Independents see surge in demand for flexi-boarding

Independent schools in Yorkshire have seen a surge in the demand for "flexi-boarding" as day pupils spend a couple of nights at a time staying over at their school. Head teachers predict that the trend could revive junior school boarding from a long-term decline.

School leaders told the Yorkshire Post the demand for flexible boarding comes from both parents with work commitments away from the area and pupils who want to be involved in the activities which full-time boarders enjoy.

Demand for "flexi-boarding" has led to Harrogate Ladies' College introducing a flat rate charge of 20 for parents who want their children to stay at its boarding houses on Friday nights.

Headmistress Rhiannon Wilkinson said she hoped the increased demand for flexible boarding would allow the school to bring two of its mothballed boarding houses back into use.

She said: "Flexible boarding can accommodate the needs of parents and families where you have two people working full time and long hours. They can rest assured that for one or two evenings a week that their children are being looked after in a familiar environment allowing them to get on with their working lives.

"I think it could also be something which sees junior boarding being revived after a long period of decline."

Ashville College, in Harrogate, has recently refurbished its junior boarding house and changed it from boys only to co-ed after seeing an increase in demand for flexi-boarding.

More than a dozen boarding schools across the region told the Yorkshire Post the numbers wanting to use flexi-boarding had increased in the past two years while only one said it was not used by parents.

Aileen Kane, spokeswoman for Fulneck School in Pudsey said: "It is something which parents are asking for more and more. There is also a demand for extended day care from parents who cannot pick their children up from school at 4pm.

"Flexible boarding can be popular with parents who are busy and it is also popular with the children who have friends who are full-time boarders and get to hear about the activities they do and want to be involved as well."

Hilary Moriarty, the national director of the Boarding Schools Association said: "For many children and their parents, boarding may appear quite scary and no one wants to feel sent away. But flexi-boarding, staying an occasional night because of something particular – perhaps a theatre trip which gets back late, perhaps Mum and Dad away on a trip – can really break the ice.

"Flexi-boarding is particularly popular in prep schools."

Mother-of-two Tory Gillingham and her husband both work full-time and are among the parents who used flexible boarding at Woodleigh prep school, near Malton, for their children Jonty, 11 and eight-year-old Hattie.

Mrs Gillingham, from Thixendale, said: "Jonty and Hattie regularly

board when they attend evening activities. My work requires me to be away or at least return late in the evening and therefore the opportunity for the children to board at the school is a great advantage to me."

Children also appreciate flexi-boarding.

Kathryn Bell, the headmistress at Ackworth School, said: "The benefits of flexi-boarding are that existing day students have the opportunity to join in all the clubs and activities going on after the school day has finished. Students don't want to miss out on the fun and by staying overnight they can carry on activities with friends after tea following the supervised homework session.

"At Ackworth it is very flexible. Twenty four hours notice is enough and students, subject to availability, can stay over for a minimum of one night or more regularly if they require."

Courses look to university life

An all-girls school in Yorkshire is using the boarding school experience to prepare pupils for their lives ahead at university.

Harrogate Ladies College has introduced "You and Uni" courses covering different aspects of student life, ranging from cooking to coping with finances.

Headmistress Rhiannon Wilkinson said: "All of our students go onto university after they finish A-levels so this term every Thursday we have day girls sampling the boarding and have courses running on difference aspects of university life."

The classes allow some girls to experience boardingfor the first time.