A boarding school provides education for pupils who live on the premises, as opposed to the more traditional day school. Boarding school is usually aimed at secondary school students and it is regarded as room and board with full education included. The education is usually extremely good and there are fewer class numbers too. There are a lot of extra-curricular opportunities that may not be available in secondary schools, sporting facilities can be exemplary and other activities are also incredibly beneficial to students. 

Pupils stay at the school for the length of the term but in some cases, students are permitted to return home on the weekends or indeed during the mid-term holidays. Boarding school is something that is available all over the world and in Ireland boarding school is still popular especially amongst children of parents who attended boarding schools themselves. However, in recent times there has been a little decline in full-time students as many pupils are opting to attend the school but on a normal day to day basis if they live close by. 

Some of the well-known boarding schools in Ireland are Clongowes, Blackrock and Belvedere. Boarding schools have also served some famous faces including rugby heroes Gordan Darcy, Fergus McFadden, Dave and Rob Kearney to name a few. Ivan Yates famously berated his boarding school experience as “terror mixed with homesickness” and it led him to cry himself to sleep every night. Of course, Ivan Yates was schooled in a different time and boarding schools have earned a good reputation since the 70’s and 80’s. 

Many people say that boarding schools can build a child’s self-confidence, independence and self-reliance. Other people consider boarding schools as “not right” for today’s children as they miss out on a family environment as well as quality loving time. There is, however, no doubt that the children are well looked after in boarding school, but they miss out on certain things that family life brings. The boarding schools advocate a safe, secure and enriching setting while the students benefit by learning independence, self-reliance and social skills. They usually are housed in sprawling estates with ample space to play games with their peers while having fun. Reducing the commuting times for students is hugely beneficial and gives pupils extra time back to study or take part in extra-curricular activities. 

Boarding schools are a good option for busy parents and many children in boarding school are there because their parents can’t give them the attention they need during the week. This isn’t their fault, but they conclude that boarding school offers their children all around education, study time and social lives something they may not otherwise have if schooled daily. If parents must leave early in the morning and return late in the evening, who will feed the kids and get them to their many sporting or social activities? There is also one major consideration – the cost. It can be quite expensive to school children in full-time boarding care and for 5/6 years it all adds up.

It may not be for everyone, but the beauty of modern life is, there is always options and choices.