The Boarding schools in the UK are an institution that dates back down through the centuries. The most famous are the Harrow school and Eton College, both of which have produced their fair share of British leaders and senior politicians. It can be a difficult world to navigate if you are thinking of sending your child to a boarding school and are always on hand to help you get the right place for your child and for your peace of mind. What is the history of these cornerstones of UK life?
The roots of the Boarding school dates to medieval times. The only source of a decent education was to enrol with a monk or priest in religious orders or as a page in the royal household. This gave rise to one of the very first boarding schools and one that is still in existence today the Kings School in Canterbury. Some really old schools have problems with dirt and asbestos which is why they can call in Asbestos Essex companies to come and clear your roofs or ceilings. This was a religious school that accepted young gentleman and gave them an education. After the dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry the Eighth the schools were disbanded officially but only to return under a different guise. Winchester College and the Oswestry School can date there existence back to the year 1407 and they both grew out of the monastic school tradition.
It was still the norm for most upper-class children to be educated at home and this was especially true for girls but slowly the thinking began to change that a shared experience away from the family home would be more beneficial to the child as it reduced distractions and allowed them to mix in the same social circles that they would be doing when they entered public and court life.
This outlook became even more relevant with the rise of the British Empire. It has been a common quote that the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton and the reason is that the Upper-class boys and sons of aristocrats were all educated together as their Fathers had been and their Fathers before them at Boarding school. The Boarding school became a way, and many say that this is also true today, of establishing and reinforcing the ideal of the Empire and that it was doing good in the world and bring order to a chaotic set of nations They would also be a part of the house system that became an essential part of the boarding school. Aside from a stable base it also taught them competition. This was the students home at school and they would possibly be following in the steps of their older siblings or even Fathers and Grandfathers.
The other element that the boarding school provided was that the environment at home was not as stretching or providing a good educational setting for the child. A boarding school allowed a child to find themselves but also learn how to work together with others. There are still 160 Boarding schools in the UK to date. The legacy continues!