Charterhouse

School

Nurturing individuals

Charterhouse is a co-educational public school in 250 acres of green space in Godalming, Surrey, educating over 800 pupils, aged 13-18 years. Charterhouse boasts a strong academic foundation and is committed to ensuring that each child performs to their own academic potential, supporting and nurturing each individual every step of the way. But there are also a great number of opportunities, both in and out of the classroom, for pupils to succeed. The School’s FutureU activities are a central element of the Charterhouse experience, aimed at ensuring that pupils develop the transferable skills, knowledge, experiences and mindset required to thrive weekly boarding, and they make great efforts to make boarding an enjoyable and beneficial experience, full of opportunities for discovery and personal development. They support and encourage their boarders to grow as confident and responsible young people, ready for education and life in every direction. They live and work together in a relaxed, friendly, family environment. Whether boarding or day, all pupils are fully integrated in the school, with everyone benefitting from the wrap-around care and support provided. Pupils have access to over 36 different clubs and activities, held in the school’s extensive 200-acre grounds.

One parent’s review described Catherham as: “A fantastic learning environment with top notch facilities.” www.caterhamschool.co.uk throughout their later lives. The Sixth Form professional qualification in Applied Entrepreneurship is the first of its kind anywhere in the world.

Both boarding and day pupils are allocated a House, with whom they take part in activities and competitions, building strong friendships and communities. During their first few weeks, each new pupil is allocated to an older pupil whose responsibility it is to make sure they settle in, find their way around and learn quickly how the School and House works.

A parent commented that: “Charterhouse treats children like responsible human beings and they are expected to rise to the challenge. It creates balanced and well-rounded young people, who are charming company.” www.charterhouse.org.uk

Surrey

Box Hill School

Located in the beautiful Surrey Hills, Box Hill School is a co-educational day and boarding school catering for pupils aged 11-18.

Their focus is on achieving the best academic outcome for each student, and their ethos of holistic education develops life-long skills which they see in their students as they develop into confident, resilient and wellrounded young men and women.

The school follows the national curriculum in the lower and middle schools and offers a diverse range of GCSEs and (I)GCSEs. In the Sixth Form, they run two academic programmes; the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and A Levels. www.boxhillschool.com

City of London

Freemen’s School

City of London Freemen’s School is a co-educational private school for day and boarding pupils aged 7-18, located at Ashtead Park in Surrey.

The school’s founding ethos was all about community and that remains at the forefront almost 170 years later. City of London Freemen’s School was set up to look after the orphaned children of Freemen of the City. As well as committing to a charitable, co-educational, broad education, the school has also continuously admitted boarders alongside day pupils and they remain an integral part of the school. www.freemens.org

Epsom College

Epsom College is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 11-18. It was founded in 1853 as a benevolent institution which provided a boarding school education for sons of poor or deceased members of the medical profession. Epsom is located in 72 acres of grounds, offering over 150 clubs, activities and societies to their pupils. The school also operates a six-day week, allowing pupils to dedicate time to their studies and extracurricular passions, as well as receive individualised attention from staff. From Year 9, all pupils, whether boarding or day, belong to one of thirteen Houses. Each House is a physical building where pupils meet, relax, eat and form a tight-knit community of friends, peers and staff.

www.epsomcollege.org.uk

Frensham Heights

Boarding at Frensham Heights, like the whole school, is built on a very firm basis of mutual respect. Students are probably given more freedom than in other schools, but with that comes greater responsibility and ultimately a better understanding of how to live and behave beyond the school and home environments. Weekends follow the flow and pattern that is family life with big outings on Saturdays and lazy days on Sundays. Throughout, is a natural progression of what is expected from the youngest through to the oldest – a sliding scale of structure, freedom and responsibility www.frensham.org

King Edward’s Witley

King Edward’s Witley is a vibrant school united by diversity. They aim to provide the best possible preparation for what is to follow in adult life by combining traditional values of excellence, breadth of opportunity and a high level of pastoral care with a broad, innovative and forward-thinking curriculum. They admit pupils aged 11-18 from different academic, social, economic and cultural backgrounds who reflect the real world. They are a community where all individuals can thrive, boarding and day pupils grow together in an atmosphere of cooperation, mutual respect and independence of thought. They want every pupil to take the happiest of memories and lasting friendships with them into the future.

www.kesw.org

TURN TO PAGES 80-81 to read about Savills country homes

Is Modern Boarding Right for My Child?

