• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Go to Expat Living Hong Kong
Get our Newsletter

Lifestyle Guide To Moving To & Living in Singapore - Expat Living HomepageLifestyle Guide To Moving To & Living in Singapore - Expat Living

Moving to Singapore and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Singapore.

Menu
  • Living in Singapore
      • Living here
      • Neighbourhood Guides
      • Schools
      • Property
      • Work And Business
      • Finance
      • For Guys
      • Environment
        • UFIT TennisOutdoor activities – group fitness classes, tennis, cycling etc.
        • feng shui focus lucy richardsonExpat Journey: Lucy Richardson
        • Forbidden Hill fathers day gifts15 Fabulous Father’s Day Gifts and Things to Do
        • weddingTop 20 wedding venues in Singapore, for all sorts of couples
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things to do
      • EL Events
      • Calendar
      • Competitions
      • Noticeboard
        • Muswell Hill comedy Pangdemonium dinner partyPangdemonium brings Muswell Hill to Singapore
        • looking for clues treasure hunt time heistWin big in the Civic District treasure hunt
        • As You Were ArtworksWhat’s on this week and beyond
        • The National Stadium - Sports Hub Best venues for concertsTheatres in Singapore plus venues for events & concerts!
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Enrichment
      • Kids Things To Do
      • Mums & Babies
      • Schools
      • Tots & Toddlers
      • Tweens & Teens
        • pre & post baby items cleaning by pramwashWhen did you last clean the baby pram?
        • Nexus International School students reading in library learning experienceLearning for the Future at Nexus
        • Forbidden Hill fathers day gifts15 Fabulous Father’s Day Gifts and Things to Do
        • fishing 3aHoliday fun and outdoor activities at this Adventure Camp
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Home Decor
      • Readers’ Homes
      • Furniture
        • feng shui focus lucy richardsonExpat Journey: Lucy Richardson
        • European bedding best mattressBest mattresses for the best sleep!
        • antique furniture singaporeAntique furniture shops – plus vintage and reproduction furniture!
        • Where to buy lamps in SingaporeWhere to buy lamps in Singapore – lights galore!
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Asia
      • Australia & New Zealand
      • Rest Of World
      • News
      • Travel Offers
        • ideas for a long weekend awayPlan ahead for that long weekend away!
        • international health insuranceProtecting your health overseas in 2022
        • Krabi Thailand beachfront villas for beach holiday in ThailandBeachfront villas in Krabi Thailand – perfect for your next beach holiday!
        • New ZealandYour mini guide to New Zealand
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Asian Cuisine
      • Western Cuisine
      • Bars & Clubs
      • Groceries & Speciality Services
      • Recipes & Classes
        • Pizza12 great places to get the best pizza in Singapore
        • Farmers market - butcher - meat shopTop butchers for good-quality meat
        • Sugarhall DaquriLatest bars in Singapore: New drinking spots!
        • M&S Meat Free NuggetsPlant-based nuggets – here’s what we think!
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
      • Beauty Offers
        • hydrating products skinTried and tested: Hydrating Products for Dry Skin
        • ARIANE ZAGURY 2A Curated Fashion House for All
        • Frizz TreatmentIn need of a quick fix for frizzy hair?
        • Spray tan singaporeGet a golden glow quickly with a spray tan!
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Dental
      • Fitness
      • Medical
      • Wellness
        • injuries to hip and hamstring injuriesInjuries to hip muscles & hamstring injuries – how to treat them!
        • UFIT TennisOutdoor activities – group fitness classes, tennis, cycling etc.
        • overweightWeight gain and your health – How a GP can help
        • PainWhat is pain and how do you treat it?
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
    • PRINT MAGAZINE
    • DIGITAL MAGAZINE
    • BOOKS
    • Close

Thinking about a boarding school?

11th November 2019 by Melinda Murphy 3 Min Read

https://expatliving.sg/which-british-boarding-schools-are-the-best/

Should you send your child to a British boarding school? If so, which one? I’m an American parent who admittedly has always found the boarding school thing a bit mystifying, feeling it’d be incredibly hard to send my kids to live far away from me at an early age. But because my children go to a British school here, I now know more and more people who choose to send their teens off to boarding school in the UK. And now I get it: they simply want what works best for their child.

