Shropshire school updates the boarding experience

Prestfelde School, in Shrewsbury, has welcomed boarders since 1929, but recent years have seen the numbers of pupils living on site dwindle.

Now the school says it has developed a fresh approach by making the boarding house an extension of home to encourage more children to benefit from the boarding experience.

It says it wants to get away from the image of boarding schools where children are left with little contact with their families.

Instead, Prestfelde actively encourages family visits and offers more flexibility to allow some students to stay overnight only occasionally when it suits them and their parents.

The environment is carefully managed by head of boarding Mike Haswell, who lives in Prestfelde House with his wife Jo and their two boys, Kieran and Connor.

Mr Haswell says he wants to create a family atmosphere, which can be considered by pupils an extension of home. He said: "Times are continually changing and we at Prestfelde are always reviewing the services we offer.

"With this in mind we have decided to make our boarding house more flexible for parents and pupils. "Boarding has changed from the days of parents dropping off their children with their luggage on the first day of term and picking them up three months later.

"The whole attitude towards boarding is very different nowadays - you could call it a revolution - and we have embraced the modern, flexible style of boarding without losing the key benefits that staying in such an inspiring place as Prestfelde can provide.

"These days families want to spend much more time with each other at weekends and in the evenings."Our parents still want the excellent teaching, wide-ranging opportunities and nurturing environment that the school provides, but they also want the flexibility to spend quality time with their children when they want to." Prestfelde is now offering a range of flexible boarding options.

Weekly boarders can stay from Monday to Friday, regular boarders can opt to stay the same night or nights each week, and occasional boarders can drop in and out depending on their parents' commitments or their own activities.

Mr Haswell added: "We have made the boarding facilities an extension of our home, providing an atmosphere which stimulates independence, confidence and a sense of belonging.

"We have an ethos where children are encouraged and supported to try the boarding experience for themselves.

"We are keen to promote traditional values and skills for life, so offer wraparound quality care with the flexibility to suit individual needs.

"We are endeavouring to make boarding more appealing to all children at Prestfelde and getting children to board on a more frequent basis.

"Boarding is here to stay and we believe the structure we have in place offers excellent preparation for senior school."