Are you considering what’s the best boarding school for your child? Besides the location, curriculum and activities offered, another important consideration is the daily life of boarders, and how their different needs and interests are catered for. We hear from students about life in their boarding schools in Malaysia, Australia, Thailand and Singapore.
St Peters Lutheran College – boarding school in Australia
Located on a leafy 53-acre campus in Brisbane, Queensland, St Peters Lutheran College is approximately 6km from the Brisbane central business district. It’s serviced by major roads as well as two railway stations nearby.
Students can take multiple pathways. The College offers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme for Prep to Year 6, the Australian Curriculum for Years 7 to 10 and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) or ATAR at Years 11 and 12. Most graduating students attend the three main universities in Brisbane: the University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology and Griffith University. Some students also attend universities in Melbourne and Sydney. The IBDP curriculum has also seen more and more students entering universities in the UK and USA. The most popular careers students are studying for are in Health Science, Engineering and Business.
The College offers a wide range of co-curricular activities. There are over 30 sports, 38 music ensemble groups and numerous other activities including the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, eSports and Robotics as well as a range of Service Learning opportunities. Boarding students are also able to pursue their interests outside of school, including sports or dance. St Peters Western Swim Club, which is run by St Peters, is regarded as the top school swim club in the world. Old Scholars include world and Olympic champions Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan.
Life in this boarding school in Australia
Established in 1945 with 56 boarding students, The College now has 2,285 day and boarding students. Boarders are from all over Australia as well as around the world, including from Singapore, Hong Kong, mainland China and Thailand.
There’s a full range of boarding options available at St Peters Lutheran College. These include full-time, weekly, short-term and overnight. There are two boys’ houses and two girls’ houses with students from Years 7 to 12.
Pastoral care is very much front and centre of the house system. Boarders have access to Guidance Counsellors for support, as well as a Health Centre with nursing staff who are on call and can accompany boarders to their medical and dental appointments.
Boarders also have designated daily Prep study in the evening and on weekends. These are fully supervised by academic tutors to assist students with their homework. An external provider called the A-Team is also engaged to assist Year 7 to 9 students with developing good study techniques and learning how to study effectively.
Hear from a student
“As an expat from Hong Kong, boarding at St Peters gave me a new perspective on schooling and socialising. With its vibrant culture and opportunities, I was able to meet people of different cultures whose ways of seeing schooling and life are completely different to those of Hong Kong students. Especially compared to the stringent academic pathways in Hong Kong, the freedom attributed to St Peters boarding students allowed me to better plan my days with extracurricular activities such as band and orchestra, which isn’t widely available in schools in Hong Kong.”
– Michael Cheung; Michael began boarding in 2022 and was awarded Dux of the IBDP in Year 11 in 2023
66 Harts Road, Indooroopilly, Brisbane
+61 7 3377 6222 | stpeters.qld.edu.au
Marlborough College Malaysia – boarding school in Malaysia
Located in Johor Bahru along Malaysia’s southern coast, Marlborough College is a 10-minute drive from the Singapore border. The campus sits on a lush 90-acre estate that includes a lake for water sports, an organic farm, rugby and football pitches and an Olympic-sized swimming pool. All these facilities are available for boarding students to use.
The College in Malaysia is the only sister school of Marlborough College UK. The two institutions are closely connected with regular exchanges and a shared history spanning over 175 years. Just like its UK counterpart, MCM’s not-for-profit status means that surplus funds are reinvested to enhance the educational experience for its pupils.
The College follows the UK curriculum and is based on British standards and content, enriched with a global perspective. It offers the IGCSE starting in Year 10 and the IB starting at Year 12. Over the past five years, results for the IBDP have averaged 35 points. The College team says these results enable pupils to attend the most competitive universities worldwide.
Life in this boarding school in Malaysia
Pupils boarding at MCM enjoy a British boarding school experience without having to make the long journey to the UK.
Boarders at MCM also benefit from academic support outside of regular lessons. A significant number of teaching staff and their families live on campus. Teachers are readily available to help with homework, while visiting tutors offer subject specific help during evenings and weekends.
There are two additional boarding houses being opened in August 2024 to meet high demand. One likely factor is the College being named International School of the Year in the Tes Awards for International Schools 2024.
Hear from a student
“It’s a very international environment here, with students from all over the world. The boarding community is very supportive, everyone is friendly, and you can ask anyone for help. What I enjoy most is talking to my friends in the boarding house every day. During the exam period, we gathered in the common room and studied there. It was nice because we could support each other, ask each other questions and have some fun relaxing too.”
– Mayuka, Year 12
Jalan Marlborough, Puteri Harbour, Johor
marlboroughcollegemalaysia.org
United World College South East Asia – boarding school in Singapore
UWCSEA strives to uphold it’s mission “to use education as a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future”. The goal is to provide a holistic, values-based education that supports students to develop as individuals and as members of a global society.
The first campus was established in 1971 at Dover Road; the second campus in the east of Singapore opened in 2008. UWCSEA’s school year runs from August to June. Students from four years (Kindergarten) to 18 years (Grade 12) follow a concept-based curriculum leading to IGCSE, IBDP or the UWCSEA High School Diploma.
