Essex


<p>If the thought of boarding school gives you shivers and makes you want to clutch your brood tight to your chest, hear me out. Flexi-boarding, where kids hop between home and school, can be a great way to balance parents&#8217; work schedule, kids&#8217; hobbies and everyone&#8217;s social lives. <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="New Hall School in Chelmsford (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.newhallschool.co.uk/" target="_blank">New Hall School in Chelmsford</a> know all about this &#8211; they moved to a fully flexible boarding structure during the pandemic and haven&#8217;t looked back, so who better to badger for the inside line on how to make boarding the best for everyone?</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">When parents hear about boarding schools, they might have a mental image of quite a traditional stereotype. How is flexi-boarding different?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="597" src="https://essex.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-157-scaled-e1626768722295.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6848" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-157-scaled-e1626768722295.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-157-scaled-e1626768722295-300x179.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-157-scaled-e1626768722295-768x458.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-157-scaled-e1626768722295-879x525.jpg 879w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>We believe flexible boarding is the way forward &#8211; it&#8217;s a real, responsive solution to the pace of life today. These days, a mixture of travelling for business, fluctuating office hours, working from home and working from the office means that parents they need flexibility in their children’s education and wraparound care. </p>



<p>When we first introduced the flexible boarding, many day students tried it on their busiest nights or for social events. Dancers board on Fridays before a Saturday morning lesson or Swim Academy swimmers board the nights before early morning training sessions in the pool, to cut down those early morning or weekend commutes. A good boarding and day school looks to integrate day families into the boarding community as much as possible, which is why many boarding socials and events are also open to day students, such as bonfire nights, Sixth Form Socials and tea parties for younger boarders.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What’s the difference between full and flexi boarding? &nbsp;</h2>



<p>Simply, flexible boarders go home on weekends, while full boarders go home for school holidays. Many full boarders are international students, or those whose parents work abroad.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Our flexible boarders stay between one and six nights a week, and have a choice of arranging the nights they board in a way that fits their schedule. They may want to stay on a Friday evening to play a fixture the next day, or arrive on a Sunday morning to catch up on work, or make it to an unmissable formal. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What are the benefits of boarding?&nbsp;</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="805" src="https://essex.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-358-scaled-e1626875420221-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6849" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-358-scaled-e1626875420221-2.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-358-scaled-e1626875420221-2-300x242.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-358-scaled-e1626875420221-2-768x618.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-358-scaled-e1626875420221-2-652x525.jpg 652w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>There are so many! The social aspect is great for personal development, but students can benefit academically, too.&nbsp;At New Hall, it allows our pupils better access to study resources, such as the Library, music practice rooms, class equipment, and even access to the teachers, as many work in the Boarding Houses. Boarding also offers the best use of time, removing the hassle of commuting at the start and end of the day. For our younger boarders, being surrounded by friends and having a balance of study and fun activities every evening makes the difference between a good and a great school experience. Our older boarders have a different set of rules and more independence, effectively preparing them for life after school. To them, boarding really is a soft introduction into university.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How can students feel more at home while boarding?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>A boarding house is really their home, so boarders can show their individuality by decorating their rooms and helping personalise common areas, as well as suggesting activities and trips they would enjoy. Most recently, Dennett House, our Sixth Form girls Boarding House, celebrated the Lunar New Year by cooking a hot pot with other boarders. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Won’t boarders get bored (excuse pun) if they’re not at home?&nbsp;</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="634" src="https://essex.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-165-1-scaled-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6850" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-165-1-scaled-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-165-1-scaled-1-300x190.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-165-1-scaled-1-768x487.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-165-1-scaled-1-828x525.jpg 828w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Not at all! Whether you board for one night or seven, the experience is incomparable to being at home. Our boarders are living with their best friends, and when would they otherwise have the chance to play pool, table tennis, swim, sing karaoke, have evening access to dance and music studios, or even play a twenty-person game of hide and seek or paintball on a 70-acre site? It sounds so good because, if you ask boarders, it really is. There’s always something going on in boarding these days, and if you want to relax or read in a quiet corner that’s okay, too.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What about boarders’ mental health and pastoral care? </h2>



<p>At any boarding school, students have access to a member of staff at all times of day and night. Whatever the nature of students’ concerns, many staff are trained in mental health first aid and, with so much experience in boarding, there is rarely a problem that cannot be solved. </p>



<p>Our new School Counsellor plans activities with boarders in the evenings, such as a baking and relaxation session, to make sure that boarders always dedicate time to their wellbeing. A balance of set study times and organised activity times takes away the pressure of studying late into the night by instilling in students that there are times to dedicate to academics, and times to relax and have fun.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Do you get parents who feel guilty about boarding? How can they decide if it’s right for them?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://essex.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-151-scaled-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6853" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-151-scaled-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-151-scaled-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-151-scaled-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2022/03/NEW-HALL-2021-151-scaled-1-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>For us, most students will bring up the possibility of boarding to their parents after hearing their friends’ positive stories. For parents, the biggest worry seems to be the start of boarding. This is where strong communication between the parents, boarders and staff is essential. Within a matter of weeks, once their child is settled in and is calling them with stories of their new best friends and their adventures together, families back at home feel very much at ease. We live in a time when everyone is so easily reachable, so many parents enjoy daily video calls with their children. The good thing about boarding is that anyone can try for a few evenings or even a term to see if this is the right thing for them but, to be honest, at New Hall, most that try decide to stay!</p>



<p><em><a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="our latest Muddy review of the School here (opens in a new tab)" href="https://essex.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/review-of-new-hall-school-chelmsford/" target="_blank">Read our review of the New Hall School </a></em></p>


Flexible boarding: is it right for you and your family?

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