Boarding around the world: what鈥檚 it really like?

Photo: The Scots College

We’ve always been evangelical about the benefits of boarding – from the extended school day to the broad co-curricular programmes and the extra academic and pastoral support available to pupils long after lessons end. Children gain independence and responsibility, a whole new set of life skills and a gang of new friends from all over the world.

And while the pros of boarding are universal, each boarding school has its own unique house structure, facilities, accommodation and quirks. We’ve already shone the spotlight on boarding in the UK, but what about elsewhere? We spoke to a handful of our favourite schools around the world to get the inside track on the nuances of boarding in everywhere from Australia to Thailand…

DUBAI
Swiss International Scientific School

The Swiss International Scientific School stands out for a number of things: its spacious campus, excellent academics and SEND support, its bilingual academic streams (children can leave with fluency in three additional languages: French, German and Arabic) and its brilliant boarding provision. Secondary pupils from the UAE and all over the world have the option to stay over on a full, weekly or flexi basis, taking full advantage of the fantastic opportunities on offer.

So, what does boarding in one of the world’s fastest growing cities look like? Find out for yourself below:

AUSTRALIA
The Scots College

Set in a prime location in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, just a five-minute drive from Bondi Beach and an easy 10-minute bus ride into the city centre, Scots is well known for both its rigorous academic programme and residential outdoor programme, making the boarding programme here a very real and unique point of difference.

Boys from far and wide across greater Sydney and New South Wales join a small cohort of international boarders, with full, weekly and flexi boarding all on offer. Lucky senior boarders either share a double room or get their own private space, and each of the school’s five boarding houses are kitted out with pool tables, table tennis and arcade games to create a real home-from-home. After lessons end, there are trips to Redleaf Beach for swimming, while Sunday activities might include kayaking in Sydney Harbour, surfing or trips to Manly – after a big, sociable brunch with the entire boarding community. Pastoral care sits at the top of the agenda: boarding staff are fully trained in mental health, nutrition and adolescent development, and new boarders are buddied up with a fellow pupil to help them find their feet.

But there’s one thing in particular that really sets Scots’ boarding programme apart. All Year 9 pupils – regardless of whether they are a boarder or not – spend six months at Glengarry, the school’s 1,000-acre campus in Kangaroo Valley, two hours south-west of Sydney. It’s a boys’ nirvana: experiential teaching pushes pupils out of their comfort zone, and in between lessons there’s time for camping, caving, mountain biking and orienteering. It’s a full-on, character-building programme (there are no screens or computer games in the dorms, and the only way to contact parents is via letter), but during their time here, children visibly and mentally develop from boys into young men. At the end of the six months, pupils hike, bike and canoe the 200 kilometres back to the school (it’s a veritable rite of passage, nicknamed The Long Journey Home). We wax lyrical about how boarding can help pupils develop independence, integrity and responsibility – and with an experience like this as part of the package, we’d send our sons in a flash.

THAILAND
Regents International School Pattaya

Regents Pattaya is widely touted as one of the top international schools in Thailand, and here, pupils can sign up for boarding from as young as Year 3. And in reflection of the transient and cosmopolitan nature of the school community, it’s fantastically flexible, with options to suit everyone from local families to expats living all over the world. Occasional boarding is ideal for parents who may need to head abroad for a short period of time and don’t want to interrupt their child’s studies, and it’s also brilliantly popular during exam season, when pupils can benefit from additional prep time and support from their teachers. There’s also part-time boarding, a great opportunity for children (particularly the younger ones) to dip their toe in, with the option to stay over for any number of nights between Monday and Thursday (it’s also much more fun than a babysitter, so a boon for busy working families). For most, the big advantage of boarding is being able to take advantage of all the sporting and extracurricular activities (more than 200) on offer.

So, what are the biggest perks of boarding at a school like Regents Pattaya? For starters, pupils are fully immersed in a truly international community and come together to celebrate everything from Diwali to Christmas, Holi and Lunar New Year. On top of the seriously smart boarding houses (there are shared bedrooms until the IB years, when quiet study time is key and students have their own rooms) and top-notch in-house boarding team, for us it’s the location that steals the spotlight. Close to buzzy Bangkok but a stone’s throw from some of Thailand’s most beautiful beaches, weekend trips might include visits to palm-fringed islands or elephant sanctuaries. Little wonder then that so many pupils whose families live within a short drive from the school choose to stay over at weekends.

If you are interested in exploring boarding options in other countries around the world, take a look at some of our other favourite global boarding schools below:

HONG KONG
Harrow School Hong Kong

UAE
Repton Dubai

MALAYSIA
Marlborough College Malaysia

SINGAPORE
Stamford American International School

SOUTH KOREA
North London Collegiate School Jeju

SWITZERLAND
College Champittet

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Boarding around the world: what鈥檚 it really like?

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