TV presenter, adventurer and former boarder, Ben Fogle, will provide a fascinating glimpse into his life at boarding school when the first national An Introduction to Boarding event is hosted by Trent College school in Long Eaton in Nottingham on Saturday 16 June (9am-1pm).
Supported by the Boarding Schools' Association (BSA) and UK Boarding Schools.com this national event, for families at all stages of planning their child’s education, aims to sort the boarding facts from fiction, equipping families with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about boarding education.
Despite fears the recession would cause boarding numbers to drop nationwide, the exact opposite has occurred with the Independent Schools Council’s (ISC) annual census showing that in 2010-11 there was a 1.7 percent rise in the number of boarders. Boarding numbers for seven-to 13-year-olds increased by over five percent in that period.
The event will address a variety of topics, such as what are the benefits of boarding, how to decide if boarding is right for your family and child and how to choose a boarding school. The speakers will draw on their and their children’s experiences of boarding from around the UK boarding schools.
As well as Ben Fogle, who attended Bryanston School in Dorset, confirmed guests include Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the ISC, Brigadier J E Richardson, who will speak about his experience as part of a military family, Morrisons’ Marketing Director, Rebecca Singleton, representing busy, professional parents and First Eleven magazine editor, Annabel Heseltine, a mother of four and herself a boarder at three schools from the age of 11.
The increase in boarders has been credited to the fact that as well as traditional full-time boarding, many schools are now offering a range of boarding options, including Monday-Friday and flexi-boarding, enabling family and school life to sit comfortably side-by-side. Cost is also increasingly seen as a factor, especially for younger pupils, as part-time boarding can present a cheaper, more holistic alternative to after-school professional childcare.
Hilary Moriaty, National Director of event partners the BSA, explains: “Many of today’s boarding schools are a vibrant mix of local youngsters whose parents work unsociable hours, international students, military families and those families who simply see boarding as an extension of a child’s whole academic and personal education and development.
“A good school, that appreciates its responsibilities in fostering a caring, stable home-away-from-home environment, can help children thrive, with all the benefits of academic continuity, excellent facilities, extensive extracurricular opportunities and social advantages, that boarding brings. We hope this first Introduction to Boarding event at Trent College will open a few eyes, and put to bed a few myths, about life at Britain’s boarding schools.”
For more information on An Introduction to Boarding visit www.trentcollege.net and follow the link on the homepage or follow @IntroToBoarding on Twitter.
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Ben Fogle will be speaking at the first national Introduction to Boarding event at Trent College