New to private school year 9

[Oodledoodle1]

Has anyone had experience with a child starting private school as a flexi boarder. My son is starting in year 9 in September. He already knows a few pupils at the school and is really looking forward to starting, although understandably a bit nervous. As this is all quite new to us and happened fairly quickly, I’d really appreciate hearing from others who’ve been in a similar position.
Did your child settle well into flexi boarding, and did your initial worries ease over time? He can stay up to 4 nights a week but ideally he’d do 1/2 nights a week initially!
Thank you in advance

DD started flexi-boarding (3 nights per week) in Year 9 and took to it like a duck to water - as did almost all of her friends - no homesickness at all. I think flexi-boarding is very different to full or even weekly boarding, in that you're never more than a couple of days away from being back home. In addition, we told DD that she could always come home whenever she wanted - she didn't have to stay on 'boarding' nights if she didn't want to - she only needed to call and (as far as we possibly could) we would go and pick her up. She's only done this a handful of times, but it feels important that she knows she's able to - I never wanted her to feel that she was trapped at school.

That is great to hear thank you for commenting! We have said the same to my son that he doesn’t have to and at any point he wants picking up we will! Very reassuring, thank you

Kids are all different and I'm sure you'll play it by ear, but honestly it's been the making of DD. It was all her idea - we live 30 mins from school so she was initally registered to be a day pupil, but, after a visit in the term before starting, she announced that she'd like to give flexi-boarding a go mostly because the boarding houses had a dog.

We had serious doubts and privately gave it a fortnight, but it's been a huge hit. It means she gets nearly all of her homework done at school and home can just be home - no nagging about homework. It's encouraged some real independence too - three days a week there is no one making sure you've remembered your glasses and filled your water bottle, and she can now change a duvet cover like a ninja. And honestly, what do most kids do after school these days anyway? They sit on their phones doing God knows what. There's none of that at school - they get their phones for half an hour in the evening, but the rest of the time is fun and games - optional activities (sports, performing arts, crafts etc) or just hanging round in house having a lark with 50 other teenagers and the young and hugely fun house staff. I have gone from a boarding cynic to a massive fan (at least for teenagers and for flexi).

one inconvenience that i had not planned was cold and flu season, it really went through the boarding house like wildfire last september. rather than homesick be prepared for drippy noses coughs and fevers and being sent home for 72 hours.
dgd seems very happy as a flexi, bedmaking like a pro and starting next week in charge of her own laundry!