Living, learning and playing at Windlesham
We understand there’s no place like home but we’re proud to provide a sense of family and comfort for our boarders who love living, learning and playing at Windlesham.
Our sixty-five-acre estate is the perfect setting to provide a safe space for boarding children 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.
With our flexible approach to boarding at Windlesham it’s no surprise that many of our day pupils go on to become boarders, wanting to take advantage of this flexible approach and having seen the benefits of boarding, keen to spend more time with their friends and more time enjoying the evening activities and weekends.
Boarding at Windlesham is also great preparation for those thinking about boarding at senior school.
Boarding options to suit every family
We are one of the oldest independent prep schools in the UK and we were the first independent prep boarding school to become co-educational. Our forward thinking approach continues today with the introduction of flexible boarding options to meet the changing needs of our parents and pupils. Full boarding, of course, remains an option as well.
- Year 3 & Year 4: minimum of 1 night a week.
- Year 5 & Year 6: minimum of 2 nights a week.
- Year 7: minimum of 3 nights a week.
A commitment to the same night(s) each week must be made.
From September 2021:
- Year 8: minimum of 3 nights a week (with a commitment to the same night(s) each week).
Full & weekly boarding from Year 3 – 8: Full boarding at Windlesham is Monday to Saturday or over the weekend (apart from exeats which we call long weekends). Children can also weekly board and go home on a Saturday and return either on a Sunday night or Monday morning before lessons begin. Children can also weekly and go home on a Friday evening from 4:30pm.
To discuss these options and explore the best choice for your family please don’t hesitate to contact Gilly Prichard (our Admissions Manager) on telephone: +44 (0)1903 874701 or email: admissions@windlesham.com
″Windlesham has a caring, let’s learn and do more together approach″
Developing friendships that last a lifetime
We encourage our boarders 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
Variety of different activities and trips but we are mindful they also need downtime and rest!
A typical weekend at Windlesham, following the exciting new Windlesham Diploma and Windlesham Challenge programmes taking place every Saturday morning, consists of activities, eg baking, karaoke, swimming and then supper and a film.
Sundays offer a relaxed breakfast/brunch (which parents are warmly invited to) 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.″
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
