The benefits of prep school boarding

Mr Brendan Brady, Headmaster of Moor Park, shares why prep school boarding is still a valuable experience. 

There is an opinion that prep school boarding is terminally in decline. It is true that society has changed – and continues to change. What is constant, however, is what children need to thrive. Consistency, boundaries, clear expectations and bucketful’s of love!

Each of the above are absolutely central to a happy and settled prep school boarding experience. In today’s topsy-turvy, fast-paced and constantly changing world where working hours and family time seem constantly negotiable, prep boarding can be an oasis of calm and reliability.

Childhood is one of the few times in life where we are absolutely free of the daily grind, commutes, bills and financial stress. A prep boarding experience protects and nurtures childhood. Especially country prep boarding where children have the freedom to explore and interact with nature.

Direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults. Sadly, society is teaching young people to avoid direct experiences in nature. That lesson is delivered in schools and families and is codified into the legal and regulatory structures of many of our communities.

Country boarding schools like Moor Park buck that trend and actively involve children in nature as part of their everyday lives, helping to grow children with an intense interest in preserving nature and hence the planet and their own identities.

Boarding develops independence, good work habits, the ability to live and work with others. After all, education is about more than school, it’s about life.