Figure 1.--Boarding schools usually have expansive grounds for the children. Day schools vary. The facilities at day schools are much more varoied. This day school had only a small play ground around the school building for the children and a very limited grsssy area. Some day schools have larger facilities. |
One of the most important aspects is the range of responsibility offered. Schools offer both boarding and day programs. The British tend to refer to this as "accomodations". 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. Many schools, especially those located in large cities, only offer a day program. Not all parents wanted their children to board or could afford the substantail expense. Parents in particular often did not want to send their daughters to boarding schools. 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.
One of the most important aspects is the range of responsibility offered. Schools offer both boarding and day programs. The British tend to refer to this as "accomodations". The two basic alternatives are day schools and boarding schools. Actually the dichotomy is not as clear cut as it may appear. Most boarding schools now accept day students who at many schools are an important part of the pupils. In addition, there are diiferent types of boarding such as weekly boarding. At quite a few schools, many children begin as day pupils and only begin to board as they get older.
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.
Many schools, especially those located in large cities, only offer a day program. Not all parents wanted their children to board or could afford the substantail expense. Parents in particular often did not want to send their daughters to boarding schools. There used to be a strong association between private schools and boarding. Many educators saw boarding as an important part of the educational program. Day schools have become increasing popular as many British parents are reassessing the boarding experience, especially for younger children. There are now quite a number if day schools which for practical purposes are all located in metropolitan cebnters. Larger cities will have several day schools. Quite a number of boarding schools have expanded their day-pupil enrollment. Location is a particularly important factor for day schools. While parents can make occassional long trips to boarding schools, day schoolshave to be located relatively close to home.