Becoming fully involved in your school experience

Whether to board is a big decision for any family. Although boarding environments can offer an excellent solution to the difficulties of juggling two demanding careers, the old image of bleak dormitories and cold showers persists. However, the traditional boarding environment has changed very much.

Modern boarding is about choice and variety, with flexi, occasional and weekly boarding alongside the more traditional full-boarding model. The question is, which one is right for your family? Full-boarding promotes independence, allowing time for a breadth of educational opportunities. Flexi or occasional boarding models may fit more closely to the needs of family life but have their own challenges, such as building the sense of community that underpins boarding life.

The most important thing that boarding offers children is time. Full and weekly boarding gives greater time for pupils to be involved in a wide range of interests with the aim of becoming wellrounded characters. Boarding gives teachers time to develop deeper trust and partnerships, and allows boarders to really make the most of their school day. They are playing out on the pitches, rehearsing in the studios, attending evening lectures from visiting speakers or simply hanging out with friends. Such a boarding experience ensures that pupils leave as confident, independent, personable, well-rounded, adaptable and caring young people who are equipped to make the most of their talents.

AMANDA EVANS Marketing Manager www.cranleigh.org

St Catherine’s, Bramley

A transformative experience

Just 45 minutes from London, the boarding journey at St Catherine’s begins in Bronte in Year 7, and continues through the older age group Boarding Houses up to their new Sixth Form boarding in ‘The 6’. Their ethos is built on kindness, tolerance and compassion to others.

The strength of their boarding community is reliant on this philosophy, and it is evident in the girls’ support of one another, their deep friendships and their enjoyment of boarding life which comprises over 18 nationalities. This global mix of experiences and perspectives means that their girls become more open-minded and learn how to empathise, understand and appreciate other cultures and cultural practices.

At a time when girls are often very conscious of ‘fitting in’, their boarding community celebrates individual identities, characters and interests. At St Catherine’s, where 25% of their students are either weekly or full boarders, they truly believe that boarding offers girls a transformative experience that helps prepare them for life ahead. The strong sense of independence that girls develop allows them to grow in confidence, which is a joy to see. Boarding quickly develops the life skills so important for the wider world: learning how to give and take, when to follow and when to lead and how to deal with individuals of different temperament and characters. St Catherine’s girls leave with the self-confidence and self-belief that they can achieve anything they set their minds to.

LISA HAYNES Marketing Officer

www.stcatherines.info

Cheltenham Ladies’ College

Subhead like the first spotlight

Cheltenham Ladies’ College is a private boarding and day school

St John’s School Leatherhead

St John’s School Leatherhead is a leading co-educational independent day and boarding school in Surrey for pupils aged 11-17. The school encourages high standards, both intellectually and emotionally, to prepare pupils to thrive in a complex world, delivering an outstanding educational experience in the 21st century. The school’s house system and flexible boarding philosophy are central to the school: “Fostering fun, friendship and strong relationships that flourish far beyond our walls.” www.stjohnsleatherhead.co.uk

TASIS The American School in England

TASIS is part of a family of international schools, welcoming students from all over the world to an educational community which aims to foster a passion for excellence along with mutual respect and understanding. Offering the International Baccalaureate and American Advanced Placement (AP) qualifications, students from TASIS leave the school ready academically and personally prepared to succeed in whatever their desired field may be.

From age 13, pupils can board in a diverse community of over 200 pupils of over 30 nationalities.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THEIR PODCAST www.tasisengland.org

The Royal School

The Royal School is an independent day and boarding school for girls and boys aged 10-18.

