State boarding schools: 'The best kept secret in British education'

State boarding schools are often charismatic to families moving overseas (Image: GETTY)

If you judge your kid could payment from a boarding schoolhouse acquisition but are deterred by the hefty fees associated with accepted backstage boarding schools, a UK authorities boarding schoolhouse mightiness beryllium the solution.

What precisely is simply a authorities boarding school?

State boarding schools are government-funded institutions that supply play oregon full-time boarding. They are often charismatic to families moving overseas, successful the Forces, diplomatic service, oregon planetary companies and person seen a emergence successful popularity successful caller years, partially owed to an summation successful dual-working genitor households.

Some of these schools connection afloat boarding, others lone play boarding, and immoderate supply boarding for sixth formers only. In astir each authorities boarding schools, time students outnumber boarders.

One begetter shared with The Good Schools Guide: "We each enactment hard during the week, and get unneurotic astatine weekends. It's overmuch little stressful than trying to oversee homework and euphony signifier aft a agelong time astatine enactment and travelling, and she is blessed to walk weeknights astatine schoolhouse with her friends."

Tom Leighton, Assistant Headteacher & Director of Boarding astatine Steyning Grammar School (SGS), told the Express: "For galore years hailed arsenic ‘the champion kept concealed successful education’, galore families are inactive unaware of the beingness and diverseness of State Boarding schools.

"The assemblage offers exceptional affordability without compromising connected the prime of holistic education, astatine a clip erstwhile prime of schools is much important than ever for families."

Founded successful 1614, SGS is an implicit 400-year-old landmark successful the historical municipality of Steyning, West Sussex, offering time and authorities boarding for pupils aged 11 to 18.

Through the years, SGS has grown into an planetary assemblage wrong a nurturing, inclusive mounting wherever pupils physique a location distant from location and lifelong friends.

Thanks to its interest model, galore families from divers backgrounds person provided their children with this experience, without feeling the fiscal strain typically associated with specified education.

“The boarding proviso has a highly affirmative effect upon the ethos and quality of the school,” writes an Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) study by the Church of England.

“Students who committee are exceptionally good cared for pastorally and spiritually. Within the boarding house, determination is simply a genuinely inclusive and nurturing atmosphere.”

Tom Leighton, Assistant Head & Director of Boarding astatine Steyning Grammar School (Image: Tom Leighton)

How galore authorities boarding schools beryllium successful the UK?

There are astir 30 successful England, including 1 successful the Scilly Isles, a fewer successful Scotland and different 2 successful Northern Ireland offering astir 4,000 boarding places successful total. A full database of the UK's authorities boarding schools tin beryllium recovered here. 

What are the fees for authorities boarding schools?

State boarding schools are comparatively affordable, with fees typically ranging from £12,000-£18,000 per annum, a stark opposition to backstage secondary schools wherever afloat boarding starts astatine astir £40,000 per year. Parents are lone billed for committee and meals arsenic tuition is funded by the government, conscionable similar each authorities schools.

Most students attending authorities boarding schools are time pupils, but galore enactment successful after-school activities alongside boarders a conception 1 schoolhouse described arsenic a "boarding acquisition minus the bed". Some institutions, specified arsenic Gordon's successful Surrey, enforce a mandatory "day boarding" interest of respective 1000 pounds connected all-day pupils to screen after-school activities, though bursaries are disposable for families with debased income.

Others, similar Hockerill Anglo-European, connection escaped time places for regular schoolhouse hours attendance but levy a time boarding interest for those who privation to get for meal and enactment for activities, supper and homework.

Is your kid eligible to be a authorities boarding school?

State boarding schools successful the UK are unfastened to British citizens and anyone with a close of residence successful the country. However, since January 2021, these institutions person closed their doors to nationals from different European Economic Area (EEA) countries.

Detailed admissions criteria for applicants from the UK and overseas tin beryllium recovered connected idiosyncratic schoolhouse websites. Some authorities boarding schools, similar Oban High, exclusively run their boarding facilities for students who indispensable commute from adjacent islands lacking secondary oregon 16+ schools.

Certain authorities boarding schools are academically selective grammar schools. Some are single-sex institutions, and astir behaviour interviews to guarantee pupils are suitable candidates for boarding.

When choosing a authorities boarding school, see the following:

Distance: How acold are you consenting to question for concerts, parents' evenings, matches, and play pick-ups?

Many experienced boarding schoolhouse parents counsel against selecting a schoolhouse much than astir 90 minutes away.

Activities: What takes spot aft schoolhouse and connected weekends?

Do the activities align with your child's interests and abilities, whether they prevarication successful sport, music, art, oregon drama?

Keswick School has seen important sporting achievements, with students representing the federation successful a assortment of sports specified arsenic rugby, fell running, skiing, martial arts and karting. The girls' rugby teams are a peculiar root of pridefulness for the students.

As 1 young pistillate aptly enactment it: 'Girls propulsion radical to the crushed arsenic well, you know!"

When considering boarding, it's important to see the fig of boarders of your child's property and however galore regularly enactment astatine weekends. If afloat boarding is being considered, it's important that your kid doesn't walk weekends feeling isolated with fewer friends oregon activities.

If the schoolhouse is academically selective, parents should measure whether their kid is apt to conscionable the required standards.

The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, is highly sought after, with enactment based connected occurrence successful the new, much rigorous 11+ exam and Buckinghamshire criteria, including the ever-changing catchment area. Boarding astatine 11 whitethorn beryllium worthy considering if a time spot seems improbable and the campaigner has a precocious 11+ score.

Priority is fixed to forces families and boys successful care... Extract from the GSG reappraisal of the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe.

State boarding schools are government-funded schools (Image: Getty)

Planning your visit

Start by creating a shortlist and scheduling visits. Don't expect the extended grounds and costly facilities that galore autarkic boarding schools connection though immoderate authorities schools bash person these.

A interaction of shabbiness isn't a deal-breaker, but if you observe neglect, beryllium cautious. Some authorities boarding schools run accepted boarding houses connected the main schoolhouse campus, portion others accommodate students successful off-campus lodgings.

Make definite you cognize which benignant you're considering and whether it would suit your child's personality.

Don't instrumentality it for granted that azygous en suite rooms are a necessity: galore younger children particularly bask the companionship of dormitories. The astir important origin is the atmosphere.

Can you envision your kid surviving here?

Does it look welcoming?

Are the students contented and eager?

And astir importantly is your kid excited to join?