Flexi Boarding and Exeat Accommodation
Flexi Boarding at King’s
Many schools offer some form of flexi boarding provision, but no others do so in a dedicated building under the shadow of Canterbury cathedral, with the ability to book at short notice, and a dedicated pastoral care team to look after your children. We are delighted to be launching flexible overnight boarding provision exclusively for our Day families from late September 2025 onwards.
There will be 30 beds over two floors in the newlyacquired ‘Choir House’ building which lies right at the heart of the King’s campus, with provision for both boys and girls.
Separately, during our four ‘exeat’ weekends, the space will instead be made available for full boarders who wish to remain on the school campus rather than travelling to guardians.
We hope that both offers will allow parents and pupils a much greater range of options to plan their schedules effectively and to remain within the school community when that is helpful for them.
Flexi Boarding for Day Pupils
Pupils can be booked into the flexi boarding accommodation on any night during term time (with the exception of fixed exeats) provided that there is availability in a room assigned for their age and gender, which will vary according to demand.
Pupils will remain in their normal day house until 7pm when they can enter the accommodation and benefit from supervised prep time. Later in the evening they will have opportunities to socialise with pupils in other boarding houses and enjoy the recreational facilities in ‘New House’ (which is the day house adjoining the accommodation) where pupils can relax in lounges, watch TV or play games ahead of
normal school bedtimes. Pupils will then attend breakfast the next day before returning to their day houses by 8:20am.
A different programme will run on Saturday evening, Sunday during the day, and on Sunday evening, depending on the requirements of those booked in to stay on those evenings.
The accommodation will be led and supervised by a dedicated Head of Flexi Boarding and another member of resident staff.
The pricing schedule is set out below, and reflects the fact that for those staying on Saturday night there are greater supervision requirements during the day on Sunday when normal school activities are not running.
Nights can be booked in any variety of combinations, from a single one-off night, through to a block of an entire half term or a regular weekly night which a pupil takes up throughout the year.
Queries and Contact
A link to the booking form will soon be available on the website, but for any queries in the meantime, please do contact Mr Matt Thornby, Assistant Head, Boarding: mjt2@kings-school.co.uk
Exeat Accommodation for Overseas Boarders
We are also pleased to offer on-site accommodation for the four annual fixed exeats from the start of the new school year. These weekends exist to give the entire school community a break in the middle of a busy term, and the boarding houses are closed, meaning that pupils often have to travel away from Canterbury to guardians, friends or family.
For some pupils it would be preferable not to travel away from the city, and the ability to book into the flexi boarding accommodation
therefore offers a great opportunity to stay in the school from when school finishes at lunchtime on a Friday until 5pm on a Sunday when boarding houses reopen.
There will be 30 beds available each fixed exeat weekend, with care provided by the Head of Flexi Boarding and a team of academic and pastoral staff. Pupils will be able to rest and work, making full use of the facilities in ‘New House’, our newly equipped day house.
The package will include all meals on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 2 nights accommodation, as well as an optional group activity.
Provisional prices are outlined below:
Single fixed exeat weekend
Annual package of four fixed exeat weekends Price
incl. VAT £1560 incl. VAT
The dates of upcoming fixed exeats can be found on the Term Dates page of the School Website.
Queries and Contact
A link to the booking form will soon be available on the website, but for any queries in the meantime, please do contact Mr Matt Thornby, Assistant Head, Boarding: mjt2@kings-school.co.uk
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is King’s opening flexi boarding accommodation?
King’s has offered informal flexi boarding arrangements for many years, and we have wished to expand this. However, the scale and scope of flexi boarding has always been limited by the necessity of prioritising spaces in boarding houses for those who are full boarders. The Choir House becoming available in September 2025 has offered us a unique opportunity to create a new, bespoke flexible boarding model that caters to what families have been telling us they want for many years.
Do you have to be in New House (the new day house) to flexi-board?
Definitely not – flexi boarding during term-time is available to any day pupil, regardless of House. Of course, if you do happen to be in New House then you will have an easy walk upstairs to the boarding accommodation when the evening comes!
Why is there a higher price beyond 50 nights?
We are very keen to encourage our day pupils to try out flexi boarding, and to make use of our flexi provision when needed, and we have therefore endeavoured to keep the pricing as affordable as possible. However, once a pupil starts to stay for a large volume of nights per year we would prefer them to consider whether a full boarding place might be more appropriate for their needs.
If my child is staying for multiple nights can they access their belongings during the day?
It may be possible for some belongings to be left overnight in the boarding house, but access to the accommodation will not be possible during the day, and we will expect flexi boarders to return to their day houses between 8:15am and 7pm each day.
If we are going away can my child stay for a block of time?
Yes, any combination of nights is possible, subject to availability.
When will it open?
We anticipate the accommodation being ready for the first exeat weekend in late September, with continuous term-time availability from that date onwards.
Where is the booking form?
A link to the booking form will soon be available on the website, but for any queries in the meantime, please do contact Mr Matt Thornby, Assistant Head, Boarding: mjt2@kings-school.co.uk