Occasional Boarding

September 2007

Dear Parents

As I customarily do at this time of year, I am writing to you about the Occasional Boarding service that we offer at Ratcliffe. Many of you will be familiar with this already, but this seems the annually opportune moment to draw attention to a service that can be of benefit both to parents and to students.

In our two boarding houses there are a limited number of bed spaces available for use by Occasional Boarders, i.e. day students who wish to spend one or more nights at school.  This may be because parents are away, either on business or for personal reasons, and therefore it would be more convenient for students to board for a short time.  It may be because a student is involved in a school event, such as a play rehearsal, that ends late or a school trip that returns after normal school hours.  It may simply be because a student decides that he/she has heard how much fun boarding can be and wants to try it out for himself/herself!  Whatever the reason, we will make every effort to accommodate requests for Occasional Boarding. 

As well as the convenience of Occasional Boarding, we believe that there are significant educational benefits to be gained from an experience of boarding.  Not only does boarding offer the traditional benefits of a fully ‘rounded’ education – academically, socially and emotionally – it also develops those qualities needed for tomorrow’s job market: personal responsibility, communication, teamwork, self-motivation and adaptability.

The cost for 2007/08 is £30 per night (an increase of only £2 on last year and still a very competitive figure compared to other schools with a similar boarding structure) if the overnight stay is at the request of parents.  This rate includes supper, bed and breakfast, supervision by boarding staff from 6.30pm to 8.30am and the opportunity to participate in organised evening activities. All bedding is provided by the school, but towels need to be brought from home.  Room keys are issued by boarding staff at the appropriate time, together with details of the boarding schedule and fire evacuation procedures.

If the timing of a school event means that a student is required to stay at school because no alternative is available then a reduced rate of £15 is charged.  Finally, there are occasions during the school year, for example after the ‘Immac’ celebrations at Christmas, where there is a heavy demand for beds which cannot be met.  In these cases, floor space and mattresses will be found as far as possible.  The cost of this ‘sleepover boarding’ is £12.  The final decision on the charge to be paid rests with the Director of Finance.  Please contact him if you wish to discuss our scale of charges. 

In order to ensure that we can provide a quick and accurate response to parental requests for Occasional Boarding, we ask that all enquires are directed to the school’s Reception in the first instance.  Please do not contact our boarding staff directly.  Reception staff will check availability with the respective Housemaster/Housemistress and will contact parents as soon as possible to confirm arrangements.  Please give as much notice as possible and a minimum of 48 hours.  Places for Occasional Boarding may sometimes be unavailable and an enquiry will not necessarily guarantee a place.

Contact with Reception staff can be made in writing, by phone or by coming into school.  There is not a specific form that needs to be completed by parents.  Once contact is made with Reception staff, the school has its own internal procedures which enable a swift response to be made.  Payment for Occasional Boarding can either be made by cheque or a charge can be added to the school bill.  Reception staff will ask about payment methods as part of the response to the initial enquiry from parents.

The feedback we get from day students who experience boarding, either through Occasional Boarding or through events such as our Boarding Taster Weekends (the next one is in November and further details will be sent out in the next few weeks) is always very positive.  We are proud of the quality of our boarding facilities and we believe they help to enhance the experience for those who choose to board.  We would encourage as many students as possible to take advantage of the opportunities offered by Occasional Boarding and to see for themselves what a positive experience it can be.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries about our Occasional Boarding service.

Kind regards

Yours sincerely

Darryl Wideman

Deputy Head (Pastoral)