MH Flexi Boarding 2024

AT CURIOUS ABOUT

Meet The Boarding Team

MissSerbrock HEADOFBOARDING

I am Miss Serbrock, the Head of Boarding I started working at Mowden in 2016 having come from a background of working with children and young people for over 15 years

I strive to ensure that each boarder in our house feels genuinely cared for, safe, and secure I feel we have a relaxed, family environment within the boarding house where Mowden children can feel at home I love living and working here because it is so much fun. We’re always busy enjoying ourselves, laughing and smiling with each other I like to see our children developing in many ways. For me, their imaginative play and creativity are really special wonders I enjoy singing loudly, hot holidays, and have a weakness for all things that taste yummy, including the amazing Mowden doughnuts!

Miss Canter BOARDING ASSISTANT

Since arriving from my home in Zimbabwe two years ago, I have settled in well with my new family at Mowden Hall. I really enjoy being around the children and love seeing them learn new skills I live on site and enjoy taking walks around the beautiful grounds at Mowden

ASSISTANT HOUSE PARENT

I am Miss Hunter, I started my Mowden career in the kitchen as a Kitchen Assistant I moved into the boarding side of the school in January 2021 as a Boarding Assistant and was promoted to Assistant Houseparent I endeavour to make sure each and every boarder feels safe, cared for, and listened to I genuinely love living and working in the Boarding House, it is so much fun.

I wake up daily to new challenges which often lead to very rewarding results and there is great pride in watching our children at Mowden blossom into young, independent teenagers

I have a passion for working my two Labradors and also spending quality time with my family making memories.

Mr Wainwright BOARDING SCHOOL ASSISTANT

I have worked at Mowden Hall for over 4 years now and originally I had planned to stay for a year as a Gap student, I enjoyed it so much that I have stayed on and taken a position in the Boarding House.

I am a keen Rugby player, and love to spend my spare time on the pitch.

I love taking care of the children in the Boarding House and spending time with them, they are great company Outside of Mowden I love baking and spending time with my family

NURSE

I am very proud to be the School Nurse here at Mowden Hall I support the health and well-being of our pupils with care tailored to their individual needs I provide all medical care, advice and first aid for pupils and staff. I recently bought a puppy and she has been spending time with me in school enjoying cuddles from the children. Outside of school,my family keep me very busy!

Miss Hunter

Mrs Danby

Lorraine, Matron

Attaining Excellence

The quality of boarding provision and care is excellent.

From a boarding perspective, the inspectors found that “boarders showed an excellent capacity for appreciating the non-material aspects of their life as they discussed how they enjoy the school’s extensive grounds and being involved with musical groups. They described free time as an opportunity to reflect upon nature and develop a strong sense of belonging to a community and the boarding house as a ‘home from home’.”

In the most recent ISI Inspection that took place in 2022, everything about Mowden Hall School’s boarding provision was rated “excellent” the highest rating that can be achieved.

As a full time working parent, I work long hours. Flexi boarding has given me peace of mind, knowing they were cared for and safe with friends and boarding staff. Plus the great social aspects.

Hear from our Flexi Boarding Parents

Both of us work, including shift work and regular days away from home in the week, and we don't have childcare or family nearby Flexi boarding makes it a lot easier to juggle our work commitments with family and school life, allowing us to maximise the time we have at home as a family.

Flexi boarding is a win-win for us - it allows us to know the kids are in a stable, safe and nurturing environment when they're boarding whilst still preserving evenings at home every week where we can spend time with them catching up on their experiences at school, having dinner together, keeping an eye on any prep that needs completing and having stories at bedtime.