Some are concerned about the all-important GCSE’s and don’t want their children to move during the prep years for these all-important tests if they have to move homes for employment reasons.  With job stability low, some just don’t want the children to be affected by any transfers back home. Brits who move around the world a lot with their jobs choose to send their kids to the UK, concerned about uprooting their children too often.

Others choose the British boarding school system because the schools are, quite simply, very good schools. Universities and colleges the globe over take a close look at applications from British boarding school kids. Of the nearly 70,000 kids who board in the UK, more than 40 percent of them are from overseas families. Of course, deciphering which school is right for your child can be a bit confusing which is why checking out the upcoming British Boarding Schools Show is a great idea.

british boarding schools

 

Boarding school through the eyes of one family

“A level of continuity with subjects and friendships is really important,” says Sinead Cassidy, an Irish expat who has two children at boarding school in the UK and one at an international school in Singapore. “So many of their friends kept moving away and it was hard watching them having to make new friends over and over. Their friendships – and their studies – will be more stable now.”

Two years ago, Sinead’s oldest daughter Freya made the choice herself to go to Cheltenham Ladies College, originally because she was concerned about her GCSE exams. She didn’t want to move midway through preparations, worried the same subjects wouldn’t be offered when her family moved to a new expat posting.

She’s happy with her choice and finds that the friendships she’s made at her British boarding school have made the decision all the better. “You’re with your friends every single second of every single day, and when you’re not with them, you really miss them.” I ask her if she misses her family and she just laughs. I guess that’s my answer!

Her brother, Patrick, is in his first year at Millfield Somerset. “It’s very different than what you’re used to. You have to be a lot more independent, which I like, but it takes some adjustment. I do miss my family, but you make friends and get through it all together.”

Technology also helps bridge the distance for families. Options such as email, FaceTime, WhatsApp and more keep the time apart from feeling too great.

“It was hard walking out the door leaving them behind in their room,” says Sinead, “but it’s great for them, in the end. They’ve made good friends and their studies have continuity. I know it’s the right decision for their future, which makes the distance okay for me.”

The perfect way to find out more

Want to learn more about whether or not British boarding school is right for your own children? Then you should check out the British Boarding Schools Show on 23 November. Just pre-register online and then pop by the Shangri-La Hotel between 11am and 7pm. (It’s free!) You’ll get a chance to meet the Heads and Admissions Directors of Britain’s most prestigious boarding schools. Top UK schools as well as education, property and relocation experts will all be exhibiting, which means you can really plan every aspect of your child’s entry into the world’s most prestigious English-language schools. This is your chance to get first-hand advice on entry requirements, academic scholarships and bursaries, plus create those all-important initial ties with the relevant people ahead of your child’s application.

So, why not check it out and see if a British boarding school is right for your family?

Exhibiting schools

Ardingly College
Bede’s Preparatory School
Cobham Hall School
Concord College
Felsted School
Fettes College
Framlingham College Gresham’s
Hazlegrove Prep School
Heathfield School
King’s Bruton
Lancing College
Lockers Park School
Loretto School
Marlborough College
Millfield Prep School
Millfield School
New Hall School
Oundle School
Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate
Royal Alexandra and Albert School
Royal Hospital School
Stonar
Strathallan

singapore.schoolsshow.co.uk

 

Melinda Murphy

Melinda does Special Projects for Expat Living which includes pulling together big stories, videos — all sorts of cool stuff. It all builds on her background as a television correspondent, producer and author back in the US. Her life is kind of a special project, too, with two young kids, an old dog, a ridiculous number of volunteer activities — and a very understanding hubby.

Get the latest events, stories and special offers
sent to your inbox.

By signing up, you'll receive our weekly newsletters and offers, which you can unsubscribe to anytime.

Categories: Kids Schools Tags: Boarding school British British boarding school Melinda Murphy UK

You May Also Like

pre & post baby items cleaning by pramwash

When did you last clean the baby pram?

Nexus International School students reading in library learning experience

Learning for the Future at Nexus

Holiday fun and outdoor activities at this Adventure Camp

Primary Sidebar

  • Competitions
  • Noticeboard
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy

© 2022 Expat Living Singapore, All Rights Reserved.