BOARDING SCHOOLS
deputy head (boarding and pastoral care) at St Andrew’s College, Cambridge. This also involves learning how to live with and tolerate others, whose ideas can be very different to your own. Boarding builds connections and breaks barriers down, says Laura Hadden, head of boarding at Kimbolton School. “The best part is the fact that pupils can get to know each other, support each other, make mutual decisions, have a voice and test their interaction skills in a safe environment.” Finding common ground is vital, agrees Dr Carolyn Dunn at Abbey College Cambridge. “It’s about learning those cultural differences and how to navigate them without offending people; to get to know how other people think, which might be in a different way to you. They might have different priorities in their life and that’s where boarding can really help.” A rich experience Boarders lead full lives. While each school organises boarding activities differently, variety is guaranteed. From sampling Nigerian recipes or learning traditional Uzbek dancing at Abbey College to playing Cluedo in Kimbolton’s very own castle, or relaxing with meditation at Cardiff Sixth Form College Cambridge, there’s something to appeal to almost everyone. Meanwhile, competitions that pit different boarding houses against each other are carefully planned to tread that delicate line between house loyalty and rivalry, cementing those social bonds without undermining the unity of the school as a whole. A sense of community and belonging that binds boarders together, often forging lifelong friendships
GET STUCK IN Facilities at Kimbolton School (above) and Abbey College (below, left) are state of the art, so students can dive right into their learning with complete confidence in their environment
“Students thrive on competition,” confirms Clair Curtis-Dyke, vice principal (pastoral and boarding) at Cardiff Sixth Form College Cambridge, where popular and hard-fought house contests span sport and music. The richness of boarding life, with so many shared activities and experiences, can be a highly effective way of reducing the siren call of smartphones and screens – something that isn’t always easy to achieve at home, explains Clare Ives at The Leys, who is a ‘massive advocate’ of a phone-free childhood. “When boarders don’t have their phones, they have a social context they can lean into. But for a lot of parents, when they’re at home with their child in the evening, the only social context is the family. If the child doesn’t want to engage
with that, you’re then under pressure as a parent, whereas here there’s always someone they want to spend time with.” Creating opportunities for discussion can be easier in a boarding environment, says Laura Hadden at Kimbolton School. “It is encouraged to sit and talk rather than have your phone with you all the time. We create discussion times, where we ask pupils to get together and talk about how they can be big sisters to each other.” Helping things along are trained staff, who get to know the pupils in their charge inside out, so that they can spot even the smallest signs of struggle. “They are able to give pupils really individualised support, engaging with them and working out any issues they might have, which is a massive benefit for
50 MARCH 2026 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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