If you're a parent questioning whether it's worth enrolling your child in a private boarding school, or if you are simply curious as to the benefits such an education could bring, read on.

Pastoral Care

At boarding schools pupils tend to form closer relationships with their teachers and tutors. This is especially true if teaching staff live on campus, in close proximity to the children.

Some teachers also take on the role of housemaster or housemistress, whose responsibility it is to look after the wellbeing of the pupils in their boarding houses. They may take charge of weekend activities, for example, be it cooking together or watching films in the evening.

It's excellent for children and teenagers to get to know adults other than their parents and relatives. This teaches respect towards older generations, and an understanding of authority. It's also very healthy to have real world adult role models, not just celebrities or fictional characters to look up to.

In a purely academic setting, students only see the teacher as a professional, whereas outside the classroom, they get to know them as an adult just like any other.

Independence

Living outside the family home from a young age better prepares children to enter the adult world as independent individuals. They inevitably learn to look after themselves without relying on adults to handle their tasks and chores for them.

It's vital to give your children the freedom they deserve since you've trusted them to attend boarding school. This means limiting phone calls and emails, and letting them get on with their lives. They'll appreciate the trust you put in them, and the rarer the phone calls, the more you'll learn to appreciate the chance to catch up.

At boarding school, kids don't have unlimited access to the television and computer, like many children do at home. This means they have to plan their own entertainment, and manage their time in line with homework and responsibilities without prompts from mum and dad.

Professional Guidance

Although professional guidance is available at most schools, at boarding schools this tends to be introduced quicker and can be more profound. Teachers and advisors are on hand to help pupils determine their interests, select study subjects and set out a career path, or at least lay the foundations for one.

Guidance schemes do differ between private schools in Scotland, England and elsewhere. If this is a very important feature for you, don't hesitate to enquire during an open day or over the phone.

Some schools may assign an advisor to each pupil according to their academic interests, whilst others will have a single dedicated staff member to help your child make the best decisions to develop their skills.