A home rather than a house

Some heads share their views on the best things about a boarding education

The best thing about boarding is the other people. They can be the worst aspect too! I have been involved with boarding schools or with day schools that have boarding houses since 1971. The old austerities were disappearing then, but I am struck by the extent to which the good boarding school offers to its boys and girls ‘a home rather than a house’ – the title we give to our own boarding prospectus. Today’s boarders experience a sensitivity, an openness and a comfort which are light years removed from the world of If.

The relatively small number of boarders at The Mary Erskine School and Stewart’s Melville College live next door to each other in an Edinburgh street adjoining a busy day school. It is a far cry physically from the rural acres of the typical boarding school but the essential realities are the same. One of these today is that the physical barriers between the boarding experience and the outside world have vanished. Telephone, television, email and internet ensure this. This creates problems; no boarding school can be ‘sanitised’ against unwholesome influences, however zealously the guard is mounted. For that reason, most of us focus more intently on personal, social and health education which will address the needs of boarders both in term time and in their holidays and university careers, while continuing to attach priority to the inculcation of lifelong values.

In an age of personal upheaval, instant impression and shallow consumerism, a great strength of boarding education is that it affirms community and stability. Our “Class of 1999’ was notable for the excellence of the sixth year groups in both boarding houses, young men and women who contributed a great deal to their respective schools. They had clearly gained hugely from the example and influence of one-another, from learning to look for the best in other people, from the security which they had found in the rules of their extended family and from the values which will had been implicit and explicit throughout their boarding experience.

Patrick Tobin, MA, FRSA,
Principal,Stewart’s Melville College and The Mary Erskine School

From a personal point-of-view, boarders tend to become more confident and self-reliant as a result of living away from their parents, which stands them in good stead in later life. At recent reunions at the school, I have also noticed that borders develop very deep and lasting friendships, as they are continually in each other’s company 24 hours a day, as opposed to a few hours each day for day pupils. At our school in particular, I think that one of the big advantages of boarding is the opportunity to mix with and become friends with children from so many different backgrounds.

As pupils get older, particularly in the sixth form, day pupils often find that they spend too much time travelling to and from school each day, when they could be studying. In this respect, boarding is both convenient and time-saving.
The school has a small number of weekly boarders, whose parents do not generally live far from the school but who, due to work or personal commitments, are unable to look after their children during the week. Again, children are provided with security and stability, but are able to spend time with their families at the weekend.

Mrs B A Evans, BSc, HNC, Headmistress, The Royal Wolverhampton School

The burning issue amongst prospective parents considering a boarding education for their children remains a time-honoured one. Whilst they want to give their children the opportunity to enjoy and benefit from the boarding experience, they are increasingly reluctant to commit themselves to it at too early a stage in the child’s preparatory school career. When a more flexible option is available, then a whole new world can open up. With children becoming more and more involved in the selection process, it is quite natural for their views on boarding to be taken into account by their parents. Institutions that leave the timing of this critical decision to families themselves can look forward to the future of boarding in their schools with a great deal of optimism. At Cheam we have experienced a reversal in the downward boarding trend by offering such a range in our boarding provision – full, weekly and ‘flexi’ are available to all the children (boys and girls aged 7 to 13) and there are relatively few who have not yet sampled boarding in one guise or another. No longer should there be any stigma attached to boarding if both the home and the school are very much involved in the initial decision making process.

Mark Johnson, BEd, Headmaster, Cheam Hawtreys

I have just returned from an evening visit to the boys’ boarding house. Some were chatting about the day’s events – matches against another school – over bowls of cereal, there is talk of last weekend’s overnight trip to the hills, the charismatic French teacher, recently returned from a school trip across the Channel is playing animated board games in a ‘dorm’. There is a lovely atmosphere, they are at ease, at home. And in the girls’ house too there are happy faces and plenty of laughter. Real education never stops, goes beyond the ‘normal’ day.

So much of what we offer is intangible but precious. In our schools standards are high; there is invariably a stimulating range of activity beyond the classroom. Ordinary miracles happen in many classrooms and an enduring love is kindled of art, literature, drama, music or sporting activity. Skills are taught which are invaluable in the world of today – in technology, languages, innovative science, spoken English, personal and social education. But less tangibly qualities are fostered – of initiative, adaptability, a sensitivity to the needs of others; the ability to communicate and get on with people, the determination to persevere and see a difficult task through to fruition. Our pupils, through the rich educational experience we provide come to believe in themselves, to feel a real sense of pride in their achievements, to reach for the stars and to become good citizens.

Recently views have been gathered from former pupils as they reflect on their prep school days:

"I particularly remember the warm, friendly, tight-knit community that enabled you to grow at your own pace."

"There is always someone who cares, who has time to talk and to discuss your day, your work, your hopes, your fears."

"Being given a position of responsibility gave me much more confidence in myself and helped me come out of my proverbial shell."

These reflections speak eloquently of the real difference our schools make in children’s lives.

Mr P H Moody, MA, Headmaster, Hillstone, Malvern College

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