Picking the right Boarding School for you

Brad Gay, Headmaster, Huntley School

Picking a boarding school is a difficult decision for a lot of families and it is vital you make the right choice as your son or daughter is going to be working, playing and living there. As Headmaster of Huntley School, a boys boarding preparatory, I am often asked by parents looking for their son’s next step into secondary education, what they should be looking for. Here are some tips I give to these people.

The process of picking a school usually involves sending away for prospectuses and identifying the attributes that either appeal or you are specifically looking for. Writing a checklist can certainly save a lot of time and needless arguing between parents and child.

Things you may look out for are:
Size of school
Co-educational or single sex
Size of classrooms
Educational programmes on offer
Are special education needs catered for?
After school or hostel pastoral care systems
Are you comfortable with the policies of the Hostel?
Quality of boarding facilities
Provisions for clubs or other interests
What is the school’s X Factor? Does it meet the character of your child?

It is especially important to take note of the extra-curricular activities on offer. Facilities on offer can give some insight into the school culture. For example, extensive grounds and playing fields with a near new gymnasium may indicate a preference for sport. A new auditorium capable of seating 500 may indicate strength in performing arts.

The next step is to arrange a visit. Open Days are excellent ways of finding out a wealth of information without the pressure of committing to the school. Take a list of questions with you, as it is far too easy to forget once the tour has started. Often pupils give these tours and they are a mine of information that the Principal has no direct control over. Give the school information about your child and wait and see how good their follow up is. A letter at the very least thanking you for attending should be forth coming, but some schools go much further than this. A personalized invitation to come back and have a closer look is not unusual and gives you the opportunity to return armed with a list of further questions. If visiting an offsite hostel you may want to ask about facilities the boarders have access to on the weekends. Some hostels are very separate from the schools they serve.

Another option is to attend a school function, such as a play or a music concert as this gives you an insight into the culture of the school.

Finally it is important that your child has the opportunity to be part of the decision making process. After all they are the ones living there for the next 4-5 years.