The wide variety of different schools can often be overwhelming and one of the toughest decisions is whether to opt for day or boarding. Listed below are five reasons why parents choose day schools instead of boarding schools.
1. Expense
Boarding schools now come at a vast expense. An analysis by the Good Schools Guide shows that the average annual cost is £27,600, before allowing for any extras. In comparison the average day schools cost £11,709 per year. The Killik Private Education Index shows that fees have increased by more than 300% since 1990 (at roughly four times the rate of inflation). Staggeringly, if current trends continue we will be looking at fees of £61,000 by 2027. It is undeniably something to consider carefully before committing.
2. Keeping your children at home
There is really no rush to send your child away from home, particularly from a very young age. Upon leaving school, your children will become increasingly independent and may not ever live at home again. With this in mind, it seems sad to only get a decade or so under the same roof!
3. Extracurricular activities
If your child is particularly fiendish at ice skating or some similarly niche pursuit which is not usually offered at boarding school, you may be stunting a great talent which your child, if at day school, could be working on in the evenings.
4. Academics
In general, day schools dominate the league tables because they are more selective than boarding schools. The pace is a lot quicker and everything is crammed between 8.30am and 4.30pm.
5. Education at home
Remember that education doesn’t only happen at school, where teachers are often under strain to stick to the curriculum and focus on exams. You, as a parent, can keep your child’s other intellectual interests alive (be it literature, politics, art or drama), by spending evenings and weekends at galleries, museums and with friends from outside of school.