If you are hearing about full boarding schools in the UK you may wonder what they are – how do they differ from ordinary boarding schools? There are two types of boarding schools; full and half and the difference is in when students get to go home. In a full boarding school you only get to go home during the half term break and during the holidays. At all other times you are within the school premises. In a half boarding school you get to go home every Friday after classes and come back on Monday mornings.
What is the benefit of going to a full boarding school? You will get to spend more time in school which means that you have more time to focus on your studies. The other benefit – and this is very important – is that students who are in full boarding schools are able to take part in weekend activities. Most schools will organize things like sports tournaments and excursions on weekends so if you have to be away during that time you miss out. These activities are important as they help you learn beyond the classroom.
If, however, you think you will become very homesick or you really need to be home on weekends you should choose to be a weekly boarder. Yes, you will miss out on weekend activities but you will get to go home to your family and get a break from school. Half boarding is also recommended for those who join boarding when they are rather young. As they grow older and get used to living away from home they can transfer to full boarding.
We recommend that you try the Cambridge Centre for Sixth Form Studies. It is one of the best sixth form schools and offers both half and full boarding. You can find out more on https://www.ccss.co.uk/.