How to Choose a Boarding School

Choosing a boarding school is usually a slow narrowing process: hundreds of possible schools, a handful of visits, one or two applications. Families who do it calmly tend to work in a fixed order. They start with the child and the family's limits, check that a school is properly regulated, and only then compare the details of daily life. This guide sets out that order. It does not rank schools or suggest that any particular school will produce a particular result.

Start with the child, not the school

Write down what the child is like in practical terms before looking at any prospectus. How do they cope with being away from home overnight? Do they need structure or room to roam? Are they happiest in a small, close group or a large, busy community? Do they have a particular interest, such as music, a sport, drama or a specific subject, that a school would need to support properly?

Then involve the child. A young person who has had no say in the decision is more likely to find the first term difficult. Ask what worries them, which parts of boarding appeal, and what they would miss. Their answers are better guides to fit than a school's reputation.

Set your fixed constraints

Some limits decide the shortlist before taste does. These are usually:

• Country and time zone. Travel time matters for exeats, short breaks and emergencies. A school that is a long flight away changes how often you can visit.
• Entry age and year group. Schools use different entry points and different names for year groups: Year 9 in England, Grade 9 in the US and Canada, and other terms elsewhere. The numbers are not interchangeable, so check the school's own description. The guide on understanding boarding school entry ages covers this.
• Gender and religious character. Single-sex, co-educational and faith-based schools all exist in most countries.
• Budget. Work out what you can sustain for the whole stay, not only the first year. See the guide on boarding school fees.
• Language of instruction. Check how much English-language support, if any, a school provides if English is not the child's first language.
• Qualifications. The school's curriculum affects what the child studies and what they can do afterwards. See the guide comparing school qualifications.

Check regulation and inspection

Boarding is a form of residential care, so look at how a school is regulated. The rules differ by country, so find the equivalent where you are looking.

In England, the Department for Education publishes national minimum standards that boarding schools must meet to safeguard and protect the children in their care. As published by the Department on the date accessed, these apply to both state-maintained and independent boarding schools. Ofsted's published framework for boarding in state-funded schools covers areas such as children's experiences and progress, how well they are helped and protected, and the effectiveness of leaders and managers; it says it does not cover boarding that the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) inspects. ISI describes itself as the body approved by the Secretary of State to inspect association independent schools in England. Check the current wording on the official pages before relying on it.

Whatever the country, ask the school which body inspects it, when the last inspection took place, and where the full report can be read. A school should answer this readily.

Compare daily life, not facilities lists

Most schools list similar facilities. What differs is how the day and the week run. Useful points of comparison include:

• How boarding houses are organised, how many pupils share a room, and how many adults live in or near the house.
• What is offered at weekends, and whether pupils are expected to stay.
• How pastoral care works: who a child speaks to first when they are unhappy, and how families are told.
• How much choice there is in food, activities and free time.
• How the school supports homesickness in the first weeks.

Some schools offer more than one pattern of boarding, such as full boarding, weekly boarding or flexible nights. One school's published description, for example, defines weekly boarding as five or six nights a week with the option to join weekend activities where space allows. Definitions vary by school, so compare what each one means by the same words. The guide on full boarding and weekly boarding goes into this.

Read the numbers carefully

Fee pages are not always comparable. One school's published fees may cover tuition, board and most activities, while another lists many items separately. Eton College's page, for instance, states that its quoted fees include tuition, board and lodging and most games activities, with other items billed as extras and with VAT included. That is one school's practice, not a norm. Ask each school to list what is and is not included, and keep a simple table so that you are comparing like with like.

Visit, then visit again if you can

A prospectus shows what a school wants to be seen. A visit shows how it works. See pupils in lessons and in the boarding house, not only on a tour route. If possible, visit on an ordinary day as well as an open day. Our guide on questions to ask during a school visit provides a list. If you cannot travel, ask for a live video call with a housemaster or housemistress and a current pupil.

Keep a shortlist honest

Aim for a shortlist of three to five schools in order of fit. Include one or two that you think your child would like even if they seem less impressive on paper. Avoid choosing on a single factor such as league tables, a famous name or a friend's recommendation. No school can promise a particular outcome, whether in examinations, university places or later life, and you should be wary of any that does.

Check before you decide

Confirm directly with each school:

• Which regulator or inspectorate covers its boarding, and where the latest report is published.
• Exactly what the fees include and exclude, and how and when they are billed.
• The entry points, assessment steps and deadlines for your child's year group.
• The boarding patterns it offers and what happens at weekends.
• Who looks after a child's welfare day to day and how parents are contacted.
• What support exists for children whose first language is not English, if relevant.
• Whether any visa, guardianship or welfare arrangements apply to your family, and who the school's contact is for them.