Views of Boarding
Boarding at St Catherine's is enormous fun and the comments below from boarders show just how much they love boarding life.
What the boarders like
- Being with friends all the time
- Having time to join in lots of activities
- Having more time at both ends of the school day
- The flexibility of weekly boarding – girls can go home on Friday or choose to stay in school for a Saturday morning match or weekend activities.
- Having resources and facilities close at hand
- I can focus more when doing prep at school in boarding than at home.
- Sixth formers love their own Speech Hall Library (SHLib!) space to use for study into the evening where the atmosphere helps them work more efficiently
- The boarding housemistresses and boarding staff all work very hard organising weekend trips for boarders. You can widen your horizons and have a taste of all kinds of exciting activities, e.g. beach trips, go-karting, Winter Wonderland, London shopping trips and theatre performances.
- I enjoy boarding as it allows me more time to train and fit in homework around a busy schedule. We are given more freedom which allows us to have more control of our timetable and to manage our time how we wish. (Sixth Form boarder)
- Boarding is a really close community. You get to meet a lot of people from different parts of the UK and the world, and become great friends with them.
- We learn to be more considerate because we are living in a community and everyone is always thinking of others, making boarding a happy place to live in, just like a family.
- You will have a lot more time than if you are a day girl. You can wake up at 7.30 in the morning, half an hour before school, something you definitely cannot do if you are a day girl, and still fit in breakfast and an activity at 9am. You can also participate in a lot of extra-curricular activities, yet still have enough time to balance your academics with you interests. (Sixth Form boarder)
- Sixth Form boarding is my favourite aspect of Sixth Form life as I get to spend lots of time with my friends, and the boarding staff are very approachable and are always there to help. It is a very friendly environment. (Sixth Form boarder who was a day girl until the Sixth Form)
What our parents say
- How has weekly boarding worked for you as a family?
It works really well for us. It allows my daughter to do all the activities she wants to without having to juggle diaries with my husband to ensure she can make the most of opportunities. - How has it benefited you personally?
Personally, it has meant I can be far more flexible in my working hours, which as someone who is self-employed is incredibly helpful. - What difference has it made to your family life?
It has made life less stressful, as we can manage work commitments and then have quality family life at the weekend, knowing the homework (and laundry!) is taken care of. - Why should parents consider this as an option?
The school is incredibly caring and the staff know the girls really well, so I know she is well looked after and has a shorter day than she would if she had to travel in each day. She is now more organised and independent and her confidence has increased. Her day girl friends can visit the boarding house so she is able have a wide group of friends and more of a social life than she would have at home!