The Lifestyle Jan - Feb 2023

HOW THE UK OFFERS THE
BEST IN WORLD BOARDING
FOR STUDENTS
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, government-funded
boarding schools opening within the last
decade and one independent school
in the heart of London recently adding
boarding for the first time.
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.
Parents are spoilt for choice 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.
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.
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 (Cambridge alone
has gained more than 120 Nobel prizes,
nearly 50 more than the whole of
France!).
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
8-18.
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 monitor closely
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.
For parents searching for boarding
school options for their child, they can
be reassured that the UK offers the
cream of the crop with the best boarding
opportunities in the world.
Robin Fletcher, CEO, Boarding Schools’
Association (BSA) and BSA Group
14 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk