The benefits of real Full Boarding

Published by Millfield on Monday 17th of February 2025

Full boarding is a concept that is becoming increasingly rare in Britain. Many schools offer a plethora of boarding options, flexi, weekly and occasional boarding, meaning schools are quiet, or often empty, on weekends. At a real full boarding school, children live on campus seven days a week and have lots of company in the evenings and on weekends in the boarding houses. The community remains active and vibrant. This is really important for children whose parents live overseas, both international families and expat families, parents whose work takes them away from the family home often and those who live particularly far away in the UK. Logistics around attending lots of sporting or co-curricular activities out of school and with early and late starts also makes full boarding a fantastic option when everything is close by every day of the week. 

Millfield has 950 full boarders. This is three-quarters of all the students in the school (1300). Even if 100 students leave school for various family occasions or other commitments over a weekend, 850 students remain on campus. This is important for social interactions, activities and enjoyment of school life. 

Millfield Prep has 125 full boarders, and 20 occasional boarders. This is one third of all the pupils in the school. This is a really good size group of children who live at school all week.  

Some benefits of full boarding have been summarised below: 

Dealing with homesickness

A busy boarding house helps children cope with any homesickness. The consistent nature of full boarding means that children can familiarise themselves with the school routine and get to know their peers and staff really well. Houses are busy in the evenings and on weekends. 

Minimal exeat weekends

Many schools have frequent fixed exeats (where the school closes for the weekend) throughout the year which can be a headache for parents. This break in the term hampers progress and often causes students to lose momentum throughout the term. Millfield only has one fixed exeat per year, in the Autumn term, so everyone gets a break after a busy start to the academic year. Optional exeats are possible and are to be agreed with Houseparents should parents live in the UK. 

Support with travel arrangements

Full boarding schools will arrange travel for children to get to and from airports and train stations at the start and end of terms. Group travel arrangements are made for large numbers of students travelling to the same destination. At Millfield, staff representatives are at London Heathrow and on the main train line from Somerset to London at the start of term to welcome students back to the UK and help them on their onward travel. 

Strong bonds and friendships

With students from all backgrounds sharing all aspects of school life, and living together in boarding houses, students forge strong relationships with each other. These relationships are often cited as a student’s favourite thing about boarding at Millfield, and the full boarding concept makes these even stronger with staff and students on campus 24/7. 

Evening and weekend activity programme

Houses are alive in the evenings and on weekends, and a busy programme of activities and events keeps students entertained. Weekend activities include trips to the beach, football and rugby matches, shopping and cinema nights. There is always someone to talk to and relax with. 

The Millfield Mix

Houses are a fusion of backgrounds, cultures and beliefs, and everyone learns from and embraces this mix. At Millfield, over 20% of boarders are international from over 75 different countries and no one nationality dominates, creating a wide cultural diversity that we are incredibly proud of. Students share all aspects of school life and this community feel is one of the distinctive features of the school. 

Full boarding for international families

Full boarding is very important for international families. Many boarding schools have a very small number of overseas students left on campus at the weekends because other students only board Monday to Friday and return home on the weekends. 

At the start of the academic year, an induction day is held specifically for international families which allows students to spend more time with their new Houseparent and to start to make friendships.

"We are incredibly proud of our full boarding provision. Being a full boarding school allows us to celebrate and embrace the rich, cultural diversity of our community and to offer a real home from home environment for all students. There is a real buzz around campus, and the sense of community is palpable." - Millfield Headmaster, Gavin Horgan

The benefits of full boarding are clear, but a real full boarding school is becoming increasingly hard to come by. Millfield is one of few that offers the real full boarding experience. 

Come and visit our boarding houses and meet boarding house staff at our next Open Day on Saturday 1 March or 10 May 2025.