAHurricane · 01/12/2010 00:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

strandedatseasonsgreetings · 01/12/2010 00:30

Confused This is worse than the 3,000 posts about a toddler group in Ipswich. It's not my fault I'm always on late at night I'm 4 hours behind you all - this is my peak time.

ChateauRouge · 01/12/2010 00:30

So let me get this straight. .. US schools only accept from age 11, but you boarded in Indiana from age 4?
You see why I'm suspicious?

Original poster
Raebabe · 01/12/2010 03:03

I attended a special needs blind school for k-12 or nursery thru sixth form in the uk.

OP posts:
AnotherSingingMummy · 01/12/2010 03:43
Biscuit
llareggub · 01/12/2010 05:34

Eh? The UK or Indiana?

mummytime · 01/12/2010 07:26

She attended a special needs boarding school in Indiana, and then she gave you the equivalent UK age range.

BTW I know of at least two UK state schools with farms!

jackstarbright · 01/12/2010 08:46

There are also state boarding schools (don't know if they have farms or do falconry).

Litchick · 01/12/2010 08:56

Boarding schools in the UK are not a cogent bunch.

There are now only a few traditional termly boarding schools, where children attend throughout the term getting a few weekends free (exeats)...Eton, Rugby etc
Most of the children there begin boarding at 13, though a few take younger children.
A sizable minority of pupils are from overseas.

More common now, are weekly boarding schools, where pupils board Monday to Saturday, and come home each weekend.

Many prep schools allow children to flexi board ie two or three nights a week. Pupils do it from around ten, though can be younger.

My children do not board but their prep does offer it. The facilities are fabulous.
Numerous sports fields and piches, running tracks, all weather pitches, swimming pools, tennis courts etc. Music rooms, theatre, art studios, pottery kiln etc. IT suites, language rooms, science labs,

Litchick · 01/12/2010 08:58

No falconry.

Shame though, they might be able to do someting about the feckin pigeons at our gaff.

pointissima · 01/12/2010 09:04

Ds has been boarding for just over a year. He started when he was eight. Our reasons for this were:

  1. He is an only child with two working parents. Boarding gives him lots of company of his own age 2)He's quite bright and we were finding that Nanny was not bright enough to help with the homework etc. in the way that all his friends' mothers did. She also just did not understand our educational concerns 3)Communication with his day school was difficult. They (with reason) worked on the assumption that parents would be around at the beginning and end of school days. 4)We're in London: the school run was taking up nearly two hours of his day. 5)He's dyspraxic; and his very academic London school did not deal well with this. 6)His current school has 78 acres, swimming pools, laboratories, theatre etc.; but the facilities are not the most important thing about it 7)It achieves excellent results without being nearly as pressurised as the London school 8)The choice of activities is fabulous. 9)Learning support is fabulous 10)The staff are unbelievably kind: it's a very special and happy community 11)He's making friends from all over the world and (surprisingly)from a broader range of social backgrounds than at his London school 12)The boys have delightful manners 13)It's like Hogwarts at Christmas

As far as dorms are concerned. He's in a cosy dorm of 6, within a house of about 30 boys, all of approx the same age, looked after by a couple who have small children of their own- real family atmosphere

In his first year he came home at 4pm after school on Sat, going back on Sunday evening. This year he has the standard hols, half terms plus two or three long weekends at home each term and we go up most Sundays to take him out for an enormous lunch

reallywoundup · 01/12/2010 09:13

my boarding school had a farm! night-lambing... there was a fabulous excuse to go to the pub! we did also have a 6th form bar! Have to say, my boarding school years were the best of my life and i'd have no hesitation in sending my dc's if they wanted to go.

strandedatseasonsgreetings · 01/12/2010 10:07

To counter balance I hated boarding school and would never send my dd's there. I gave up a globetrotting career partly because I knew I would not send them away when the time came.

In my opinion children are for life not just for Christmas.

But I appreciate people have good reasons for sending their dc's.

MollieO · 01/12/2010 11:10

Ds will board if he becomes a chorister at the local choir school. That would be from yr 4 although he wants to go now (in yr 2).

RedSuedeShoes · 01/12/2010 11:29

I'd be careful about letting him become a chorister too soon if they allow them. DS started in Yr3 (most are Yr4) and it was a year too early. Not from a boarding perspective but from a choir perspective. If I knew what I knew now I probably wouldn't ave gone down the chorister route as academics and instrumental music are compromised. I've had DC's in 3 choir schools between them and this has happened with the choristers in all three.

ChateauRouge · 01/12/2010 11:30

Interesting mollie- my brother's school boarded choristers from 7/Y2.

RedSuedeShoes · 01/12/2010 11:32

I'd also urge you to not choose a school where they are in on Christmas day. It might seem romantic to some parents to have their sweet boys singing in a prestigious choir at Christmas but your son will never get his Christmas(es) back.

matildarosepink · 01/12/2010 11:50

Money is no substitute for love, and all most children want is your time. Shoving money and facilities at children instead of your time and positive attention is a mistake, IMHO. There are other ways to find these things, and to see your children enjoying them as a happy benefit.

(Incidentally, I do see that for some children residential education is possibly the only way to meet their needs for a while. And there are a few children who actually want to go. However, this is not the case for all, and I don't understand parents who just pack them off. Why have your children if you want someone else to do the loving bit?)

RedSuedeShoes · 01/12/2010 12:20

Matilda, you could use the same argument for a mother who goes back full time after their child is 3 months old but I doubt you'd agree with that!