The School’s ‘Future Ready’ philosophy goes beyond traditional academic knowledge and focuses on fostering and developing emotional intelligence, practical skills and critical thinking abilities. “Pupils demonstrate excellent levels of self-confidence, self-awareness, resilience, and self-esteem.”

ISI INSPECTION, 2023

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THEIR PODCAST www.royal-school.org

Family Friendly Boarding

Working to support families at Reed’s School

Much like the vibrant tapestry of parenting styles, schools tend to have their own boarding style, often intrinsically linked with the school’s ethos and history and aligned to its vision. Given the organisation, time and care boarding staff pour into their charges, it is only natural that, like parents, every school believes passionately in its approach.

Reed’s School was founded in 1813 by the philanthropist, Rev. Andrew Reed, with the aim of educating children who had been orphaned. He believed all children, regardless of circumstances, deserved access to a good education to break the cycle of disadvantage. Although we are now a leading, independent fee-paying school, this charitable ethos remains our beating heart; we are a foundation with a school, not a school with a foundation.

Reed’s founding aim of educating children who were disadvantaged remains unbroken in two crucial ways: we continue to support children who have lost a parent through our Foundation, and we consider it our mission to find the best in every child, enabling them to flourish by finding their voice and direction. The second of these aims embodies all our pupils: they excel in every area of their education - academic, sporting, artistic and cultural - whilst being encouraged to experience as many opportunities available as possible to find not only what they are good at, but also what makes them happy. This means that the boarding - and school - approach centres on the pupil, rather than vice versa. We see our boarding as highly individualised and bespoke, free from the constraints of a one-size-fits-all model.

Our boarders join the Boarding Family for a variety of reasons. Some are ambitious academics who value extended access to the school’s resources and teachers, others are committed athletes for whom early sessions in the pool, on a pitch, a court or in the gym are a crucial part of their training. Many pupils board from Monday to Friday, throwing themselves into school life and activities, aware that they also have busy working parents, and this means they can spend quality time with their families at weekends, unencumbered by work or other commitments. The school also encourages flexi-boarders for whom one or more nights of boarding can unlock travel logistics, specific commitments, wellbeing or workload; equally, many stay seven days a week and the school becomes a home-from-home for them.

There are three boarding houses at Reed’s, divided by age. This means that there is separation from pupils’ allocated main Houses, which are very much at the heart of the school, so they can easily move from day to boarding without having to change their House affiliation. The Close (Years 7 and 8) places an emphasis on a small, homely and nurturing environment with its mantra of ‘Ubuntu’ (“I am because we are”) and its friendly house dog, Honey. School House (Years 9 to 11) sees pupils undertake a programme of domestic, practical and social life skills aimed at increasing their independence whilst the co-educational Sixth Form House prepares pupils to thrive in the wider world; many start boarding at this point to experience communal living prior to going to university.

We keep numbers small and staffing specialists, meaning that pupils can forge the relationships they want with house staff, while enjoying the consistency of familiar figures. Each house has a Head of House who lives in the boarding house with their family, along with Boarding Assistants who also live in; they are all teachers and, collectively, they focus on the pastoral care and personal development of each boarder. There is a Matron for each boarding house too; they look after the children’s practical needs and provide support to them in many different ways. Boarders are also given access to a wider group of subject staff during evening prep sessions.

At every stage, Reed’s encourages pupils to become the navigators of their own journeys.

Our responsibility to our boarders is diligently carried out without transgressing into a sense of ownership, creating a profound bond of trust between pupils and staff. The result is pupils who emerge comfortable in their own skin, confident but never arrogant, emotionally intelligent and adept at confidently navigating social interactions. Above all, they learn the invaluable lesson of taking control over their lives and understanding the paramount importance of happiness as a critical ingredient for success. At Reed’s, every child’s potential is not just discovered but celebrated and nurtured.

LUKE MICHAEL Deputy Head (Pastoral) www.reeds.surrey.sch.uk