The changing face of prep school boarding
By Tom Dawson, headmaster of Sunningdale School
Over the past few years, there has been a significant shift in prep-school education. Gone are the days when prep schools chose how they wanted to operate and parents had to fit in with whatever model was presented to them. Schools have realised that they have to adapt to the changing needs and desires of the modern parent if they are to continue to thrive.
The challenge is how to do that, but still manage to maintain a unique identity in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
In recent times, there has been a swing back to boarding as parents recognise the advantages that a boarding education offers. Boarding gives pupils the time and space to do so much. A typical boarding day starts with a fairly leisurely breakfast at 8am and then a morning of lessons, punctuated by a break mid-morning for a kickabout with friends or a spot of camp building in the woods. The afternoons are for sport and a couple more lessons.
The chance to play football, cricket or a plethora of other games for an hour and half a day is not only fantastic for a child’s physical health, but also for their mental wellbeing. After a slap-up tea at around 6pm, boarders will then have an hour for clubs and activities or just to hang out with their friends before making their way upstairs, tired but happy after a full and fruitful day.
If this sounds like an idyllic childhood, it may well be. No battles over music practice or homework; busy, happy children doing the things they love, what’s not to like? So what is the catch? Children want to see their parents and parents, quite rightly, want to spend time with their children. In the old days, a pupil would spend three weeks or more at school before being allowed to go home for a couple of days. This is still the model in a number of extremely successful schools. Parents now, though, require increased flexibility.
At Sunningdale School in Berkshire, parents now have the ability to choose, as the option to weekly board has been introduced throughout the school. This is a major shift for a very traditional boarding prep. The school is two thirds full at weekends, but if a parent wants to take their son home for the night on Saturday – they can. This means that they have a choice. There are still lessons on Saturday morning and sports fixtures on Saturday afternoons and if the boys want to stay at school to enjoy movie night on Saturday and then an outing or activity on Sunday, then they are able to and they know that they will still have lots of their friends at school. Equally, if they want to spend a night at home and talk about all the things they have done during the week, then they can do that too.
This shift has also been seen in many of the traditional boarding public schools. The majority now give pupils and parents much more flexibility than ever before and there are very few who do not allow pupils to go home for at least one night at the weekends. It cannot make sense, therefore, for prep schools to dig their heels in and push against the tide.
Sunningdale is a traditional boarding school, but recognises the need to adapt to suit today’s parents. The school has no plans to expand – as what sets it apart from the rest is the focus on every one of the 110 pupils. It is that attention to detail and the continued focus on hard work, good manners and kindness that make the school stand out from the crowd.