Review

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME; BOARDING IN THE 21ST CENTURY

For anybody who has not experienced boarding schools in the last decade their idea of life in one tends to be somewhat Dickensian or, at best, Hogwarts. Here, James Giles, our longest-serving housemaster, shares his passion for boarding and explains just how joyful an experience it is for students in this new era of boarding.

Before it can be anything else, a boarding house must be a home. Unless pupils feel a sense of belonging, a sense that the building, the community and the history is their building, their community and their history, then all of the other aspirations we have for them, will likely founder. At Giggleswick, there is no doubt that the boarding houses are homes for the students.

This is as much true for our day pupils as for our full boarders. It has been critical in this testing year.

We can see that sense of belonging at

‘Singing and Speaking’, during Scarrig and at Sports Day. I am particularly struck by the way this sense of belonging extends beyond the student body, out into the staff and parent communities. Watching passionate parents root for ‘their’ house at tug-ofwar is quite something! Because we all feel that we belong, then our houses provide a fantastic springboard for the many other aspects of school life where we want our students to thrive and succeed. I was amazed, yet again this year, at how quickly new students felt that important sense of belonging when they were rehearsing in, and with, their house for the Singing and Speaking competition. This belonging is cemented as they all perform on stage together, in front of the school community. A feeling of belonging is also closely connected to a feeling of having a voice. One of the ways we achieve this is through our vertical groups in houses, whereby sub-groups from across the year groups meet and discuss their house and their school.

The outcomes of these discussions have an impact on school life, whether that be as simple as the purchase of a new television or as fundamental as a re-think of the way we respond to bullying. The greatest, though unquantifiable way that our students feel that their voice is of value is through the countless informal conversations that take place with each other and with staff. I have seen countless examples of staff sitting with a group of students discussing something political or topical and I am often surprised at which pupils suddenly start participating. The popularity of boarding, whether full, flexi or occasional, is testament to our houses. Friday night across the houses is a fantastic bonding experience for our students. Whether they are playing frisbee on Eshtons, making cakes in Paley or eating a Milano's takeaway in Morrison, these are some of the most memorable times. One of my favourite memories of being a housemaster was watching my Sixth Formers deliver a sensitive and thoughtful chapel service about masculinity on the Thursday, followed by heaving and sweating their way to tug-of-war victory on the Saturday. They showed themselves capable of the ‘cerebral and the grunt’ in three short days. For me, this exemplified what our students get from belonging to their houses. I know that all of the house staff take a great deal of pleasure in seeing their charges flourish throughout the school. At Young Musician of the Year, if you look carefully, you will often spy a Housemistress or Housemaster sitting at the back, grinning with pride as a member of their house performs on stage. This is true of the school play, the Spring Concert and the many other arenas where we see our students succeeding. The ‘house as home’ is critical at Giggleswick, creating that sense of belonging, and is directly connected to the many other areas of fulsome pupil participation we see around the school. It has also been the glue that helped us hold together through extraordinary times.