Board children
The fun for pupils and convenience for parents of sleeping over
Boarding schools in Scotland provide a strong sense of community and a safe, homely environment where children can thrive beyond the bounds of timetabled lessons and activities.
The fees of more than 3,000 boarding students, from Scotland, the rest of the UK and overseas, add some £30 million to the Scottish economy per annum.
As flexi and weekly options are becoming increasingly popular at Scotland’s 19 boarding schools, many pupils who live nearby even board several nights of the week.
With communal games rooms, film nights, kitchens for home cooking, and even house pets allowed in some cases, that perhaps should come as little surprise.
Mark Lauder, headmaster at Strathallan School in Forgandenny, Perthshire, says: “We have people who live maybe a ten-minute drive away boarding because they love it.
“I often say to parents we are not in the business of keeping families apart. If there is good reason to go home, why would I not want that child to be involved in a family gettogether, for example?”
“Although we tend to find the day pupils want to stay over to be involved in certain things, rather than boarders wanting to go home.”
Scottish boarding houses are very modern and have pastoral staff who create a fun, family atmosphere for all their residents.
St Leonards School in St Andrews has recently spent more than £1 million on renovating one of its houses for boys and more than £4m on the girls’ accommodation.
Head Dr Michael Carslaw says: “It is very much about creating a family-feel, so it is about becoming a big family. It is like living with a big group of brothers and sisters, so it is really important to get that feel in the houses, so the boys and girls can feel secure and at home, knowing it is their space.
“At the same time, they can find out a lot about themselves, develop independence and try out new things there; it is the perfect preparation before going to university.”
Loretto School in Musselburgh also regularly updates its boarding houses. Head Dr Graham Hawley says: “If they look too institutional then the children do not settle in.
“When preparing them for boarding, we invite children in for a series of events and many will stay overnight, so they are as familiar as possible with the environment when they move in and they each have buddies to help with that.”
At Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh, many of the older boys
become prefects and live with the younger pupils to inspire and help them adapt to boarding life.
Headmaster Jonathan Anderson says: “Those who have been through it and understand the value of the boarding community are able to go back and steer the younger ones, helping them during those days when they might be struggling with the work load or are maybe in a little disarray in terms of organisation.”
He adds: “We ensure to have the right people there and let the boys know what support networks are available to them during those first few weeks and months.”
However, thanks to modern technology, parents and family members can be very involved in their child’s life – even if they are on the other side of the world.
Linda Moule took over as principal at Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools in Edinburgh earlier this year and is the schools’ first female head.
She says: “We have a number of students whose parents are in the forces and are stationed abroad, as well as pupils from Japan, China and Eastern Europe among others.
“With modern communication the way it is today, contact with parents is easy.
“However, we want to make sure that if a child is feeling homesick – which is entirely natural – we deal with it by being busy and active.”
Similarly, St George’s School for Girls, also in the Capital, sends fortnightly newsletters to parents who can also arrange Skype communications with their child and view tweets made by houseparents.
Head Alex Hems says: “We take a lot of care over moving in and ensure the girl has a buddy and someone is looking after them within the boarding house.
“Our house chef might make a girl feel more at home by cooking her favourite meal and the house contains all different ages, so it is like having big and little sisters around you.”
Parents can be assured that individual boarding school houseparents are on hand to provide care 24/7 and get to know each child on a one-to-one basis while being responsible for their wellbeing.
Ali Kinge, head of Ardvreck School in Crieff, Perth and Kinross, says: “The majority of our staff live on site, which provides that caring home-from-home community that is a lot of fun.
“There is a robust programme of weekend activities as well as traditional family-based activities, such as playing board games with the grown ups, and we have great staff who are role models.”
She adds: “The boarding school life is really fun and means the pupils don’t have to battle through traffic in the morning.
“They are ready to learn and they can have a leisurely breakfast and be ready for the day.”
If a child is feeling homesick we deal with it by being busy and active.