Boarding FAQs

Dragon boarders are a mixture of local, national and international children and we offer a range of Boarding options. We are delighted to have expanded our boarding opportunities to include ‘Flexible Boarding’. Read more about these changes, and the introduction of Dragon QUEST from September 2020.

In our experience, children generally adapt better to boarding earlier rather than later. Starting together in Year 4, boarders feel quickly at home in small houses designed to suit younger children. There is also the advantage that the Year 4 teaching block is entirely self-contained at the Dragon – rather like a school within a school.

Boarding life can be very attractive to children; indeed we often find that it is the children themselves who ask to board. There are different reasons for this; it can be an excellent alternative to highly competitive day schools or city schools which may lack space and opportunities for sport and play. A proportion of boarders at the Dragon are from London families who are attracted by its green surroundings and relaxed – yet purposeful – atmosphere. Many of these children weekly board and there is a bus from London every Sunday evening. Oxfordshire and Cotswolds families are attracted by both the full and more flexible boarding options.

Being together fosters great friendships amongst the children, and they have the attention of dedicated adults within a warm community. For many families there are great practical benefits: less time on school runs or organising child care and more quality time together.

You may be surprised how well it could suit your child and we do encourage parents to be as open minded as possible. However, we also know that boarding is not the right thing for every eight-year-old; we will not suggest boarding unless we feel it will work well for the whole family. Happy boarders thrive and get a lot out of the experience. It is in the interests of the child, the family and the school that we all agree it is the right decision.

All kinds of children enjoy boarding and benefit from it. There are some factors that particularly suggest that a girl or boy will do well as a boarder. These include:

• a supportive family background – where parents and child are all positive about the boarding life-style
• experience of “sleep-overs” and enthusiasm for spending more time with friends
• readiness to get involved and to make the most of a varied life-style and a wide choice of activities

Above all it is very important that a child is mature enough to understand the reasons for boarding and wants to do it. We can of course help you find out if this the case for your child.

The Dragon is a sizeable school – but this is what facilitates the growth of your child. The important aspect for the junior boarders is that they are in small units (a maximum of 25 children in the junior houses). As they get older they greatly enjoy the more ‘grown up’ senior boarding houses and the scope of opportunities of the whole school. This is an excellent preparation for boarding at senior school.

Size brings major advantages for all our pupils, as you will see when you look at both the facilities and the range of activities we offer. What it means for boarders in particular is that we can offer a range of accommodation to suit children of different ages.

The Dragon is a very difficult school to grow out of: it provides for all; from the cosy nurturing family homes for our youngest boarders, to the senior houses which offer the size and scope for our senior children to expand and grow as confident and independent young people, who are well prepared for their senior schools when they leave us.

Boarding children invariably grow in confidence, as they take greater responsibility for their day-to-day lives. They become more independent as they progress through the school and more organised. They learn to get to the right place at the right time with the right equipment and kit. Living in a community also encourages them to understand that their actions impinge on others, and therefore they learn to be more considerate of others, and respect their different opinions.

Children comment that they have a good social life as boarders. Without daily travel and with supervised homework built in to the day, they have more free time. This means time to spend with friends, better access to a wide range of activities and an ability to use the facilities available on the school site.

Boarding life is busy and generally very cheerful but there are of course moments for every boarder when things may not be going so well and they miss home. The boarding and teaching staff have great experience of this and will help children to feel better quickly. The boarders themselves are also quick to spot any unhappiness and will help their friends. An important element of our programme is helping children to understand that life has its ups and downs and that that this is quite normal and something with which they can cope.

Boarding can enhance family life in several ways. Many boarding families comment that time together at weekends, exeats, half terms and holidays is more “special.” Boarding parents can work hard in the knowledge that their children are well cared for, happy and busy at school. When families are together they often find relationships are enhanced by appreciation of “quality time” and the lack of some parental stresses such as the school run or managing homework.

Boarding parents are an important part of the Dragon community and enjoy many opportunities to socialise with each other and meet with the staff. Their involvement is also vital to the success of their child’s boarding experience: boarding at the Dragon is a partnership of school and parents.

Boarders have easy and frequent contact with their parents, they can freely telephone from the boarding houses, and all children have an email address meaning they can send/receive emails at any of the school’s computers. In addition, the school upholds the important boarding tradition of a weekly letter home. We are always delighted to welcome parents, guardians, grandparents or wider family members to the School to see their children take part in musical and dramatic productions, to watch sporting matches and to enjoy individual house events.

Parents have direct contact with the boarders’ Houseparents and can easily telephone, Zoom or email. Dragon School sees boarding as a partnership in parenting and, particularly in the case of younger boarders, will contact you often to let you know how your son or daughter is doing.

You will get to know other parents when you pick up and drop off your children at the boarding house. The School also holds a number of academic and social events over the course of the year for parents of both boarders and day children where you will be able to meet parents of other children, as well as members of staff. You are a part of the Dragon school community too.

If the children do have a worry, they know that they have a range of people available to whom they can talk. These include Houseparents, Tutors and Boarding Assistants or indeed any member of staff. The school also has the contact details of an independent listener available to the children. Read more about Pastoral Care at the Dragon.

It is essential to come and visit one of our houses for yourself and to experience the atmosphere in them. Boarding is not the right answer for all families, but once you have seen round and had the chance to talk through your concerns, you should be much clearer in your minds whether this is right for your family or not. The decision to board is not always an easy one, particularly as you have to anticipate how a child is going to develop. We will certainly advise you, and rest assured, if we do not feel a child is ready or right for boarding, we will say so.

Boarding at the Dragon is very popular so it is advisable to register your interest as early as possible. The best time to visit with your child is about eighteen months before the intended start of boarding. It is always a revealing exercise to experience the school with your child, so we can all see his/her reactions to it. After this, all being well, there will be a number of further opportunities to visit the school before s/he starts to board. We make sure children feel they do know the place, have seen where they will be living and have met a number of people before they actually join us. To find out more about boarding at the Dragon or to organise a tour of the School, please contact the Registrar, Kate Heath or a member of the Admissions team.