Right age for boarding school?

Question

My husband & I had both been for private boarding schools & where thinking of sending our kids. I was sent in high school for boarding school & my husband was sent from grade 2. We were just wondering when is the right time to send our twin boys to boarding school.

My husband & I both feel that grade 2 is still to young to send them away, as he regrets his parents sending him away. We also think high school is a bit late. The thing is we come from families where boarding school is tradition & there is a certain boarding school that both our families use to send the boys to. (Hilton College in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa)

Any suggestions of what age we should actually send our boys to boarding school

Answer 1

soon as they come out the womb is the right age lol

Answer 2

Boarding School Age

Answer 3

I never understood why people would have children and then want to send them away to boarding school.Do the parents not want to be full time parents or do they feel inadequate to face the responsibilities of being a parent? I realize they are looking for what a private school is supposed to offer but why not a day program at a private school.Sometimes I think parents use private school as a status symbol.When do the children learn the dynamics of living like a normal family if they don't live under the same roof.Where do they learn about love, sharing and compassion? Are these on the curriculum of boarding school?

Answer 4

I think it'll be a lot harder for you than it is for her. She will miss you and your husband at first - I know I did when I went. But I'm sure she'll make loads of friends and have a great time. Pros - you do get a better education, I think, because the teachers have less people to focus on and you do kind of expect a good education for your kids when you're paying those kind of fees. It makes them more independent, which can only be a good thing for when they get older and have to go to university, since they don't have to rely on their parents for everything. Cons - the fees. You do normally pay a lot, but if you can afford it, why not? Also the worry that it puts parents under, in that they don't know what their child is doing, but it's hardly likely to be anything awful given that they're under the school's care. Personally, I went in at 11, so I think 13 is probably the best age, as it's around the time they're starting to grow away from parents anyway. Hope this helped and didn't raise your fears. Really, boarding school can be fun.

Answer 5

I personally think that high school is the perfect time to send a child to boarding school. They really do need to be home earlier than then. Around the age of 14 a child is mature to handle the concept of being on their own a bit more and truly understand why they are being sent away - not as a punishment but to better them.

Since they are going together it is an added security so you maybe could go a little earlier and say jr. high, which would be around the age of 12, or 7th grade.

Just my thoughts. I personally couldn't send my child to boarding school and am dreading when he has to leave for college! :) My parents opted against it for us as well. I had friends that did go and LOVED it! All a matter of preference!

Good luck! SD

Answer 6

I am assuming you are in South Africa, and I have heard that it is more common in other countries than in the U.S. to send children to boarding schools. I also believe that 2nd grade is to young, however I think that 12-13 would be absolutely fine, depending on maturity,maybe as young as 10. I also think that your sons should have a say when they get older, they should feel comfortable with it. I would let my child go to boarding school if she wanted to and we both felt as though she was mature enough to not go down paths that would not be wise. I am saying this as a homeschooling mom who loves being with her child everyday and am very much raising my own child. I'm sure you will do what is best for your sons, afterall you are asking questions.

Answer 7

This is my second year at a boarding school and I started in high school. I know several kids who started in middle school. Some were very happy with that decision and others were not. I think that you should base your decision on the maturity of your children. If they are not responsible enough to handle being away from home they may resent your decision. However, the education they receive at boarding school is definitely worth it. I would have liked to start in 7th or 8th grade if I had a chance to redo it.

Answer 8

this is not exactly the same thing, but I changed from co-ed to single sex schools in the beginning of middle school. Middle school is definitly a transition period and a sort of finding yourself time. It seems the perfect time to send your boys. They could then stay for high school or come home and go to a regular school and still have the great experience of boarding school.

Answer 9

I'd wait until their early middle school/junior high years.

By that time you won't have missed any huge part of their life and they can grasp the idea and work out what they really think about it. If they go an absolutley hate it, you can get them back into another school before highschool.

Personally I would have LOVED to go to Boarding School about that age, and I had even thought that before I read Harry Potter (ha ha)

Answer 10

I would say the first year of high school, around age 14.

If you think thats too late then around junior high school time. Grade 6 or 7? Around age 12-13.

Answer 11

Well, it depends on the school systems that you are using. I would send them when they are in the transition process. For example, my school is split into k-6, 7-8, and 9-12, with 7-8 in the same building as 9-12. I'd send them after 6th, if you don't want to start in high school.