11 minute read
Foreword
Lieutenant Colonel Matt Woodeson
All parents have important decisions to make on how and where their children should be educated. Schooling is a key factor in preparing young people for the rest of their lives and parents naturally want to make this a positive and successful experience for their children.
For parents in the Armed Forces, decisions about schools are even more challenging. For many Service families it is impossible to achieve a settled education in a day school. There is often a stark choice to be made: should we choose to keep the family together – with regular moves of both home and school, sometimes in remote locations with limited facilities or overseas, and with the inevitable disruption to friendships formed by the children – or should we opt instead for boarding, which will mean the family is separated in term time?
There are financial implications in this decision too, and these need careful consideration. As with all other major purchases, we have to establish our priorities in the context of our careers and lifestyles. Decisions we make about our children’s education will be influenced by the changing conditions of service as the Armed Forces transform. Increasingly over the next decade, most members of the UK Armed Forces will be permanently based on the UK mainland. This change will encourage and support greater family stability, incorporating longer tours and fewer relocations. There will be new incentives surrounding house purchase and a greater integration of regular and reserve service. As these changes take effect, it is likely that fewer members of the Armed Forces will meet the conditions for the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA), although it will remain available for those who do meet the criteria. These changes, however, will allow more families to maintain lives where both parents can pursue careers and so will be able to fund a private education for their children without public assistance.
The choices parents make about their children’s education are some of the most important, and the most personal they will make. As a former boarder, I benefited from a boarding life along with my brothers and sister. Our parents thought long and hard about our education and they settled on boarding for all of us – each of us was and remain very different from the other. Our parents have no regrets about sending us to board. We thrived in the stability of friends and teachers and benefited from the wide range of experiences that boarding life provided. Boarding definitely shaped our characters for the better. My own sons will also be offered the opportunity to benefit from a boarding education if they choose it. As the Chair of Governors at the UK’s largest state boarding school, I see the benefits of a boarding education first-hand.
I commend this Guide to you. It introduces a very wide range of schools, covering a variety of locations, educational philosophies and specialisms. It provides an excellent start to the research you will want to carry out and will enable you to concentrate on some preferred options. There are also articles which will help to prepare the family for visits to schools and make these more focused.
Matt Woodeson joined the Army in 1997 after studying for his first degree at The University of Ripon and York St John. As a member of the Royal Anglian Regiment, he has seen extensive operational service and trained all over the world. He has held a number of Regimental appointments and served on the staff at a number of Brigade, Divisonal and Operational level HQs. He has also worked as an instructor on the Intermediate Command and Staff Course (Land) and more recently at PJHQ (Permanent Joint Headquarters). He is Chair of Governors at Wymondham College.
Contents
Foreword
Lieutenant Colonel Matt Woodeson 01
News
Education of Service children
Continuity of Education Allowance for Service children Education in Scotland 06
12
14
Choosing and assessing schools
What about boarding schools?
Barnaby Lenon, Headmaster, Harrow School, 1999–2011 and Chairman, Independent Schools Council (ISC) 16
What makes a good boarding school? 18
Barney Durrant, Head, St Lawrence College Inspections of accredited independent 22 boarding schools
Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) Ofsted inspection of boarding schools 26
Dale Wilkins, Senior Director, BSA Group The importance of good governance 28
Graham Able, Group Deputy Chairman, Alpha Plus Turning minimum standards into excellence 30
Dale Wilkins, Senior Director, BSA Group School visits: questions and answers 32
Adrian Underwood, Education Consultant Faith in our schools
Graham Able, Group Deputy Chairman, Alpha Plus 35
Specialist schools – arts, drama, music 36
Schools founded by the Military
Queen Victoria School, Dunblane (Scotland) 37
Donald Shaw, Headmaster, Queen Victoria School, Dunblane The Duke of York’s Royal Military School 38
Alex Foreman, Principal, The Duke of York’s Royal Military School The Royal Hospital School reinforces a 40 values-driven education
Simon Lockyer, Headmaster, Royal Hospital School, Holbrook Boarding at Gordon’s School
Andrew Moss, Headmaster, Gordon’s School 42
State boarding schools
What provision do state boarding schools make 44 for the needs of children from Service families?