UWCSEA offers a transformative new Grade 9 /10 programme designed to better prepare students for the IBDP and the needs of the future workforce. The new UWCSEA Grade 9/10 courses replace the legacy IGCSE programme, providing students with an alternative learning experience. In this new programme, students have a mix of mandatory core subjects and free choice electives like English and Journalism, Enterprise Economics, Performance Psychology and more. This flexible approach tailors to the interests of the students, creating powerful creative thinkers who resemble fresh graduates more than High School students.
The College offers a scholarship programme that enables students from around the world to study in Singapore. The current student population, consisting of 114 nationalities, is at 5,921; of those, 337 are boarding students.
Life in this boarding school in Singapore
UWCSEA offers boarding for students from Grade 8 onwards. The boarders come from diverse backgrounds and nationalities including Tonga, Kenya, Guatemala, South Korea, Japan, South Africa, Tanzania, Colombia and many other countries.
The dishes served at the boarding house represent different cultures. Some of the more interesting options include Togo chicken stew and Pastalaya, a Jambalaya sausage pasta with a tangy taste.
Boarders begin their school day by attending mentor time with their mentor teacher before the first class begins. When lessons end at 3pm, students are engaged in extracurricular activities in school. After dinner, boarders have mandatory study time from 7pm to 8.30pm in designated study areas around the boarding house or campus. After which, students have free and easy time to relax until 10pm followed by lights off anytime between 10.45pm and midnight.
Hear from a student
“I’ve been a boarder at Tampines House in UWCSEA East since I was a Grade 9 student. I chose to study in Singapore for its safety and the abundant greenery integrated into the city. For my family and me, UWC’s mission deeply resonates with our values. We also appreciate UWC’s diverse community, which has immense potential. My favourite spot in the boarding house is the third-floor recreation area. It’s a great place for me to relax and hang out with my friends, whether we’re playing table tennis, pool or video games on a PS4. The biggest challenge for every boarder is time management. Here, you’re responsible for planning your day and balancing various activities and services. With time this skill develops, and you gain valuable life skills along the journey.”
– Jeffrey, Grade 11
East Campus: 1 Tampines Street 73 | 6305 5344
Dover Campus: 1207 Dover Road | 6775 5344
uwcsea.edu.sg
Rugby School Thailand – British school in Pattaya
Opened in 2017, Rugby School Thailand (RST) is an award-winning British school near Pattaya for boys and girls aged two to 18 years. It is one of only three Rugby Schools in the world. The original school in Rugby, Warwickshire, has over 450 years of history as one of the leading independent schools in the UK.
The campus sits on 80 acres of grounds in a rural location that’s only 20 minutes from the Pattaya coast and 70 minutes from Bangkok’s main international airport.
Within the campus, there are theatres, art and design technology studios, music rooms, science labs, a food tech room, four swimming pools, indoor and outdoor sports facilities, a fitness centre, sailing lake, playgrounds, tennis courts and an Eco Garden, plus a huge auditorium due for completion in 2026/7. In the land surrounding, there are tracks and trails for cycling, walking and running, a unique Outdoor Education Centre with a zipline, archery, high ropes course and bamboo classroom, as well as a neighbouring national park for hikes and outdoor adventures. These outdoor areas are used daily by students.
Students of all ages get to explore the local area and learn about Thai culture (beyond their Thai lessons). There are also residential trips throughout the year. These increase in length and distance from the school as students go up the years. Trips might include Nursery children visiting the nearby mulberry farm, Year 3 students spending a day at a local cacao farm and having a sleepover in the school’s boarding house, and Year 10 spending three days in Kanchanaburi to learn the rich history of the area, including SUP adventures along the River Kwai.
The school follows the British curriculum, leading to IGCSE and A Level examinations. These qualifications are recognised globally as a gold standard for university entrance worldwide. The team says that a Rugby School education imparts knowledge, instils a joy of learning, the art of critical thinking, and teaches strong values. This is achieved through their bespoke ‘Learner Profile’ that focuses on developing six core characteristics. This helps their students to be reflective, resilient, versatile, inquisitive, and global-minded communicators and collaborators.
Life in this boarding school in Thailand
Boarding at RST is available from Year 6 (age 10). Student boarders come from various places around Thailand as well as India, Japan, Korea, Dubai, China, Hong Kong and countries in Southeast Asia. RST’s boarding school options during term time cover part (three nights), weekly (five nights) or full (seven nights). Saturday Enrichment Programme activities are included for all these options. The boarding house has capacity for 210 boarders; currently, around 40 percent of Senior School students board.
The boarding houses at RST are run by teaching staff who can guide the students pastorally and academically. There’s also a rota of teachers and tutors present in the houses each evening, providing specialist support in a variety of areas. In Prep they often support with reading; in Senior they help with study or homework.
Every meal at the boarding house will have Asian, Thai and Western options to suit the taste of the international student community.
Hear from a boarding school student
“Boarding has enhanced my school experience in so many ways. It has allowed me to fully immerse myself in a learning environment with constant access to facilities and teachers. It has built my independence and crucial life skills while making me feel part of a loving and supportive community. If I had to sum up boarding at RST in three words, they would be nurturing, community and growth.”
– Nina, Year 12; Nina has been a weekly boarder for six years
7/2 Moo 2, Khao Mai Kaew, Bang Lamung, Chonburi, 20150, Thailand
+66 (0) 33 141 800 | admissions@rugbyschool.ac | rugbyschool.ac.th
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