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Boarding school

society Maturity 5-7

Some kids live at their school.

TASdorm1898.jpg
TASdorm1898.jpg
They sleep and eat there. They study with many friends. It is a place to learn. It can be a fun home. Do you like to sleep in a big room?
Student hostel (Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Barabanki).jpg
Student hostel (Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Barabanki).jpg

44 words

Some kids live at their school.

TASdorm1898.jpg
TASdorm1898.jpg
They sleep and eat there. They study with many friends.

These kids are called boarders. They can stay for many years. Some kids go home on weekends.

Teachers help look after the kids. They live in houses at the school.

Croydon Shubra Hall PLC.JPG
Croydon Shubra Hall PLC.JPG

Some schools have many big buildings. They have gyms and pools too.

Main (west) facade of Dollar Academy.jpg
Main (west) facade of Dollar Academy.jpg

It is a special way to learn and grow.

78 words

A boarding school is a place where students live while they learn.

TASdorm1898.jpg
TASdorm1898.jpg
These students are called boarders. Some schools also have day pupils. These students go home every evening.
Main (west) facade of Dollar Academy.jpg
Main (west) facade of Dollar Academy.jpg

Boarders stay at school for different amounts of time. Full-term boarders stay for the whole school year. Weekly boarders go home on weekends. Some students stay for many years.

Students live in special buildings called houses.

Croydon Shubra Hall PLC.JPG
Croydon Shubra Hall PLC.JPG
Staff members like housemasters look after them. They act like parents while the kids are away. Houses often have dining rooms and libraries. Some houses even have common rooms for relaxing.

Many schools have extra things for fun. They may have gyms, pools, or theaters. Some schools are even on ships! These sailing schools travel the world. Other schools move to a new city each term. These are called traveling boarding schools.

THINK Global Students at BISS.jpg
THINK Global Students at BISS.jpg

In the past, some boarding schools were used in ways that were very unfair. In the U.S. and Canada, schools were used to change indigenous children. These were hard times for many families.

186 words

A boarding school is a place where students live and learn in one spot.

Main (west) facade of Dollar Academy.jpg
Main (west) facade of Dollar Academy.jpg
The term "boarding" means the school provides both a room and meals. These schools have existed for many centuries. They are found in many different countries today. Some schools only have students who live there. These students are called boarders. Other schools also have day pupils who go home every evening.

Life at a boarding school follows a specific way of working. Students live in separate buildings called houses.

Croydon Shubra Hall PLC.JPG
Croydon Shubra Hall PLC.JPG
Adults called housemasters or housemistresses look after the students. They take on a role similar to parents. They might look after between 5 and 50 students at a time. Some houses have a matron to help with the home. Other staff members like house tutors help with schoolwork. Houses often include a dining room and a library.
TASdorm1898.jpg
TASdorm1898.jpg

Boarding schools have a long and varied history. In the United Kingdom, some schools are very famous and elite. Schools like Eton and Winchester have taught many prime ministers. In the United States and Canada, history includes some very difficult parts. The Canadian Indian residential school system and American Indian boarding schools were used to change indigenous children.

Carlisle pupils.jpg
Carlisle pupils.jpg
These were times of forced assimilation for many families. Other schools, like the G.I. Rossolimo Boarding School Number 49 in Russia, acted like orphanages.

There are many different types of boarding schools today. Some students are full-term boarders who stay for the whole year. Weekly boarders go home every weekend.

Student hostel (Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Barabanki).jpg
Student hostel (Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Barabanki).jpg
Some schools are very specialized for certain needs. Therapeutic boarding schools help students with psychological difficulties. Military academies focus on strict discipline. There are even schools for students with special needs, such as those for the blind. In China, tens of millions of rural children attend boarding schools.

Modern boarding schools offer many ways to explore the world. Some are international schools, like the United World Colleges. There are even traveling boarding schools like Think Global School.

THINK Global Students at BISS.jpg
THINK Global Students at BISS.jpg
These students move to a new city each term. Other schools are based on ships and sail around the world.
Schloss in Torgelow, direkt am See.JPG
Schloss in Torgelow, direkt am See.JPG
Some schools focus on the outdoors to teach self-reliance. These schools use many different tools to help students grow. They often provide gyms, pools, and theaters for fun activities.

