Schools join forces to serve up excellence
ARMY cadet Catherine Heasman attends one of Britain’s 38 statefunded boarding schools.
And the 17-year-old, who is a member of the combined cadet force (CCF) at Wymondham College in Norfolk, which has 650 boarders and a similar number of day pupils, is considering a life in the Army after leaving school.
Around 100 students and staff take part in the CCF on a regular basis at the state boarding school, which also has more than 70 clubs and extracurricular activities, including cooking, swimming, yoga, and badminton.
Catherine says: ‘Cadets has really improved my confidence as I had to get used to instructing and leading younger cadets. It has also introduced me to experiences I never thought I would have and widened my career choices.’
School principal Jonathan Taylor says: ‘CCF allows students to develop their confidence, resistance, determination and perseverance. They develop team working and communication skills, as well as experience a range of different opportunities.’
Wymondham College is among 38 state boarding schools in the country. The education is free, and parents pay just the cost of boarding, which is a fraction of the cost of private schooling. At Wymondham College the fees are just over £10,000-a-year. The school recently received an outstanding judgment during an Ofsted boarding inspection.
Old Swinford Hospital state boarding school in Stourbridge, West Midlands, which also has a CCF unit, was founded in 1667. It prides itself on a ‘real work ethic’ and high academic expectations.
Headmaster Paul Kilbride, says: ‘We respond to the individual and collective needs of our pupils and help each one to find and develop his or her own voice, and we watch with pride as they grow in confidence and self-esteem.’
The organisation that represents both state and private boarding schools, the Boarding Schools’ Association, has launched a campaign encouraging parents to consider boarding education.
Aileen Kane, assistant director at the association, says: ‘There’s never been a better time to board at a British boarding school.
‘We see 90 per cent of pupils proceed to the university of their choice, and boarding most certainly helps to foster confidence, community spirit, independence and social skills.’ FOr more information go to wymondhamcollege.org