Boarding Schools Are Beneficial To Children

Boarding schools allow children a safe space in which to exert greater control and independence over their daily lives. Teachers and staff can supervise and support but they are unlikely to be over-protective. This can be a great preparation for university or work away from home in later life as it provides an intermediate step between childhood and full independence.

Being in school all the time allows children full access to its facilities. This is good for creating a learning environment as pupils can have access to libraries, computers and teachers while doing their homework. Similarly it is easier to take part in extra-curricular activities such as plays, sports matches and art if they do not have to arrange travel home late at night or after the school buses have left. Diversity of experience is not neglected as many schools run community volunteering schemes, and anyway students will spend substantial periods away from school in the holidays.

Living with peers of their own age, round the clock, teaches children how to get along with each other and compromise. A variety of characters and interests must be accommodated, teaching children tolerance and compromise in a regulated environment. This can be especially helpful for working with university or company colleagues in the future. Furthermore, many boarding schools celebrate diversity as international students with different cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds frequently make up a significant minority of the student body. A proportion of non-boarding day pupils, and boarding students whose fees are paid through bursaries (means-related grants), scholarships (academic grants), or by the state (e.g. children with parents on military or diplomatic service overseas) means that students are not all drawn from one class or income bracket.

Many specialised interests, such as ballet, tennis or music require training from a young age. Boarding schools, including ballet schools, tennis academies and cathedral choir schools, allow children to pursue excellence with like-minded peers. This would be difficult to arrange on a local basis as specialist equipment and training is expensive and therefore concentrated in a few centres. Boarding schools minimise disruption to children’s academic work by reducing the need for extended travel/time off school to reach them.

As well as allowing for flexibility in curriculum choice, boarding schools can also accommodate a variety of specific family or lifestyle considerations. Children with specific learning or emotional needs can also benefit from specialised help as noted above. Particularly important is the way a boarding school may provide relief for parents from the day to day strains of dealing with a child’s problems, making time spent together more pleasant. Sometimes time away from the home benefits the child whose problems may be caused or exacerbated by troubles at home, for example divorce, bereavement or illness of a parent. On a merely practical level, parents whose work requires them to travel extensively, live in remote areas or abroad may find boarding school a useful way to provide stability and continuity in their child’s education.