Exate boarding schools

[Neweternal]

If the school is closed during an exate, what do parents do which are abroad? My son may be attending a boarding school which I believe would suit him perfectly other than it’s an 16 hour round drive away. Exate seem to be every 2-3 weeks are they usually compulsory? I could fly and we could stay in a hotel together near the school. I would appreciate any advice pleas? I’m a single parent with no family so it’s not like I could split the journey.

I think they go to a friend or family member/guardian if their parents are abroad.

At my Ds’s school the overseas students stay at school for exeate weekends. They are only expected to go home for holidays.

My best friend was a boarder at my primary school, she was an international student and used to come to our house on her exeat weekends. This was the norm, if we couldn’t for some reason she would go to another friends house.

The anticipation would be that your son would stay with a friend, there will be other children in the same position. Exeat weekends were once a month, and we also had my friend to stay at half terms as wasn’t worth travelling all the way home

An exeat is a permission to leave - they're not compulsory.

Yes, they are usually compulsory.

So yes, you'll have to factor in the travelling. But as you say you're abroad, the school will require a UK based guardian. They could share or cover all the exeats. That's why if you're likely to ask family, the standard advice you'll often see posted on MN is to look for schools that are a convenient joirney for them. If no family and you need to employ a guardian, make sure you have one who is prepared to cover exeats from your chosen school.

Once DC has been at the school for a while and made he might get invited to spend exeats with their families.

They shouldn't call them exeats if they're compulsory. I think the term they're looking for is 'school closures'. But I suppose that doesn't sound as good?

I can see your worry, OP. There are schools which don't close - or as pp says, you'll need to travel, have a guardian, or hope he gets invited out by new friends.

They usually have provision for those that can't leave but actively encourage to go with friends at school if there is no one else to go to.

"Strongly recommend they have a break from school life"

We only had one each half term and they weren't compulsory. Sounds like you'll need to know the details from this school specifically.

Those without a local guardian could stay in, but normally were invited to stay with someone else. School tried to be good by organising e.g. shopping or cinema trips for fun for those left behind but no one rally wanted to be.

Perhaps you can plan to travel and stay in a hotel for the first one until he's made friends and then hope he gets invitations which you could reciprocate during half terms/ longer breaks?

Thank you for all the replies we are not actually abroad just the opposite side of the country. Looks like exact at this school are school closures although I see they do a coach to London which might be fine as it easier to get to just to have a weekend together.

How are boarding schools about children going home alone via a direct train route? I noticed coaches to the local station are only for senior pupils only and my son will be 11. Would they allow a taxi to drop him off at the train station and to board a train independently to save me a very long journey collecting him? Obviously I would be waiting at the train station at the other end and my son would be comfortable doing this.

I realise this is far from an ideal location although school wise it is the perfect one for him due to his hobbies and talents.

Yes, schools are usually fine about teens travelling independently (with parental consent). You'll need to ask your school for its exact policy, especially for 11-13yos