St. Francis' College Boarding Options Booklet

Boarding Options

Welcome to Boarding at SFC Welcome to the Boarding House! We cultivate a warm, family-like atmosphere where our boarders can fully enjoy their experience. Our dedicated and highly qualified staff ensure that our boarders are safe, well-cared for, and engaged with various activities during evenings and weekends. Along with the Boarding staff and myself, we are here to support our students throughout their time with us.

Along with the Boarding staff and myself, we are here to support our students throughout their time with us. Whether they need pastoral or academic assistance, our team is always on hand to help. We take great pride in the homely and welcoming environment we have created here. Our students' contributions are vital to maintaining and enhancing this atmosphere. It is important that they have their say and input into the life we offer at St. Francis’. Please encourage them to communicate with their Boarding and Food Council representatives, as well as our Deputy Head Girl - Boarding, to ensure that their views and ideas are heard. We genuinely want to hear them.

We hope our students will take full advantage of the trips, activities, pastoral support, and academic assistance provided throughout their time with us. We encourage them to embrace everything on offer and make the most of their experience. I am excited for this year and look forward to all the wonderful moments we will share.

Our Boarding team provides our boarders with the care and attention they need to thrive throughout their journey at St. Francis’ College. They play a vital role in boarding life, offering academic support to students and coordinating with teaching staff to provide personalized assistance. Our team attends to the students' daily needs within the boarding house. They maintain cleanliness and order in the bedrooms, handle laundry, and ensure the school uniform is immaculate.

Additionally, they accompany the students to essential appointments, including visits to the doctor, dentist, optician, or orthodontist. We also have a registered nurse who visits the boarding house in the evenings to address medical needs, working closely with the college nurse to provide medical advice and primary care treatments.

We take great pride in our boarding family, cherishing and valuing every student as an integral part of the St. Francis’ community.

“Needless to say we have been, and continue to be, very happy with the boarding provision and greatly appreciate the support of the boarding staff.“ Parent of Anna Current boarder

Miss Gemma Arthur Head of Boarding

Why Consider Boarding?

Home From Home

Exciting Activities

Our Housemistresses look after the students’ needs ‘at home’ in the Boarding House. They ensure that the bedrooms are kept clean and tidy, that the laundry is done, and that school uniform is of a high standard. They also take the girls to any necessary medical appointments, including dentist, optician or orthodontist. We have a Registered Nurse who comes into the Boarding House in the evenings to look after the Boarders’ medical requirements.

She works closely with the College Nurse to supply medical advice and primary care treatments.

We keep our students remarkably busy with a wide variety of onsite activities every evening and at weekends. These may vary according to the time of year, but the tennis courts, swimming pool and gymnasium are busy all year round and we offer various clubs such as arts and crafts, cooking and cross stitch to name but a few. All the common rooms are equipped with TVs, and we host weekly film nights in the Games Room, which are hugely popular, especially when the popcorn and hot chocolate appear!

Supervised Homework At the end of the school day, boarders head to the Boarding House where, after a snack and a drink, they sit down to do their homework at 4.30pm. Homework is supervised by highly qualified and experienced Academic Tutors who live and work in the Boarding House.

The Academic Tutors provide one-to-one and group support, as well as running revision sessions and English Language conversation activities.

The Boarding Community Students who board make great friends. We’re very proud of the cultural diversity of our boarding community, which which gives students a fantastic global awareness and appreciation of different cultures.

Boarders also learn to become independent and their maturity develops in leaps and bounds.

For many students, they also become even more engaged in College life with all the benefits that entails, from both a scholarly and extra-curricular point of view.

Boarding Options As well as full time boarding, many families at St. Francis’ take advantage of our flexi boarding packages which can often be advantageous for busy families.

We are delighted to welcome visitors to the Boarding House and Boarding Staff are always pleased to explain the various packages to parents and students.

Full Time Boarding

Weekly Boarding

Full boarders live in the Boarding House throughout the term and go home for the half term and end of term holidays.

This option offers boarding for five nights during the week and your daughter would return home every weekend.

They can choose to go out at weekends to visit friends, by arrangement with the Boarding Staff.

Weekly boarders may return to the Boarding House on Sunday evenings after dinner.

Flexi Boarding

Day Boarding

This option offers the flexibility of boarding for between one and four nights during the week. Flexiboarding can be pre-booked for regular days every week. This is a popular option for students who have after school commitments such as sport or a club. It also gives students the boarding experience for a shorter period during the week. Those boarding for four nights stay at school Mon - Thurs.

Day Boarding is a popular choice as it offers a way to accommodate parents’ work commitments and can also be a useful option if your daughter is returning late at night from a school trip.

Day Boarding includes homework time, dinner in the Dining Room and an evening activity. We offer two options:

Alternatively, parents may arrange occasional or one-off Flexi-Boarding.

This is particularly helpful for those tricky situations such as short notice business trips, or the opportunity for a last minute holiday or weekend away.

Flexi boarding is charged at £75 per night.

WEEKLY DAY BOARDING From 7.30am - 8pm Monday toFriday OCCASIONAL DAY BOARDING 7.30am - 8pm Day Boarding should be booked in advance and is subject to availability.

Day Boarding is charged at £20 per night.

Welcome From Our Deputy Head Girl (Boarding) The Boarding House is a very friendly, lovely and supportive place where we welcome everyone. It is a melting-pot of cultures, housing students from a variety of countries and backgrounds. It is a place that cultivates respect and kindness, and shows appreciation for its students.

There is always a sense of celebration and fun, with a multitude of trips, activities, and grand events scheduled throughout the year. The games room is the main hub of the Boarding House. It is where we participate in clubs and socialise. It is fully equipped with a kitchen, allowing for big cookouts at the weekend. Together with our three other common rooms, the Boarding House gives us the space to mix with each other, have some quiet time, and feel comfortable, as you would at home.

The Boarding House is only one flight of stairs above the rest of the College, which means that we can use all the school facilities in the evenings and at weekends.

Students are very involved in how the Boarding House is run. We have a Boarding Council and a Food Committee, which meet regularly, allowing boarders to voice their opinions, suggestions, and concerns. This is clearly reflected in the boarding menu, which is heavily influenced by the suggestions of the Committee.

Whether it is just for an occasional night or a full-boarding adventure, the Boarding House welcomes you.

Natalie

Broadway, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, SG6 3PJ +44 (0) 1462670511 admin@st-francis.herts.sch.uk www.st-francis.herts.sch.uk