WORLD-BEATING! BOARDING IN THE UK

There are boarding schools on every continent on the planet (apart from the one with lots of snow and penguins!). Yet for all the sector’s global spread, the oldest, most diverse and choice-rich land of boarding is the UK.

Incredibly, the world’s oldest boarding school began accepting boarding students in the year 597, less than 200 years after the fall of Rome and more than 1100 years before the American Declaration of Independence.

More than 1400 years on, the UK is still a place where boarding continues to evolve, with two brand new, governmentfunded boarding schools opening within the last decade and one independent school in the heart of London recently adding boarding for the first time.

Nearly all UK boarding schools belong to the BSA (Boarding Schools’ Association), whose sister association, TIOB (The Institute of Boarding), works to support the boarding staff community. The combined support of BSA and TIOB enables UK boarding schools to continue to deliver one of the best boarding experiences for young people anywhere in the world.

The diversity of UK boarding is not just a marketing strapline. Geographically, UK boarding can be found as far north as the Shetland Islands, just 50 miles from Norway, and as far south as the Isles of Scilly, 28 miles south of Cornwall.

The choice is almost bewildering, with boarding schools that are independent, state run, single sex, co-educational, academic, all-round, faith, arts, drama and music focused – or myriad combinations in between.

There are around 70,000 boarding students at UK schools, including more than 25,000 from dozens of countries across the world – a reflection of the continuing very high demand from parents to access the UK’s widely regarded education system.

Some of this demand is about ensuring strong academic results for the chance to access the UK’s leading higher education institutions, with four universities currently in the world’s top 10.

The choice is almost bewildering

Aside from excellent academic teaching and learning, the popularity of boarding at schools in the UK is driven by the unique opportunities it offers young people from 8 to 18.

Size-wise, the smallest UK boarding school has just one student while the largest has more than 1300. The average UK boarding school has around 150 boarders, although there are many that have fewer, with around 30 that have more than 500.

Boarding school is all about learning to live with others, experiencing a shared space, working together, having extra time to try new things (by avoiding school runs twice a day) and learning to stand on your own two feet.

All UK boarding schools closely monitor the feedback they receive from parents and the most regular comments are about how their children have become more independent and confident thanks to their boarding experience.

Much of this independence and confidence comes from being with other young people – but it is also the highly trained, caring and professional boarding staff who help them to prosper and thrive on solid foundations. ●

ROBIN FLETCHER

is CEO of the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA) and the BSA Group.