Exploring the Boarding School Option

Imagine if your child could get a first-rate education while living in a country far from home. Imagine your child learning about the great works of William Shakespeare while simultaneously learning about the local culture of a small community in rural England. While that may both scary and exciting, it’s undeniable that it would be an experience of a lifetime. Even a boarding school closer to home can expose your child to new environments and ideas. So why not consider a boarding school to fulfill your child’s education?

By definition, a boarding school is a private school in which the students live on the school grounds for the academic year. The students’ lives are completely immersed at school; they eat, sleep, learn and take part in community events in and around the school. Life away from home will teach your child about independence and responsibility as young adults, such as managing their allowance, being responsible for their own laundry and making sure their homework is done well and on time.

Depending on your family’s preference, you can choose a boarding school that is either co-ed or single-gender serving either all boys or all girls. Boarding schools are well known to boast distinguished teachers and an education derived from a top-notch curriculum. Many parents send their children to boarding school for their high school years to better prepare them for life as young adults at college or university.

What You Can Expect

Sending your child to a private school far from home is a big commitment, but choosing to enroll your child will be a worthwhile investment in their education and future. If you do decide to send your child to a boarding school, you can expect that he or she will:

• Be exposed to all kinds of new ideas and different points of view
• Be able to select academic courses that will enrich and challenge
• Be in small classes
• Be asked to form opinions and share ideas
• Have his/her strengths expanded while assessing his/her weaknesses

Questions To Ask

There is only so much information parents can learn from a private school’s brochure, so it’s important to be prepared with a list of questions you can ask when you decide to visit a school in person. Those questions may include:

• What makes you different from the rest?
• What values do you instil in your pupils?
• Can we see the accommodation?
• What are your entrance requirements and admissions procedures?
• Do you have any interesting traditions?

When you’re choosing a boarding school for your child, you want to know that you’re making the best decision and picking a school that will suit their personality, offer them an exceptional education and give them a unique and enriching start in life. Boarding schools will shape the lives of your children in more ways than one.

Find more information about boarding school with ParentsCanada Private School Guide.