Advantages and Disadvantages of Boarding School

As your child progresses in age and development, you might be thinking of all the schooling options available. Getting any education is no longer an option; in today’s world, we are all searching for a comprehensive learning environment that looks after not just academic excellence but holistic and inclusive development. Boarding schools, for instance, offer a wide range of academic exposure to students aiming for an all-rounder development from top-class academia to learning resilience and discipline from a young age. Deciding upon whether a boarding is fit for your child or not can be overwhelming. fret not; we have listed, in simpler terms, the advantages and disadvantages of boarding school, so you can decide better for your budding child.

Is Boarding School Good or Bad?

Unlike traditional schools, boarding schools for children have the pupils live on campus. They have their classes together, meals together, and live in common housing. Children go home during the summer holidays, between grades, and some schools even allow children to go home on the weekends. As with other schools, you must look at what option will suit your child. There is no way to make a broad conclusion as to whether boarding schools are good or bad. Each child is an individual with individual needs and each school has a different mission statement and vision. The trick is to find a school that matches your child’s temperament and needs.

Advantages of Sending Your Kid to a Boarding School

There are numerous advantages to sending your child to a boarding school, some of them surprising. Here are some of these advantages.

1. Independence and Self-reliance

Almost all boarding school children find that they are more independent and self-reliant than their other peers. They have to solve daily problems themselves, like organising for soap when they run out or making sure that their school uniforms are washed and ironed.

2. Confidence

As the children begin to do things, small and big, on their own, they will start building up more confidence in their own abilities. Boarding schools expose children to many activities like social service, art, drama, and carpentry amongst others. As they begin to find what they like and are good at, children will develop more confidence.

3. Discipline

Boarding students live a more regimented life than their peers. Meal times are set as is study time. If they are allowed to watch TV, it is also closely regulated. Learning discipline is important for children as it will help them achieve their goals.

4. Standard Living

All the students will live in the same quarters and some schools even stipulate that a child must receive only a certain amount as allowance. This puts all the students on an equal footing and strips away the unnecessary trials of status and ownership.

5. Social Confidence

As your children mingle, study, and live with hundreds of other children, they will soon learn how to transcend differences. Making and being a part of a group is at the core of living in a boarding school, and most pupils of these schools emerge as healthy social beings.

6. Educational Excellence

Since the children live on the campus, they can reach out for help with their studies at any given time. Boarding schools can help set up after-school prep for students who struggle with certain concepts. Studying with peers means that the pupils will always have someone to learn from.

7. Holistic Development

After school, students of boarding schools are exposed to a multitude of activities that ensure that they have a rounded education that includes the arts. Since it is school-mandated, there can be no issue of a hobby getting in the way of studies, and children can pursue their passion.

8. 24/7 Learning Environment

Instead of offering timed education, boarding schools are open 24X7, making learning accessible and offering an interactive environment.

9. Lifelong Relationships

One of the BEST advantages of boarding schools is that children get to have deeper and stronger relationships and friendships compared to standard schooling, where children devote a particular amount of time with their classmates in a day. Boarding schools help build a sense of camaraderie and beautiful memories that last a lifetime.

Disadvantages of Sending Your Kid to a Boarding School

While there are many advantages to learning in a boarding school, there are certain disadvantages that you must keep in mind if you are thinking of sending your child to such a school.

1. Homesickness

While boarding schools are full of kids who have a lot of things in common, there is no denying that a child will still feel homesick for his family and home.

2. Empty Nest

You, too, might find that the separation from your child is emotionally too difficult.

3. Blending In

Boarding school is full of children and it isn’t necessary that your child will fit in. While some children immediately find themselves some friends, certain children will have a tougher time.

4. Adjusting

Some children do not take to the regimented life of boarding school and would much rather be the master of their free time. These children might also find it hard to reconnect with the family after spending so many months away.

5. Gender Separation

Most boarding schools are either boys-only or girls-only. However, in today’s age, it is extremely important for children to be a part of co-ed institutions.

6. Other Risks

Some other risks include bullying which can be especially hard to weed out in boarding schools where children spend most of their time together.

7. Academic Pressure

With regular schools, children can leave the school and remove themselves from the pressure of excelling at studies. However, in a boarding school, the pressure is constant.

8. Extracurricular Activities

Only the extracurricular activities provided by the school are given any importance or attention. If your child has any special talents, this will not be given the attention it needs to flourish.

9. Expensive

The cost of education at boarding schools is higher than that at conventional schools, as it includes expenses like lodging, meals, 24/7 security, extracurricular activities, and more.

10. Too Strict

Boarding schools are often highly strict and regimented to ensure children are disciplined all the time so they do not break rules. This can be stressful during the adolescence period as teens behave in a hyperactive and independent way during their adolescence.

What Care Should Be Taken If You Send Your Child to Hostel?

If you have decided to send your child to a boarding school, then here are a few things that you must take care of before sending them off.

• You must take the time to explain to your child why you think sending him to a boarding school is good for him. Be sure to assure him that you are not abandoning him.
• Even though your child will be spending almost all his time at the school, you still should keep tabs on his classroom performance. Keep in touch with all the teachers and follow up on your child’s progress.
• Trust your child. If he is telling you worrying stories about the school and the students, then take his concerns seriously. If the story is negative, then the school might try to downplay the seriousness of the issue.
• Do not send your child to boarding school before the age of 9. Most experts agree that this is the ideal age for boarding school.
• Keep a watch out for any signs of unhappiness. Your child might not be forthcoming about how he really feels at school for fear of disappointing you.
• Be sure to talk to management about any special needs that your child might have.

There are many pros and cons of boarding school. Now that you are aware of the advantages and disadvantages of studying in boarding schools, the decision to send your child to a boarding school will entirely depend on the nature and needs of your child as well as the particular boarding school in question. Do your due diligence and reach out to other parents whose children go the school you are researching.

Also Read: 

RTE School Admission
Tips for Choosing a Good School for Your Child
Alternative School – Is It Right for Your Child?
No Detention Policy in Education – Pros & Cons
Kid-Friendly Tips to Beat Boarding School Depression

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