There are 36 unique schools in England and Wales which combine a high quality state-funded education with parent-funded modern boarding facilities. These state boarding schools are often described by those in the know as ‘education’s best kept secret’.

State boarding schools have traditionally been the educational choice of many Forces’ families based overseas, who wanted a stable environment and high-quality education for their children. They found that state boarding schools provided the ideal solution – state-funded education and the provision of boarding facilities in a modern, caring environment at reasonable cost.

Word spread, and now state boarding schools provide an attractive option for many UK-based families too. The schools vary enormously. Parents can choose one which is primarily a day school, with just 40 or so boarders, or a school which is primarily a boarding school with up to 500 boarders. They can select one where their child can take an International Baccalaureate, one where they will have ensuite bathroom facilities, or one with a strong religious ethos. They can pick a school within shouting distance of the Lake District or one within the M25. They can opt for a school with outstanding sports facilities, or with a strong reputation for music. The choice is theirs and their child’s.

Weekly boarding options are an increasingly popular aspect of state boarding schools, especially for busy parents who want to be sure that their children are being educated in a safe and stimulating environment and where there is plenty to do in the evenings. Many parents report that weekly boarding has strengthened the bond with their children and ensures that family time at the weekend is ‘quality time’ free from hassles about homework.

With a typical boarding fee at a state boarding school being around a third of the cost of fees at an independent boarding school, boarding in the state sector is affordable for more families than is often thought.

So long gone are the days when children were ‘sent away’ to boarding schools where a climate of fear flourished amongst the spartan facilities. Not only do state boarding schools these days pride themselves on their pastoral care, their facilities and the strong partnerships with parents but, most importantly, the students themselves love their boarding experience, many describing it as ‘living with friends’.

The State Boarding Schools’ Association (SBSA) provides information and advice to families wanting to find out more about state boarding, raises awareness of state boarding as an education option and lobbies for greater recognition of state boarding schools in the political arena. Melvyn Roffe is Head of Old Swinford Hospital in Stourbridge and chairs SBSA. He speaks unequivocally about the prospects for the sector: ‘The state boarding sector has been both overlooked and undervalued in recent years, but at last people are beginning to see what it can do for thousands of young people and their families.’

Finding out more
A visit to the SBSA website will give general information on state boarding, illustrate the geographical spread of SBSA schools and give information on availability of places. There are direct links from the SBSA site to all state boarding schools so parents can look in detail at each of the schools on offer. Visit www.sbsa.org.uk to find out more today.

Copies of A Parents’ Guide to State Boarding can be downloaded free from the website or obtained from the Boarding Schools’ Association on 020 7798 1580.

To contact SBSA on other boarding issues, please contact:

The Boarding Schools’ Association
Grosvenor Gardens House
35-37 Grosvenor Gardens
London SW1 0BS
Tel: 020 7798 1580 
Email: bsa@boarding.org.uk

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