What do British Boarding Schools Look For?

So you’re thinking of studying in Britain? When we think of Britain, we imagine afternoon tea in cold, damp British weather; we imagine 007 James Bond and his martinis, and we imagine the beautiful Hogwarts campus (partially filmed at Fettes College in Scotland) in Harry Potter. Needless to say, culture in Britain is famous around the world, and British boarding schools make up a significant part of our imagination of Britain.

When we think of British education and ask ourselves what we need to prepare for, we tend to think about the academic curriculum. Perhaps the curriculum in Britain is different in the Sciences? Is the way that English is taught as a subject entirely different from how it is taught in Hong Kong? These questions are certainly pertinent, yet they are not the whole picture. British education, especially at boarding schools, consider academic subjects a priority, but they are also concerned with the ‘whole person’ development of students. What does this mean? It means that a British education goes beyond academic textbooks and learning in the classroom.

Whether you are aiming for a British school that is highly academic and selective, or for a school that is less academically rigorous, these schools all have one thing in common, and that is holistic education and development. Apart from learning within the formal educational framework, the boarding schools have all developed their own philosophy of what it means to receive a multi-dimensional education at their school. However a school presents its brand of philosophy, a multi-dimensional education always involves developing a student’s character, interests and hobbies, curiosity, and sense of community.

Just as a Chief Executive formulates and shapes a company’s values, mission, and culture, the Headmaster or Headmistress of a boarding school carries this out in his or her respective educational institution. The Head also brings in his or her particular perspective from past institutions, to a varying degree, in shaping and fulfilling the school’s culture, mission, and longer-term vision. Generally speaking, this kind of leadership is much more notable and at the forefront of each school in comparison to Hong Kong. Therefore, in line with how the school delivers on their values and mission in education, the school equally selects its students based on their personality, character, and potential for all-rounded or holistic development. Boarding schools value interviews with prospective pupils for this reason. Sometimes, it goes as far as each boarding house retaining its own selection criteria, selecting individual pupils based on his or her complimentary personalities and interests.

Academic requirements might be the ‘gatekeeper’ at many of these boarding schools in Britain. Nonetheless, it is only a basic requirement. In keeping with tradition and evolving with the times, these institutions see a pupil’s character, sense of self, and community as the foundation of what they would proudly call ‘education’.

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