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Frequently Asked Questions about British Boarding School

Everything you want to know about British Boarding School – from admissions, school life, school holidays and boarding house arrangement

With its long and unique history and the autonomy in operation, British boarding schools have their own way of handling admissions, teaching and general operation matters. Below we’ve tried to sum up the most common practices, so that parents have a guide to start their research. Our education consultants will provide further advices along the way, as we go through the consultation and admission process.

How should I pick the right boarding school for my children, out of so many options? What are the most common criteria?

We suggest parents start with the following five criteria. As you go deeper into your research, try to prioritize the ones more important to you and your children and you’d gradually know which direction to go:

  • Academic Standard – Look for schools that match your children’s academic ability! Most schools publish public examination results every year. Parents can compare results from different schools (common benchmarks include A*-B and A*-A rates in A-levels) and may refer to ranking tables as initial reference. Typically, top 200 schools are very decent schools with above-average results, while the top 100 include many regional top schools!
  • Target Academic Discipline at University – If students have a clear idea of what they want to study at university, parents may want to pay more attention to university destinations. While these destinations are usually quite diverse (as boarding schools typically don’t push students toward certain careers), some schools do provide better support to students who want to apply to medical schools, art schools and music schools.
  • Budget – There are three terms in every school year and boarding fees are paid termly. Boarding fees normally includes accommodation, meals and most extracurricular activities, and often cover laundry and book fees. Uniforms and special extracurricular activities (like horse-riding and music instrument lessons) are generally not included in boarding fees. Typically fees increase by 5% to 10% every year and parents should budget these into their financial planning.
  • Extracurricular Activities & Facilities – Diverse sports and extracurricular activities is a key feature of a British boarding school education! Boarding schools big and small should provide enough variety for most Hong Kong students. On top of the usual sports and extracurricular activities, some schools provide professional trainings on certain activities, for example, tennis, equestrian, rowing, etc. Some of them even come with world-class facilities and are the school choice of Team GB athletes and can therefore support students to develop these talents professionally.
  • Location – For Hong Kong students and parents, the common first impression is that the South of England is warmer, and as it’s closer to London, it’s quite often where school searches begin. While the North and Scotland are generally colder, there are actually not too many days with snow and temperature below 0°C, so it is not too difficult to adapt. With more BN(O) families moving to the UK, more parents are looking for schools near big cities or relatives’ places. We have a good variety of schools that can satisfy most of these requirements. However, as most boarding schools are in rural area and suburban residential areas, there might be a choice to make between facilities and your most preferred locations.
  • Other Common Criteria – School atmosphere, boarder population and Hong Kong students at school are other typical criteria. Additionally, some schools provide specialized care for students with special education needs (SEN). Do tell your consultant what you prefer and what you need at the start of the process, so that they can provide the best options for you!

When should I start applying to boarding schools for my children?

In most cases, start preparing for your applications a year ahead of enrolment would be good enough!
Admissions are open all year round in most schools, except for public exam year groups (Year 11 & Year 13). So, no worries even if your children need to transfer to a new school in the middle of the year.
Some more popular schools among local families and Hong Kong parents may only recruit new students in these key year groups:

  • Year 7
  • Year 9
  • Year 10
  • Year 12 As independent schools are expensive, many families will only have their children transfer to these schools in sixth form, causing a greater competition in this entry point!

The most prestigious boarding schools – Eton College, Charterhouse, Harrow School, Radley College, etc – only accept students into Year 9 and Year 12, where applications are required 2-3 years in advance.

When is the best time for my children to start studying in the UK?

From Year 10 onwards, as preparation for public examinations begins, most schools tend to have higher requirements for academic abilities and therefore set tougher entrance exams and interviews. Taking into consideration of the key year groups mentioned above, starting school in UK no later than Year 9 can significantly enhance your chances in getting into the more popular and prestigious schools.

Of course, apart from these objective criteria, it also depends on more personal factors. Are students happy at their existing school? Are school results going up or down? Does the existing school have enough support for students’ hobbies and interests – academic or in the sport fields?

Will there be any entrance exams?

Most schools will have their own set of entrance tests and qualified students will be invited to have an interview with the Principal or Registrar.

Students applying for prep schools (Primary schools in UK) often only need to go through reasoning tests and an interview. From Year 7-9 and upwards, entrance tests usually include English, Maths and subject tests. Student applying for Year 10-13 will typically sit a test for each of their elective subjects, to better assess their academic abilities.

What should my children bring from Hong Kong when they study in a boarding school?

Most schools will provide a Joining Pack for boarders, explaining in details school timetables and rules in the school and boarding houses. There will also be a list of essential items to bring.

Generally, student will have a bedside table, a small wardrobe and a study desk of their own. They are not recommended to bring too many personal items, but photographs and a few posters to decorate their space are always welcome! Younger students may want to bring their favourite doll and a few small toys. Valuable items like designer clothing and jewellery are typically not encouraged. As for entertainment, there will generally be a television, board games, and game consoles like PlayStation and Switch in the common rooms of boarding houses, so that boarders can spend time together and make friends.

