Figure 1.-- The children at boarding schools liked the idea that their were alwat=ys friends about to play with. Here we see the boys engrossed in a game of "Battleship".
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Figure 1.-- The children at boarding schools liked the idea that their were alwat=ys friends about to play with. Here we see the boys engrossed in a game of "Battleship". |
The classic preparatory school was a boarding school, in part because the purpose of the preparatory school was to prepare boys for the public school which was essentially a boarding institution. As a result, many prep schools were founded in remote rural locations. Here properties could be built inexpesively to set up boarding schools for the younger children. Most boarding schools make some provision for day children. This became increasingly important in the 1980s when many partents began to reassess boarding for younger children. The boarding programs vary and increasingly include weekly boarding where the children go home over the weekend. As attitudes toward boarding have evolved, the scgools have begun offering a range of options. Flexi-boarding is a relatively new approach. Here the families work out arrangements with the school on an indivuidual basis, depending on the family circumstances. Partial or weekly boarding involves the children going home each weekend. Full boarding involves the children living at the school for most of the term, including weekends. There are commonly exeats (leave weekends) when boarders go home for the weekend. The children varied as to their attitude toward boarding. Parents and experts have a range of opinions concerning the impact of boarding on children of this age.
Boarding is a particularly interesting aspect of British private education. We have decided to prepare a separate eBook focusing on boarding, primarily at British preparatory schools. We will, however, include some information about public schools and boarding schools in the former colonies as well.
