AS it stands, there are approximately 500 boarding schools in the UK and Northern Ireland. Eighteen of these are in Scotland, although this will drop when ESMS closes its boarding house in 2025 after 60 years.
While the closure of such long-standing boarding schools would have you believe interest is declining, the 70,000 boarding pupils in the UK – a figure that has remained steady since the turn of the century – suggest otherwise.
Far from being a relic of the past, boarding schools are key to Scotland’s ever-changing educational landscape.
The reality is the modern boarding school is a far cry from those of old, with a much greater emphasis on wellbeing, community and cultivating independence. Critically, boarding schools today cater to the complex and wide-ranging needs of 21st-century families.
It's not just international families who choose boarding. Due to an increasingly busy schedule, we Scots endure a 54-minute commute time. For our children, that is 54 minutes lost to play, exploration, socialising, and learning. Boarding school, however, affords young people an extended day, and with it the chance to pursue a vast array of interests.
