‘Board: never to be confused with ‘bored’’
Our four boarding houses all make clear cases for their share in the slogan above. Denstone boarding offers an immersive schooling experience, where the educational process is enhanced, not only with more input, but also through the natural fostering of the attitudes and attributes for successful learning and development.
Boarders have ease of access to the extensive range of sporting and extra-curricular opportunities on offer, and they are able to optimise their intake of all the lessons supporting personal development which such experiences offer. Much of this happens back in the boarding houses, where self-reflection takes place within the context of peers doing the same, along with tutors mentoring and coaching, drawing on their extensive expertise and experience.
The social and independent-living aspects of boarding are hard to match. Our young people have extensive opportunities to meet others and build strong friendships for life, and they learn to take responsibility for themselves and each other. They learn a huge amount about others, themselves and how to build friendships and get along with people they might not feel naturally drawn to. With an ambitious and exciting programme of evening activities and both a Saturday and Sunday trip each week, boarders tend to find themselves busy, outgoing, and having lots of fun in taking part and in being around their friends who will be doing the same.
Concerned that boredom today is very present, and frequently staved off by an excess of digital experiences, we believe boarding offers a valuable, tried-and-tested alternative. We would love to show you around one or more of our boarding houses, and can assure you that you will see exactly what we mean when we say that ‘board’ should never be confused with ‘bored’.
Typical boarding day:
0700 – Optional sporting session for boarders.
0800 – Breakfast and roll call.
0845 – School time. Eight lessons, house and tutorial meetings, assembly, and activities or sport at the end of the day.
1730 – End of the school day. Opportunity to change and relax before the evening.
1800 – Supper.
1845 – Boarding house registration and meeting.
1900 – Supervised prep (either in bedsits or the library). Laptops are available for boarders to use. Staff with a range of academic backgrounds are available to offer support.
1945/2000/2030 (depending on age) – prep ends, activities start. Boarders can relax or take part in an evening activity. The activities on offer might include: badminton tournament, arts and crafts, baking, climbing wall, UCAS or foreign language support.
Boarders then have set in-house times and bed times.
Types of boarding:
We offer the following range of boarding packages:
· Full boarding
· Weekly boarding (5 days)
· Flexi boarding (2-3 days per week)
· Casual boarding (charged per night, with irregular needs accommodated subject to beds being available).
Houses:
