Boarding FAQs

Full Boarding - Our full boarders live in Redwood House seven days a week during term time, and go home or visit their guardians for the holidays and Exeat weekends. A variety of activities, cultural trips and fun excursions are scheduled each weekend to ensure that our boarders get the most out of their boarding experience.

Weekly Boarding - Weekly boarders arrive on a Monday morning and stay for four nights, returning home on a Friday afternoon to spend the weekend with their families. Weekly boarders benefit from supervised Prep sessions in the evenings and a range of activities to take part in after supper and before bedtime.

Weekly boarding is a popular option for both local and London families. For those living in London, the school offers a weekly minibus service, picking children up from London on a Monday morning and returning home on a Friday afternoon.

Flexi-Boarding - Flexi boarding is an option for children in Years 4, 5 and 6 and consists of two consecutive nights in Redwood House. This is a popular option with local families who would like their child to have experience of boarding in preparation for Senior School. Flexi-boarding can also provide welcome support and convenience for parents who have busy work commitments.

After Boarders’ Supper and completing Prep, there is a full programme of activities which balance relaxation and time spent within the Boarding community. In Redwood House, we offer activities for pupils which stretch and challenge their academic life and which enhance the extra-curricular. During the evenings, boarders are able to spend time together with their friends and take part in activities such as Pottery, Art, Drama, Swimming, Golf or Matron’s hugely popular Hot Chocolate Club.

For the full boarders there is a full programme of events and outings. They have the opportunity to visit places such as: The Tower of London, Greenwich, Stonehenge, Oxford Pitts River Museum, South Downs Planetarium, Thorpe Park and Windsor Castle. More local outings may include trips to the cinema, to the coast or shopping in Brighton.

In order to rest, we also take opportunities to relax at home and make full use of our fantastic facilities and beautiful school grounds.

Boarders have frequent and easy contact with their parents, guardians or carers. There are allocated times for this in the evenings, throughout the weekend and, for overseas boarders, during the school day to take into consideration different time zones. Redwood House has a telephone and Skype pods for this purpose, though boarders may also wish to use their non-smart mobile phones and email at allocated times. Boarders can also post items and receive incoming mail through the School Office. Parents are always welcome to visit the school for matches, concerts, assemblies, evening prayers and a great number of other events.

Parents have direct contact with the Boarders' Houseparents and can easily telephone or email as the first point of contact in relation to boarding matters. The School Nurse can also be contacted via email or telephone during the school day.  Parents may also email academic staff directly if they wish to discuss their child’s progress as well as receiving more feedback every half term and attending Parents’ Consultations.

If the children do have a worry, they know that they have a range of people available to whom they can talk. In the first instance they are encouraged to speak to someone they trust in the school – this could be a friend, the House Parents, a member of staff, a boarding tutor or the school nurse or matron. Thereafter, useful telephone numbers for further support are posted in Redwood House, including that of our Independent Listener. We know that when children feel secure and happy they will make the best of their time with us. We make every effort to uphold the school motto ‘Be Trewe’ and teach the children to have respect for themselves and others.

We do all we can to help with logistical arrangements. This includes: liaising with your child’s guardianship company and, of course, accompanying children to medical appointments or senior school assessments. It is a legal requirement that all overseas pupils use the service of a guardian in the UK. Our registrar, Lisa Taylor, has further details of this.

For our UK-based boarders, we also offer weekly minibus services to London and to a number of locations in Sussex.

Children are welcome to bring a small amount of money from home each term. This is then looked after and distributed by the boarding houseparents at weekends.