Boarding Preparation tips from Sherborne

We were lucky to have Matthew Jamieson from Sherborne join us last week for a webinar with our families in Bermuda. He shared with us his hints and tips on how families can help support their children in the lead up to Boarding School. He split this into six man topics as outlined below:

Opportunities- enthusiasm, curiosity and confidence (Saying yes to as many opportunities as possible) 

Preparation- What you can do in advance to hit the ground running. Can be as simple as learning how to change a duvet , knowing what is in your bag and ensuring everything is named, from phone chargers to towels. 

Social interaction- Support from all aspects of the school- House staff, tutor, prefects, friends, they are all there to help. Go and chat to them if you are not sure of anything. 

Trust in the school systems- Staff are there to help and families also need to help support with them and allow their children to problem solve the issues that may arise (a misplaced shoe for example) 

Also work out the best time to contact key staff, as at certain times of day they may be teaching or in the boarding house with the children. 

Realistic- There will be challenging times but everyone is in this together and schools want to support families because they want what is best for pupils, just as you all do. 

Families, if you don't hear anything, that is good news!

Emotional calls are to be expected as barriers are down on the 'phone home' it is a release of emotion and not always a sign of unhappiness. 

Sleep and eating - so important to re-energise