Jack Avery is the Boarding Houseparent at Cheltenham Prep. His own parents were also Boarding Houseparents. Here we asked him to share his experience about how parents can help their children transition from life in a prep boarding house to senior school boarding.
First and foremost, getting children to love boarding is critical.
When a child has a positive experience, they will naturally see it as less of a chore and more of something they want to do. At Cheltenham Prep, we focus on making every day in the Boarding House an exciting day.
Throughout the week and weekend we have a range of activities taking place, from sports, clubs and cookery during the week, to trips to theme parks, movie nights and swim parties at the weekend.
As well as activities, the people around your child during the boarding experience will positively influence their experience. Staff should be supporting every boarder to develop their independence and should provide pastoral support. Most importantly, ask about year group integration and how your child will mix with the years around them. Experiencing life amongst older and younger year groups will ensure that your child is ready for life at senior school. As a parent, positively reinforcing the boarding experience is critical throughout your child?s journey

Being interested and supportive of boarding will help to comfort your child, getting them excited and ready for some of the best years of their lives!
Experiencing boarding early on during...