Marcus Peel describes how a modern, flexible approach has transformed the boarding experience for young pupils at Orwell Park School

Whilst I was chatting with a famous young climber and visitor to Orwell Park School, he noted that some of his memories of preparatory school brought on feelings of fear and loneliness akin to those he felt after the interrogation part of his SAS selection! Having spent only a short time in our school he was bowled over by the wealth of opportunity enjoyed by its children and the school’s totally flexible approach to boarding.

For the majority, gone are the days of seeing your parents only at holiday times and on one or two stipulated weekend days. Regular interaction between boarders, part-time boarders, their parents and their teachers, is the norm. At OPS children aged seven and up can choose to board just one night a week (Fridays are very popular!), for the entire week, or for any number of days during the week.

Many children board Monday to Friday but break the week up with Wednesday at home.The older day pupils can be at school from 7.30am until 8.30pm on a regular basis, even later for the many and varied calendar additions – concerts, lectures, public speaking competitions, reading competitions, inter-house maths competitions, play performances, summer camps, discos (yes, discos twice a term in the middle of the week!), and so on. Those few children whose parents do live a long way away are invited out by their peers on a regular basis. As a preparatory school boy myself, with my father in the services, a distinct memory is the wonderful weekends I spent at the homes of friends.

For children who stay for the weekends there is a full programme of activities. Teachers, matrons, kitchen staff and GAP assistants work hard to make each weekend an enjoyable and meaningful experience. Cinema visits, bowling, concerts, shows, visits to the seaside, air show, a number of sporting fixtures are just some of the many activities offered across the year. Of course, there is time to relax as well. One hundred acres of grounds with golf course, squash courts, an outdoor swimming pool and a sports complex: it is all there for the children to enjoy, should they wish. As many parents have noted… “It’s a holiday camp!”

Long gone are the days when boarding was austere and something to be endured, indeed I have witnessed children begging their parents to let them board for a night or two a week. On the odd occasion I have found myself, as Boarding Housemaster, threatening children with not being able to board if they can’t behave! The excitement of finding out what life is like in the dorm, visiting the Boarders’ Common Room – with its comfortable chairs, TV, DVD and video players, air hockey game, pool table, games consoles, hot chocolate and extra goodies on certain nights – waking up to a one-minute journey down the stairs to breakfast and your place of endeavour and knowing that Mum and Dad are not far away and that you will be able to report all your news to them in person, very soon, has brought a new, pragmatic, user-friendly dimension to boarding. All the fun of a sleep-over, but with the sleep! ‘Lights out and no talking’ (of course this will, thankfully, never be totally achieved –it’s part of the challenge and fun!) largely ensures that the children have the routine of a good night’s sleep, something they most definitely need after the long and fulfilled days we challenge and entertain them with.

Of course there are moments of unhappiness; where on earth are there not? What our pupils then have is a massive support mechanism, both from a dedicated, vigilant, experienced and caring staff, and most importantly, in such a happy school, their friends. Sport, music, drama and art run through the heart of the place but lest you should think that we’re too much of a soft option – those old fashioned virtues of honesty, kindness, self-discipline, honour and selflessness pervade all that we do. We don’t take it for granted, we work at it! In a school with a strong boarding ethos it is now up to the child and parent, not the school, to decide how much ‘exposure’ you might benefit from. The smiles, openness, happiness and naturalness of the children – and the parents – say it all.

Click here to search for Boarding Schools & Colleges.
Click here to promote your school or company.
Click here to purchase the guide.