It helps the kids to be adaptable to different environments, fosters independence as well as organisational and time-management skills (especially important for school life), provides the opportunity to develop their relationships with peers and staff and allows for different ways of having fun in the evening after school that they might not have at home All of this whilst maximising family time at home

The kids have really relished the termly challenge of decorating their dorms and trying to win the 'dorm decs' competition They have greatly enjoyed the camaraderie of Wacky Wednesdays, including the slippy slide, Easter egg hunt, pool party and many more besides. ~

The Benefits of Boarding

Social skills develop to allow self motivation, ability to organise own time and to make lifelong friendships

Children nurtured by caring boarding staff in a family environment

Homework supervised with staff guidance

Healthy and varied meals

Increasing independence with strong support from boarding staff

Independent learning encouraged but with support through Common Entrance

Personal choice and responsibility encouraged with advice provided by boarding staff

Close communication between teaching staff, boarding staff and parents

Family feel accommodation

Range of sports and activities to suit all interests

Time and opportunities to build social skills and strong friendships

Range of cocurricular activities available to develop lifelong enthusiasms

Social opportunities develop confidence, security, tolerance and respect for others

Involvement in a range of school activities fosters leadership and responsibility

Mowden is a thriving community offering support, guidance and amazing opportunities

A valued partnership with supportive parents allows family life to be enhanced

Strong mixed boarding community across age groups and mixed with day pupils They have loved ( and so do we)

Positive relationships between boarders and their parents maintained during adolescent years

Mature relationships between boarders and their parents form the foundation for future years

Tora Hear from our Old Mowdenians

Old Mowdenian

Many people told me “your school days are some of the best days of your life” … and they were certainly right!!!

I have been lucky enough to have been a full boarder since I first went away to school, aged 8 Although the idea can initially seem a little daunting, I absolutely loved the whole atmosphere of the boarding house, it really is like a second home. ‘The Mateys’ are amazing, and so wonderful to have around -always available for a cuddle. In your first few years you are often put in a dorm with girls from different year groups, this is a great way to make friends with the older years. There is always great activities put on at the weekends, (which you really don’t want to miss out on!) These range from dressing up evenings, to film nights (often with tuc!), trips to lightwater valley, Sunday afternoons playing on the waterslide and even highly competitive ‘Mowden’s got talent’ evenings. So many of my best friends today, are my friends I made at Mowden. And whilst many of them went on to other schools after we left, we all still keep in touch I truly believe that boarding does give you a huge advantage, and teaches you many important life skills such as respecting others around you, tolerance, teamwork skills and enables you to become more independent, which you carry with you throughout higher education and life after.

~

Hear from our Flexi Boarding Parents

Flexi boarding allows my son to get a real sense of what boarding life is like without it being as daunting as an ‘ all or nothing’ scenario. He absolutely loves the experiences it gives him and seems to thoroughly enjoy all the extra curricular opportunities that boarding has to offer. It has also given him an opportunity to develop his independence and an opportunity to become more self reliant which has been lovely to see as a parent on the days he is at home ( making his bed without being asked being one of many benefits we have recently noticed!) . He has also fully enjoyed spending more time with his friends and less time with his ‘annoying’ brothers!

He has massively benefited from the offer of flexi boarding so that he can keep up with his extra curricular clubs, outside of school, something which I promised he would still be able to do. As a parent who has never truly liked the idea of sending my boys to a boarding school, flexi boarding has allowed me to see the real benefits it offers without it being too overwhelming for any of us. He still loves to come home and provides him with the perfect balance.

A couple of points from my son!

‘I absolutely love the activities planned for us when we board, smashing a real egg on Miss Griggs head for winning a competition was a real highlight’ ‘ Wednesdays are often called wacky Wednesdays and I think that’s because the teachers allow us to choose a sweet from the tuck shop and it often makes us wacky!’

Katie Hear from our Old Mowdenians

Looking back at my seven years at Mowden brings back so many amazing memories. It provided me with so many crucial skills that I have used everyday since, not to mention the incredible friendships that I made there. I am so thankful for everything I learnt which shaped my childhood and the person I am today.

My time at Mowden prepared me so well for the jump to senior school and all of the challenges that it involves. Boarding at Mowden was a daunting idea at first, however the settling in process was very easy with the help of the loving Mateys who were always available for a hug or hot chocolate, soon it felt like a second home living with your best friends. The comfort that was provided in the boarding house at Mowden allowed me to become more independent and ultimately made the transition to senior school very easy and has now given me the confidence to embark on 6 months of travelling alone before heading to university.