If students have long-term medication needs, they can also bring their medicine after informing the school. Medicine will be managed by school nurses for the sake of students’ safety.

Are electronic devices like smartphones, laptops and tablets allowed?

Yes! These devices are not only essential for everyday communications and entertainment, but also important learning tools. Some schools will even provide a laptop or tablet for each student.

Different schools will have different rules on the usage of electronic devices, but they all aim to help students develop healthy habits and to prevent distractions. For example, smartphones may need to be handed in to the school during lesson time and are prohibited after lights-out in the boarding houses.

What if my children get sick?

Most boarding schools have medical centres and school nurses on-site, while some schools even have a school doctor. International students in UK are also entitled to public medical services provided by the National Health Service (NHS). If there is a critical situation, the school will contact parents and guardians to discuss the next steps.

How can I contact my children?

Parents can contact your children directly when they are allowed to use smartphones. If you could not reach your children, or if there is an emergency during lesson time, you can call the school office or boarding house directly. They will put you through to your children for you. Apart from everyday communication, parents can also send parcels to your children when needed.

What do students do during weekends?

On weekends, there could be more variations in different schools, but instead of having lessons, students normally do sports, extra-curricular and leisure activities on Saturday and Sunday. Routine activities tend to happen on Saturday mornings, to allow more free time on Saturday afternoons and Sundays. Under supervision of boarding staff, students may even visit the high street for some shopping and other activities.

What if my children are homesick?

When first arriving at school, students often experience an initial period of adaptation, when the feeling of homesickness isn’t uncommon. There will be orientation activities for new boarders to help them settle in as soon as possible. If your children tell you that they are getting used to living aboard, you may encourage them to join more different activities (as these are great opportunities to make friends) and encourage them to share happy experiences in the boarding house with you, so that their attentions can be directed back to the enriched boarding life. Boarding schools normally arrange an action-packed timetable for their students, especially in large-scale boarding schools. After getting into the rhythm of their busy boarding life, the feeling of homesickness will fade. From our experiences, once students adapt to their new school life, it’s more often for parents to complain about children’s slow responses to their calls and messages!

How much pocket money will my children need?

All meals are already included in boarding fees, while activities expenses (such as transportation, entrance tickets to theme parks, etc) will usually be included in the school bill and paid at the end of the term. Pocket money is mainly for things like shampoo, snacks and stationeries. £20 to £30 per week should be fairly enough in most circumstances.

Do I need to order school uniforms before departure?

Yes! Nowadays school uniforms are usually ordered online before departure and are ready to pick up at school when students arrive.

What are the typical holidays in UK schools?

In British school calendars, there are three long holidays, including Christmas, Easter and Summer holidays, where normally boarding students would return to Hong Kong:

Long Holiday Duration Date
Christmas Holiday Around 2 weeks Late December to Early January
Easter Holiday Around 2 weeks Early April to Mid April
Summer Holiday Around 1.5 months Mid-July to Late August

Apart from these long holidays, there are also the Half-terms holidays and Exeat Weekends. Half-term holiday lasts for 1-2 weeks, as its name implies, in the middle of a term. As there are three terms in a school year, there will be three Half-term holidays.

Exeat Weekends happen once or twice each term. Most schools and boarding houses will be closed during these holidays and boarders will need to stay at guardian’s places. However, some schools will open during Exeat Weekends and even Half-term holidays for international students’ convenience.

School Holiday Duration Date
Half-term Holiday Around 1-2 weeks Mid February*, Mid May and Mid October
Exeat Weekends Around 2 days (Friday after school to Sunday) Varies school by school
* The mid February half-term holiday may sometimes overlap with the Lunar New Year holiday, where students can come back to Hong Kong!

What can students do in the guardian’s during holiday?

They may attend family gatherings and social events in the guardians’ and get a taste of local cultures. They can also ask the guardians to take them out for movies, shopping, bowling, etc., but the extra cost will be handled by the parents.

Can the students go to town or the nearest city during weekdays or weekends?

Boarders normally are not allowed to leave campus during school days. If they do need to go out to town after school or on weekends, they will need permission from boarding staff, housemaster or the boarding head. Younger boarders can only go out with supervision of boarding staff, while students in Year 10 and upwards are normally allowed to go out by themselves with permission.

Are there pickup services from the airport to schools?

Schools and guardian companies are happy to arrange airport pick-up services for you. Parents should make a request some time before departure and provide their flight details.

How many boarders will there be in a shared room?

In general, younger boarders will have more roommates, while older boarders will have more independence, normally staying in double rooms.

In Year 1-9, most boarders will live in the a dormitory of 4-6 students. Year 10-13 boarders will mostly live in double rooms. Parents may prefer their children to have more personal space when they study aboard. However, after they got used to their new boarding and school life, many students might actually prefer bigger rooms, as more roommates mean more fun! Many schools will rearrange the rooms in every term, allowing students to enjoy rooms of different sizes and settings and to meet more friends.

Do boarders have their own bathroom in their room?

As schools renovate their boarding houses, there are more single and double en-suite rooms now. However, these rooms are often prioritized for students in more senior years. Therefore, boarders in general will be sharing toilets and shower areas in most schools.

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