Helen Barton, Headmistress, St George’s School The benefits of state boarding
Will Chuter, Head, Cranbrook School 46
Choosing state boarding
Dan Browning, Headteacher, Wymondham College Sixth-form boarding
Lee Hunter, Headteacher, Sir Roger Manwood’s School Life at a state boarding school
Dr Chris Pyle, Head, Lancaster Royal Grammar School State boarding schools 48
50
52
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Boarding at an independent school
Boarding lessons from COVID-19 56
Natalie Bone, Head, Sherborne Prep Charlie Jenkins, Head, Shebbear College John Browne, Head, Stonyhurst College Out of the ordinary: realising the potential of every child
Dr Joe Spence, Master, Dulwich College 62
Schools together in partnership 64
Julie Robinson, Chief Executive, Independent Schools Council (ISC) Supporting character development in a 68 boarding school
Paul Sanderson, Headmaster, Bloxham School Building resilience in boarding schools 70
Thomas Garnier, Headmaster, Pangbourne College Boarding schools and philanthropy: 72 engendering an ethos of kindness and compassion
Matthew Godfrey, Senior Deputy Head, Downe House School Looking after children and young people’s 76 mental health after COVID-19
David Walker, Deputy Head (Pastoral and Wellbeing), Wellington College The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award – making a difference to young people’s lives
Ruth Marvel, CEO, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award 79
Learning modern foreign languages at a 82 boarding school
Rachel Rees, Deputy Head Pastoral, Monmouth School for Girls Twenty-first century learning – embracing 86 technology to drive a culture of learning
Louise Orton, Senior Deputy Head (Academic), Sherborne Girls The importance of creativity
Victoria Rose, Director of Art, Dauntsey’s 88
Teaching empathy 90
Damian Todres, Director of Drama and Head of the Creative Arts Faculty, Wells Cathedral School Recognising the physical and mental 92 value of sport
Rob Kift, Director of Sport, Hurst College The importance of pastoral care
Andrew Russell, Headmaster, St David’s College Boarding in the North of England 94
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Preparatory schools
The advantages of starting boarding in a 98 prep school
Christopher King, Chief Executive, Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS) The popularity of prep school boarding 100
Dr Trevor Richards, Head, All Hallows Preparatory School The benefits of prep school boarding
Robert Lankester, Headmaster, Maidwell Hall 102
Music – an important part of the boarding experience
Gareth Jones, Headmaster, Bilton Grange 104
Outdoor learning – ‘rewilding’ pupils 108
Will Frost, Head of Geography and Outdoor Learning, Salisbury Cathedral School Using robotics, 3D printing and computing 110 in a prep school
Olly Langton, Headmaster, Belhaven Hill School It takes a village school to raise a child 112
Regan Schreiber, Head of Boarding and PSHE teacher, Hazlegrove Prep School Responsibility versus maturity – when to 114 introduce more freedom to prep school boarders
Paddy Moss, Headmaster, Dean Close Preparatory School Preparing pupils for the transition to 116 senior schools
Simone Mitchell, Deputy Head, Director of Teaching and Learning, Swanbourne House School Being a new prep school boarder
Jon Timmins, Acting Head, Wymondham College Prep School and Head of Underwood Hall 118
Senior schools
What does a bespoke education actually mean? 120
Jo Cameron, Principal, Queenswood School Girls and STEAM subjects
Olivera Raraty, Headmistress, Malvern St James Girls’ School 122
Boarding as preparation for twenty-first 124 century life
Lisa Kerr, Principal, Gordonstoun What do we mean by a boarder’s progress and 126 how do schools measure it?
Chris Hillman, Deputy Head Academic, Godolphin School
Special educational needs and disabilities
Educational provision for pupils with special 128 educational needs and disabilities
David Smellie, Partner, Farrer & Co Special educational needs provision in 130 boarding schools
Sally Moore, Head of Learning Support, Fulneck School What is CReSTeD and how does it help 132 boarding families?
