School for Boys

You may have read Harry Potter and dreamed about what life at a UK boarding school would be like. We can’t promise any wizards, but we do hope you will have a fantastic experience!

A boarding school is a residential school where pupils live and study during the school year. There are approximately 500 boarding schools across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

UK boarding schools are residential schools for children and teenagers up to the age of 18, offering internationally recognised qualifications such as GCSEs, A-levels and the International Baccalaureate (IB).

UK boarding schools offer you an outstanding education, helping you to develop your skills and progress to university. All UK boarding schools have to meet strict UK government standards on the quality of their teaching, facilities and student care.

Single sex education has a long and distinctive history in the annals of western education. So exactly why would you consider a boys’ school for your son in the 21st century?

1. Boys learn differently from girls. There is now a recognized body of research which posits that boys do learn differently from girls. Teachers in a boys’ school understand how a boy learns and as a result are quite successful in implementing the special teaching techniques required to achieve optimal results.
2. The focus is entirely on boys. Young men enjoy different kinds of activities than girls do. They grow at a different pace than girls do. A boys’ school allows a boy to remain a boy for as long as he wants and needs to.
3. The social pressures are much less stressful. Boys mature later than girls do. Learning how to cope with and relate to girls on a daily basis in a coeducational setting causes added stress in those early adolescent years. That’s exactly the time a boys’ school is able to jump in and build confidence without the social distractions inherent in a mixed setting.
4. Boys’ become comfortable with non-traditional subjects and activities. In a boys’ school you can’t have a choir or an orchestra unless you and your classmates pitch in and make it happen. Breaking down the stereotypes society has imposed on what are considered proper activities for boys is one of the many things boys’ schools do very well.
5. Boys learn that there are many routes to manhood. Again, the traditional stereotypes can be dismantled and replaced by a more thoughtful approach to maturation. Not every boy can be a star athlete or a math whiz. Competition is fine and to be encouraged. But boys can also learn that the strong bonds of friendship, teamwork and social interaction are what matter most in later life.

What about interaction with girls? That is indeed a very important part of any boys’ school’s social calendar. Typically a boys’ school will have an established relationship with a nearby girls’ school. A range of supervised activities gives both sexes ample opportunity to enjoy each other’s company. This works to their mutual benefit.

Boys’ boarding schools allow young men the opportunity to learn in an environment away from the distractions created by daily exposure to young women. In a boarding school setting, boys are wiling to take different risks and learn things they would not otherwise learn.

They are also exposed to less cultural and media pressures and are protected by the close scrutiny of administrators and teachers at the boarding school.

Boarding schools for boys:

• Allow boys and young men to participate in some activities that they might not otherwise when there are girls around. There are less concerns about appearance.
• May allow boys to challenge themselves in “non-traditional” subjects such as art and literature.
• Will simply afford them less opportunity to get “in trouble” with members of the opposite sex.