Boarding at KESWA richly diverse boarding life

Boarding at King Edwards provides a wonderful opportunity and experience for each and every one of our pupils.

Our supportive and warm family environment promotes a strong sense of belonging, and we aim to ensure that every boarding pupil from QMH, through Middle School life to our dedicated Sixth Form setting, Jubilee House, feels a positive sense of place, deep friendship and connection to community that extends well beyond their time at King Edwards.

Every pupil at King Edwards joins one of our eight supportive and sociable Houses. Each with its own personality, our Houses are so much more than just a place to be. At the heart of school life, they provide a home from home where lifelong friendships are made, opportunities are explored and where each and every child is seen and feels valued for who they are.

A home away from home. A home for life.

From Year 9 to Lower Sixth Form all pupils, along with new boarding and day pupils from ages 13 to 17, are assigned to one of the six, single sex, senior houses, Edward, Grafton, Ridley, Wakefield, Tudor and Elizabeth, each with names linked to key figures in King Edward’s and Bridewell’s rich heritage.

Our Middle School boarding Houses provide a safe, nurturing environment in which pupils can grow and build their relationships; a perfectly supported base for the dynamic pace of Middle School life where exceptional educational and pastoral journeys expand and gather pace and purpose. Headed by house parents who, along with a dedicated and kind team of boarding staff, provide exceptional support and care, the happiness and welfare of every boarder is at the heart of all they do.

A safe empowering environment in which our Year 9 to 11 pupils build on their previous learning foundations, our House system provides a richly diverse boarding life and a continued breadth of academic study and co-curricular activities designed to develop teamwork and leadership skills.

Life for boarders at King Edward’s is richly diverse with each pupil enjoying a wealth of social and learning opportunities. Our lively community of full-time boarders enjoys a full and exciting activities programme on offer each evening and weekend. Full-time boarders live at School seven days a week throughout the term, apart from exeat weekends. Each term has two exeat weekends when boarders leave for home at 16:00 on Friday and return the following Sunday evening, allowing time to be spent with parents and guardians during term time.

Boarding facilities

House accommodation for boarders includes two and four bedrooms for Year 9 to 11 pupils and a number of single en-suite bedrooms for lower sixth form pupils. Each house has its own dedicated spaces for study and relaxation with a lounge area and the ‘Acky’, short for activity room where pupils can watch TV, play games and socialise over a range of activities.

Our girls and boys houses are generally linked via a communal area where our pupils can come together to share their free time and mixed sex siblings will be assigned to paired houses to ensure they can enjoy family time whilst at school.

Weekend activities

Throughout the weekend, our full-time boarders have a broad range of fun and educational activities to choose from, both arranged by house and larger trips for all pupils, including Go Karting, ice skating, trips to local attractions, attending local or national sporting events, day trips to London and house-based entertainment with BBQs, pizza or film nights. Inter-house activities and competitions are keenly contested.

Last term our boarders enjoyed Ice Discos, Fright Night at Thorpe Park, Go Karting, Climbing and Christmas Shopping at Bluewater along with enriching trips to Observatory Science Centre, Herstmonceux, The National Theatre, Westminster Abbey and East London Mosque, Houses of Parliament, and a trip to France.

Throughout the weekend, our dedicated in-house team are on hand to help with supporting studies, ensuring that our boarders are up to date with their prep and music practice.

Weekly boarding

Weekly boarding offers the best of both worlds and is popular with families from London, as well as those who are just a little too far for a daily commute or for those pupils who want to enjoy a fully immersive boarding experience during the week. This experience allows the flexibility for pupils to return home on Friday afternoon, or on Saturday after school fixtures or activities, and return on Sunday evening or Monday morning. Weekly boarders are fully involved in house and co-curricular activities during the week and can also enjoy a relaxed weekend with their families.

Flexi-boarding and occasional boarding

Our flexi-boarding and occasional boarding opportunities allows for a more flexible pattern, typically where our families arrange a regular pattern of week-night boarding to fit with busy family schedules or to enjoy the opportunity for pupils to stay with us should parents need to travel for business or indeed pleasure during term time. Our house teams are ready and able to accommodate different requirements and ensure that pupils are at home in our houses, whether they live in them for one or seven nights a week.

Exciting, delicious and well-balanced food – nurturing healthy bodies and healthy minds

Balanced, healthy eating is at the very heart of our approach to catering at King Edward’s. We understand the importance of nurturing healthy bodies and healthy minds and we actively encourage a good nutritional choices and a active lifestyle. We take great pride in the food we provide, making sure that every day, individual nutritional needs are met through a superb variety of creative, freshly cooked and delicious options.

Ensuring our community comes together and connects, our staff and pupils eat together in our Dining Hall, a time prepare for a busy day ahead, take a break between activities or unwind at the end of a busy day of learning and achieving.

Our catering is provided by Chartwells, a company experienced in providing children with a balanced diet, to provide sustained energy for pupils involved in a busy school day as well as celebrating the best of British seasonal produce. Chartwells provides bespoke catering to King Edward’s featuring tailored menus for the school community together with our vibrant cafe, Piccadilly, situated in the heart of our learning environment.

The Piccadilly Café is open to all pupils, staff, parents and visitors and is located at the main entrance of the School. It offers café style snacks and hot and cold drinks and is a place where our whole community can meet to relax in a calm, modern space.

In addition, our Houses all have their own kitchens where pupils can make themselves snacks, hot drinks, and where a bowl of fruit and a conversation over a kitchen table is always on offer.

Healthy bodies. Healthy minds. Healthy, happy humans.

Join Us to explore and experience everyday school life here at King Edward’s.

Personal visits usually last around 90-minutes including a meeting with our Head, Mrs Joanna Wright, and opportunities to meet with pupils and tour the school.

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Join us at an Open Morning

The best way to experience what life is like at King Edward’s is to join us at an Open Morning. You will have the chance to talk to pupils and teachers about what makes our school such a special place, and to answer any questions you have about life here.

Friday, 21st March 2025

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