I can only comment on the girls boarding houses of which there are 2.....both very nice. Our background. We live 50 minutes away and when we started boarding was definitely boarding with a few exeats. The school is in the middle of change with weekends being more relaxed. Saturday mornings are now a chance to go to specialist catch up sessions and afternoons sport and matches etc. It is a bit more sophisticated than that but that is the general idea. Is it working and is the school empty at weekends? It is a work in progress, DD likes it as prep can be done or better understood. She often wants to stay in at weekends as there is a lot going on, house revues, concerts, plays or just being with chums and away from those nagging folks! I can't really comment about the boys houses. Don't forget with certain geographical boundaries boarders can go into the shopping centres, use local restaurants or go to the beach etc. DD doesn't feel it is any quieter than it used to be but only a few more terms will tell.
This was all instigated because it was felt parents couldn't bear to away from their wonderfully charming, undemanding and mature 16 year olds and other weekly boarding schools such as Hurst and Brighton were scooping up all the numbers. Once Eastbourne cottoned on to the fact others were offering places in yr 6 and Common Entrance was being quietly strangled and they needed to do the same, the penny dropped. I understand boarding is full next year. I believe overseas numbers are capped and it appears to be enforced (no evidence but word of mouth). Yes there are Chinese, a very few Russians, Spanish and German but this is genuinely a British school in my view.
With regards to the hollistic pledge .....yes, I think it is true. The rounded product really is the aim in our experience....if you want a hothouse, definite 3 A's at A-level and aggressive go getters, look elsewhere. There are many like this at Eastbourne but they have developed been with the help of the school and not because of it. Charm is important.
The one thing I don't think the school does so well is sell itself (too vulgar?). Because it is so spread around one doesn't take it all in with one sweep of the eye. Go to Benenden, Hurst, Cranleigh etc you are confronted by an impressive (oppressive!) edifice. Eastbourne is a bit more subtle. Bear that in mind when you look around. I am still finding buildings I have never noticed away from the core area.
To digress slightly, one thing a lot of people don't think about is the fact that no new friends are going to live south of the school! This cuts down the mileage when ferrying to friends houses/parties around the bazaars during the holidays. Sounds minor but when you have to do a 50 mile pickup at midnight....it becomes a priority.