I feel so lucky to have made the friendships I did while I was there, being both classmates, who I am still great friends with now and teachers who continue to support me six years after leaving.

I look forward to the next chapter of my life where I will face hurdles, travelling around the world, starting university in a big city and further in the future, however, I am confident that with the social, academic and moral skills that I learned at Mowden I will be prepared come what may.

Hear from our Boarding Parents

We have two children who have benefited from flexi-boarding at Mowden. We wanted the children to feel in control of when and how much they boarded and talked to them about what they would like to do at the beginning of each year. Our eldest child started boarding one night in Year 4 and stepped up a night each year until he was weekly boarding in Year 8. The opportunity to board from Year 4 enabled him to consider boarding after prep school and he really valued being able to prepare for full boarding gradually. Our daughter started boarding for two nights in Year 4. She is currently in Year 6 and has kept to two nights. She really enjoys spending a couple of nights a week at school but also enjoys being at home and so is pleased to be able to have the best of both worlds as it were. She likes boarding for consolidating friendships and for being able to do evening activities like swimming with her friends. She is also considering a full boarding school as her next school and this wouldn't have been an option if she hadn't had the experience of boarding at Mowden. For my husband and I, we really appreciate the fact that the children can choose when and how much they board and develop their resilience at their own pace. Flexi-boarding also suits our work patterns as we both travel quite a bit and it means we can organise being away from home for work when our children are boarding which means less reliance on family for us. The boarding and pastoral team are excellent at Mowden and there are lots of fun activities for the children in the evenings when they are boarding.

Boarding that works for you

In today’s busy world, many families find boarding a way of relieving pressure on family life by reducing time spent on endless commuting and ensuring that the time they spend together is quality time, with most of the school commitments having been met during the week. At Mowden, a variety of boarding options are available for Years 3 to 8, as well as full boarding.

Flexi-boarding Options

Day Boarding Weekly & Full Boarding

Occasional Boarding

This gives you the option of arriving in time for breakfast at 07:30 and leaving after a hearty supper, homework completed and actvities at 19:00. This option is helpful when parents are away dealing with business or family matters, or when children have particularly time consuming commitments at school.

Flexi Boarding

Many of our boarders commit to a regular boarding night, or nights, each week. Children prefer the regularity of this option as it ensures they are boarding with their friends on the same night or nights each week.

Our weekly boarders enjoy the best of both worlds – the array of social activities on offer with their friends Monday to Friday and quality time with their families at the weekend. For those who board on a full time basis, the weekends are a great mix of downtime and fun, engaging activities. Sunday's usually involve time away from the school grounds making fond memories with friends in the local and surrounding areas. It is excellent preparation prior to moving away to Senior School and eventually University!

Accommodation

We have one central boarding house, situated on top of our historic main building, overlooking our beautiful school grounds. Many areas of the boarding house have been renovated over recent years, providing lovely rooms, many with stunning views of our beautiful 52 acre site. The children are encouraged to personalise their room with posters, plants, lights and soft furnishings.

Flexible Boarding Open Evenings

19th or 20th June 2024

We invite you and your children to see the boarding house in action and discover what the boarders get up to after they finish their school day.

It will be a great opportunity to meet the boarding house staff and ask questions. For more information and to reserve your place, please contact lserbrock@mowdenhallpst.org

The format of the Flexible Boarding Open Evenings will be as follows:

17:00/17.15 Arrival and Introduction with Miss Serbrock, Head of Boarding

18.00/18:15 Supper with Boarders (BBQ if weather permits)

19:00 Boarding Tours and Activities

19.30 Questions and Answers with Miss Serbrock

The comfort that was provided in the boarding house at Mowden allowed me to become more independent and ultimately made the transition to senior school very easy and has now given me the confidence to embark on 6 months of travelling alone before heading to university.