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Schools with a military history
Several schools in the UK have a military history, for example, Queen Victoria School (QVS), The Duke of York’s Royal Military School (DOYRMS), The Royal Hospital School (RHS), Pangbourne College and Gordon’s School. All these schools maintain their military connections and are proud of their military background. Apart from Queen Victoria School, they welcome applications from boarders without a military connection, although many boarders come from Service families.
These schools have a strong Combined Cadet Force (CCF). Each school will have different entry points for the CCF and different lengths of time a boarder is a member of the CCF. You can clarify this on your visit to the school. Because the military has such strong music traditions, these schools are also strong in music and not just in their military bands.
As with choosing any school, boarders and their families should ensure they have all the information they need about the school. Initial research can be undertaken on the school’s website and you will want to visit the school. Before the visit, you should draw up a list of questions specific to the school.
Schools with a military history have strong reputations, but you need to ensure the school is right for your child’s skills and interests.
Being a boarder at The Duke of York’s Royal Military School (DOYRMS) since September 2020 has been a new experience for me. The school has quickly become my home away from home where I have made new friends. The pastoral staff – my houseparents, matrons and tutors – helped me to settle in very quickly. Like all my friends, I was nervous about starting a new school (especially a boarding school when I would be away from my parents) but from the first day here I felt secure, cared for and inspired.
I have enjoyed all the lessons with science becoming my favourite subject because of the experiments we get to enjoy in the laboratories. There are many clubs and activities to take part in and we even have our own athletics track, indoor heated pool, fitness suite and two climbing walls! When new students arrive at the school they are issued with their own laptops which has been really useful in the classroom, prep and free time. We get to take these home with us during school holidays too. There is wi-fi throughout the school and we are allowed our phones during free time so keeping in touch with our parents is easy. In my boarding house, I share my dorm with other girls and we have made very close bonds – I know we will be friends for life. There is lots of space in our boarding house including day rooms and quiet rooms and we have access to games consoles, Sky TV and lots of DVDs. The school’s dining hall reminds me of Hogwarts from Harry Potter and it serves very tasty meals. We go to breakfast, lunch and dinner as a boarding house, but the whole school eats together which makes us feel like a large Dukie family. As everyone is a boarder at the school, sixthformers are on hand to help us and there are always staff around if we need them. Since starting at DOYRMS, I have learnt so much in my lessons but also useful life skills such as making my bed. My parents are really proud to hear from the school staff about my hard work and determination, and my teachers believe I am working above my predicted grades. Overall, I have loved being a boarder at DOYRMS because of the friends I have made and the new experiences on offer.
Life as a boarder at Gordon’s
I’ve been a boarder at Gordon’s since Year 9 and am now in Year 12. My parents live in Dubai. It was my first time boarding but I got used to it in two weeks! I would recommend boarding to anyone. There are always distractions, extra activities and a structure that makes you do work on time. I love living with the other girls. There is always someone there. They’re your mates, like family and some nights it’s like having a big sleepover! There are really enjoyable things you can do, like going down to the sports hall and playing volleyball, the sixth-form quiz – that was great fun.
When I first arrived, I was in a dormitory with other girls but now I’m in sixth form and there are 20 of us sharing a boarding house with two or three to a bedroom. While the boarding house staff nearby are always on hand and keep an eye on us, we have our own kitchen and living room, and we are responsible for our laundry and keeping the house tidy. It’s really given us more freedom and more responsibility – and it sets you up very well for university.
After 7.30pm when we’ve had prep and supper, everyone mingles with the different boarding houses. Sometimes we play volleyball or dodgeball. Some people like to use the fitness suite then. There is always something to do or somewhere to go. You make lifelong friends when you board and I love that I am doing something all the time.
