Living, learning and playing at Windlesham
We understand there’s no place like home, but at Windlesham, we’re proud to provide a sense of family and comfort for our boarders. Many of our day pupils go on to become boarders, wanting to spend more time with their friends and to enjoy the evening activities and weekends. It’s also good preparation if you are thinking about boarding at senior school.
Our sixty-five-acre estate is the perfect setting to provide a safe space for pupils to seek adventure and develop lifelong friendships after classes finish for the day. It is also an amazing location for weekend adventures, including trips to the coast and camping on the South Downs.
″Windlesham has a caring, let’s learn and do more together approach″
Developing friendships that last a lifetime
We encourage the children to be respectful, kind and live tolerantly with their fellow boarders. Each year we are proud to wave pupils off at the end of their time at Windlesham knowing they are well-equipped both academically and socially to continue successfully on to senior school.
Although most children who board at Windlesham happily settle into life in West Sussex very quickly, we promote regular contact with parents and family – as there is much to share! We encourage children to send a weekly letter home to parents, a school tradition which we know from first-hand reports are loved and treasured and there are telephones around the school which children can use at any time. Parents can also phone the boarding houses each evening to say goodnight to their child.
There are plenty of opportunities for parents to attend sporting events or musical recitals and we are able to recommend many exciting day trips within the local area should families wish to explore at weekends. We understand that children whose parents reside overseas have different needs and we work hard to ensure they have time set aside to FaceTime (working with time differences) as well as organising travel home when requested.
Weekends at Windlesham
Weekends are packed full of fun for the children. They are kept busy with a variety of different activities and trips whilst we are mindful they also need downtime and rest!
A typical weekend at Windlesham following matches on Saturday afternoon consists of activities, eg baking, karaoke, swimming followed by supper and a film.
Sundays offer a relaxed breakfast/brunch (which parents are warmly invited to), a Chapel service and options for a range of activities from nature walks on the downs, shopping or cinema trips to local towns, inflatable obstacle courses in the pool, textiles and pottery making.
We also plan several extra trips per year like ice-skating at The Natural History Museum, outings to Harry Potter World or to watch rugby at Twickenham along with trips to local tourist attractions and theme parks.
″There is always someone to talk to... I like being with my friends and the matrons are really kind.″
Flexible boarding options to suit every family
Full Boarding from Year 4 to 8
Full-boarding at Windlesham is Monday to Saturday or over the weekend (apart from exeats which we call long weekends). Children can go home after matches on a Saturday and return either on a Sunday night or Monday morning before lessons begin.
Junior Part-time boarding options from Year 3 to 6
Our Junior part-time boarding options are extremely family friendly, especially for dual working parents and those who travel frequently.
It also offers a more gradual transition for those children looking to move into full boarding in the future.
Junior part-time boarding is available to Years 3-6 with a choice of either 2 or 3 nights per week. Full-time boarding, of course, remains an option as well.
Junior part-time boarders are recognised as part of the boarding community and are encouraged to stay in for one of our ‘All-In’ weekends we have each term (usually the last weekend of term).
Guardians
All overseas boarders will need to have a guardian in the UK. A guardian can be a friend or relative based in the UK whom we can contact in an emergency. We also provide a list of Guardian companies who can assist you if you need them.
60% of pupils board at Windlesham and 90% of children in Years 7 and 8 board.
Boarding Principles
We believe strongly in the great virtues of a boarding education for children, and in the qualities which it develops in them as well as the broad all-round opportunities which it offers.
Boarding at Windlesham is based on the following principles:
- We seek to develop the whole child during their time at the school – emotionally, spiritually, morally, academically, physically, culturally and socially. Building their confidence in a caring environment.
- Children are taught to respect others and to treat them in the way they would wish to be treated themselves.
- We believe that boarding develops the childrens’ ability to live and work with others and it strengthens their sense of self-reliance and independence.
- We treat all children equally regardless of background or ability.
- We provide excellent and continued communication with parents to develop an authentic and effective partnership between the school, parents and child.
- We aim to create a safe and secure environment at the school.
01903 874700
admissions@windlesham.com
