David Boddy, Head of St James Independent School for Boys in Twickenham, says weekday boarding is helping to relieve the stresses of modern family life.

Sitting in front of me, Christopher’s mother was distraught. Her employers were demanding early morning meetings to add to the burden of several late night meetings. Being a single mum, the one who suffered most was Christopher. What was the solution?

The London-based weekly-boarding option at St James Senior Boys School is an increasingly popular way for very hard-pressed parents to find a practical solution to the problems of contemporary working life. It is too easy to moralise and say it should not happen. The reality, however, is that high earning parents always have demanding work lives. Having a son living in a family boarding environment during the week relieves acres of anxiety for the parents and provides much needed stability for the boy.

For nearly two decades now the school has operated a small boarding facility of up to 20 pupils, around 7.5% of the school roll. There has been a good balance between Lower School pupils, aged 11-12 and Upper School pupils, aged 13-18. The boarding house is overseen by a schoolmaster and his wife, who are both enthusiastic about the virtues of the boarding house. They create a warm and disciplined atmosphere. Boys always need to know what is expected of them and they need to be confident that they will be praised when they do their duties and treated with dignity and maturity at all times. Boys are given daily duties to make sure the boarding house is kept tidy and clean and the older ones have special responsibilities ensuring the care of the younger pupils. Every boy is treated like a brother and the ethos established is that service to all is the expected norm. No selfish activity is allowed but boys within their small dormitories or individual rooms are encouraged to express their own creativity and individuality.  

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