Boarding schools at a third of the cost
GEORGIA GRIFFITHS’S sons, Joshua and Benjamin, are enjoying life as full boarders. The boys, aged eight and 11-year- old, started at Royal Alexandra & Albert School, Reigate, Surrey, last September.
Ms Griffiths, 43, from Sidworth, Wiltshire, a single mother, works as an engineering officer in the Army, so state boarding was her best option.
Royal Alexandra & Albert is one of 35 state boarding schools across the country, which are frequently described as ‘education’s best-kept secret’. They provide a rich and varied curriculum with strong academic results.
They are also a far cheaper option than schools in the independent sector because parents simply pay for the cost of boarding and the state covers the cost of tuition. Fees range from £10,000 to £13,000 a year, compared to up to £30,000 in the independent sector.
Georgie says: ‘I’ve been in the Army for 23 years. I was struggling a bit with being a single parent, and boarding is an option, especially as the Army gives you some financial assistance.
‘Joshua was struggling a little bit at his local state school because he’d been to three schools in three years.
‘I’ll be moving again next year and wanted him to have more continuity in is education, so boarding was the solution. It is also far cheaper than the private boarding schools.’
Georgia was impressed by Royal Alexandra & Albert’s reputation and pastoral care. ‘It’s able to take boarders from the age of seven, which meant I could send both my children at the same time,’ she says.
‘I like that, because they’re still both in juniors and it means Joshua has Benjamin with him. Both have settled in very well, and educationally they’ve come on, particularly Joshua. He’s not as far behind as he was and his confidence in class has increased.
‘In terms of life skills, Benjamin has come on really well in terms of how he projects himself. He’s now a boarding house prefect and has been awarded top house points for the term.’
Meanwhile, George Nicholls is getting the most out of his time as a weekly boarder at Old Swinford Hospital.
The 14- year- old, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, began boarding at the state boarding school when he was 11 and loves the extra-curricular activities.
He says: ‘Attending the school gives me independence and encourages me to do things on my own, while getting help.’
For more information about Royal Alexandra & Albert, visit raa- school.
co.uk, Old Swinford Hospital oshsch.com and State Boarding Schools Association
sbsa.org.uk