BOARDING SCHOOLS
Dunn, vice principal (pastoral) at Abbey College Cambridge. “It’s been their home; they’ve done very well academically but actually they want to go back and see the boarding house with the house parents who looked after them.” Boarding houses are organised in a variety of ways from school to school. Whether big or small, new-build or centuries-old, they share the same aim: to form smaller communities within the school as a whole, each with a reassuring family feel. Creating that secure environment matters because it has a fundamental impact on children’s ability to learn, says Peter O’Connor, senior school deputy head (academic) at Bishop’s Stortford College. “When pupils feel anxious or isolated, they avoid challenge. When they feel safe and
SAY BYE TO BOREDOM Boarding houses at Bishop’s Stortford College (top left), The Leys (top right) and Abbey College (above) are well set up to support pupils’ academic needs and provide fun downtime
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