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One important feature of private education in Britain has been boarding. Not all private schools were boarding schools, but most of the best known were boarding facilities. Boarding composed an important feature of the classic prep and public school experience. 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. While boarding has declined suubstantially at prep schools, it still is a major feature at the public schools where most of the boys from prep schools continue their education. Parents believed that sending their boys off to boarding school was a character building experience. Many British parents now tend to think that 8 years of age is to early for children to board, but earlier it was a widely accepted convention. This convention was less accepted for girls. Thus the educational experience for well to do boys in Britain was very different than that of the less affluent children attending state schools.
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.