411 words

A boarding school is an educational institution where students live on the school premises while receiving formal instruction. The term "boarding" refers to the provision of both lodging and meals, often called "room and board." These schools have existed for many centuries and are now found in many different countries. While they share the goal of education, their specific codes of conduct and cultural ethos vary greatly. Some schools serve only students who live on-site, while others also host day pupils. Day pupils attend classes during the day but return to their homes each evening.

Main (west) facade of Dollar Academy.jpg
Main (west) facade of Dollar Academy.jpg

The living arrangements in a boarding school are organized through a house system. A typical school features several separate residential houses located either on the grounds or nearby. Each house is managed by senior staff members like housemasters, housemistresses, or dorm parents. These individuals act in a capacity known as *in loco parentis*, meaning they take on quasi-parental responsibilities for their students. A single staff member may oversee anywhere from 5 to 50 students. In some systems, a matron assists with domestic management, while a house tutor helps with academic matters.

Croydon Shubra Hall PLC.JPG
Croydon Shubra Hall PLC.JPG

Inside these houses, students find various specialized facilities to support their daily lives. Most houses include study-bedrooms or dormitories for sleeping and a refectory, or dining room, for meals. Many also contain libraries, common rooms for relaxation, and even kitchens for snacks. To maintain order, schools often implement specific rules, such as "lights out" times. These rules require students to stop talking and prepare for bed at a set hour. Older students may sometimes hold positions of authority, such as prefects or monitors, to help supervise younger peers.

TASdorm1898.jpg
TASdorm1898.jpg

Students can choose from several different boarding schedules based on how often they visit home. Full-term boarders stay at the school for the entire academic year. Semester boarders return home at the end of each academic term. Weekly boarders, sometimes called five-day boarders, live at the school during the week and go home on weekends. There are also semi-boarders who attend the school for instruction and activities but return home daily. In some cultures, boarders may spend the majority of their childhood and adolescence living away from their families.

The history of boarding schools reveals a wide range of social roles and impacts. In the United Kingdom, there is a long tradition of boarding schools, including elite "public schools" like Eton and Winchester. These institutions have educated several prime ministers. However, history also includes periods of great injustice. In the United States and Canada, the Canadian Indian residential school system and American Indian boarding schools were used for forced assimilation. In other contexts, such as in Russia, some boarding schools functioned essentially as orphanages.

Carlisle pupils.jpg
Carlisle pupils.jpg

Today, boarding schools serve many specialized functions across the globe. In China, tens of millions of rural children are educated in boarding schools. Some institutions are therapeutic boarding schools, which provide treatment for psychological or learning difficulties. Military academies focus on providing strict discipline, while others specialize in education for students with special needs, such as the blind. There are even traveling boarding schools, like Think Global School, where students move to a new city each term.

THINK Global Students at BISS.jpg
THINK Global Students at BISS.jpg

Modern boarding schools often provide extensive facilities that extend beyond the classroom. Students may have access to gymnasiums, swimming pools, theaters, and even school chapels. Many North American boarding schools are located in large rural environments with diverse architectural styles. These schools often encourage extracurricular engagement through clubs, such as a French Club, or various sports teams. By combining academic learning with residential life, these institutions create a unique environment for social and personal development.

Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, June 2013 (3).jpg
Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, June 2013 (3).jpg

631 words
🖼️ Images & Media (13)
File:Main (west) facade of Dollar Academy.jpg
Main (west) facade of Dollar Academy.jpg
File:Croydon Shubra Hall PLC.JPG
Croydon Shubra Hall PLC.JPG
File:TASdorm1898.jpg
TASdorm1898.jpg
File:Schloss in Torgelow, direkt am See.JPG
Schloss in Torgelow, direkt am See.JPG
File:THINK Global Students at BISS.jpg
THINK Global Students at BISS.jpg
File:Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, June 2013 (3).jpg
Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey,...
File:Phillips Academy, Andover, MA - Samuel Phillips Hall.JPG
Phillips Academy, Andover, MA - Samuel...
File:Carlisle pupils.jpg
Carlisle pupils.jpg
File:Northcliff Campus, Columbia International College.jpg
Northcliff Campus, Columbia International...
File:The Doon School India.jpg
The Doon School India.jpg
File:Boarding school of humanities,facade.jpg
Boarding school of humanities,facade.jpg
File:Rosenberg Main Building.jpg
Rosenberg Main Building.jpg

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