Brendan Wignall, Headmaster, Ellesmere College and Chair, CReSTeD Provision in the independent sector for pupils 134 with special educational needs and disabilities
Curriculum choices
GCSEs and IGCSEs in a changed curricular landscape 135
Charlie Hammel, Deputy Head Academic, St Swithun’s School, Winchester Sixth form – future ready, set, go!
Rhiannon Wilkinson, Head, Ashville College 136
Sixth-form programmes – the choice 138
Paying the fees
Entitlement to CEA – the Bursar’s view 139
Susan Meikle, Bursar, Gordon’s School Paying the fees: a major financial commitment 140
David Woodgate, Chief Executive, Independent Schools' Bursars Association (ISBA) School fee planning
Andrew Ashton, Bursar, Radley College 141
Schools offering special awards for children of 143 personnel serving in the Armed Forces
Appendix
Useful contacts 147
Dear parent,
Hello and welcome to the ‘BSA Guide to Boarding Schools’. As a former boarder myself, I can tell you that boarding today is a very different world to the one I remember. It’s certainly nothing like the stereotypical images of boarding which wouldn’t be out of place on the pages of a Harry Potter novel, that may still be conjured up for some when the name ‘boarding school’ is uttered!
In fact, the reality couldn’t be more different. Modern boarding offers parents and pupils a broad range of options, providing tremendous flexibility to suit almost any young person and fit in with all types of busy lifestyle.
Full boarding, where students are based at school all day, every day, remains a popular choice. It’s widely recognised as a great way to develop independence, strong inter-personal skills, a sense of community and teamwork, and form long-lasting friendships. But there are other options too.
Weekly boarding, which sees students attending school during the week, typically going home on a Friday or Saturday and returning on Sunday evening or Monday morning, also offers excellent structure, support and facilities for an extended time. And then there’s flexi or occasional boarding; an excellent way to get a taste of boarding life by boarding part-time or semi-regularly. Students often enjoy this so much they decide to move to weekly or full boarding.
And no two boarding schools are the same. Some are based in cities, others in more rural locations. Some are single-sex, while others are co-educational. Or should you choose an academic school, or one which focuses specifically on the arts or sport? So there’s no shortage of options, and this Guide aims to give you a comprehensive overview of the choices that are open to you and your child when it comes to selecting a school. We also hope it will help you to identify what you need to look for when visiting a school, and the right questions to ask speaking to staff.
There’s also advice on the help that’s out there in terms of selecting the right school in the form of education agents, and support for pupils living away from home from education guardians. BSA operates certification schemes for both agents and guardians to assure parents of quality, and you can find out more about those schemes in this Guide.
Making that definitive choice of the right boarding school for your child can be a lengthy process, but taking all the time you need to get your decision absolutely right is crucial. Boarding will not suit every child or family – but for the right child, in the right school, it can offer an enriching life experience like no other. We hope this Guide will give you everything you need to make that choice a lot easier.
Best wishes,
Robin Fletcher
CEO, BSA and BSA Group The Service Parents’ Guide to Boarding Schools is a trade mark owned by BSA Group.
Published by: BSA Group Bluett House Unit 11-12 Manor Farm Cliddesden Basingstoke RG25 2JB
+44 (0)207 798 1580 bsa@boarding.org.uk
www.serviceschools.co.uk
Chief Executive: Robin Fletcher
Editor: Sheila White
Head of Commercial: Neil Rust
Some of the articles in this Guide have not been updated since March 2020. Photographs for many articles were taken before the COVID-19 pandemic. For the latest information on COVID-19 and boarding go to www.boarding.org.uk. The information and views in this Guide were correct to the best of the Editor’s and Publisher’s belief at the time of going to press and no responsibility can be accepted for outof-date information, errors or omissions. While every effort has been made, it may not always have been possible to trace all copyright holders. If any omissions are brought to our attention, we will be happy to include appropriate acknowledgements in the next edition of the Guide. The Service Parents' Guide to Boarding Schools is published twice a year by BSA Group, a company registered in England and Wales. Registered number: 4676107.All rights reserved. No part of this Guide may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without written permission from the Publisher.
Front cover photo with kind permission of Sherborne Girls School
