Located within the heart of the main school, our boarding house is very much an extended family. It is valued as a home away from home for our boarders; creating a relaxed and comfortable environment separate from academic life at the school.
Alongside the separate boys' and girls' accomodation, which include dormitories and washrooms, we have two lovely common rooms, featuring table football, boardgames, shelves full to the brim with books, art supplies, a television, sofas and beanbags, and a mini pool table. We offer a full laundry service, as well as a dispensary and the ministrations of a school nurse.
At the centre of the boarding house is the Head of Boarding, Katherine Kirkwood's. We also employ Gap Students who are not only involved in school life but very much feel like older and more responsible siblings to the boarders.
Children board for many reasons but, whatever the reason, we will do our best to look after them. We offer full, weekly or flexible boarding open to all Prep children. We hope boarding life at MHV will help support families as the children go through the school year.
Boarding time for the children is most importantly all about having fun. It is time spent cementing existing friendships and building new ones and just enjoying down time together outside the curriculum. Our vast array of varied activities and beautiful grounds and spaces used during time after school give them wonderful opportunities to spend their time away from home.
The structured routines of communal bedtimes and mornings gives the children the security and independence they need, and encourages them to think for themselves and be considerate of others. The life skills learnt in boarding leads to an increase in confidence and ability to organise themselves. Without the children realising it, boarding school helps them develop the skills that foster resilience and independence.
The children are welcome to board when they join the Prep School with taster nights from Year 3 and children boarding more regularly from Year 5 - Year 8. We encourage all the children to try it before they leave at the end of Year 8, even if they do not become a regular boarder.
Flexi-boarding offers an easy solution for parents who may have social or work engagements and we would like our care to be considered as a first option for families. It is also helpful for children who have extracurricular activities and late finishes.
Weekly boarding at MHV gives you the best of both worlds - a fantastic education, with outstanding facilities in beautiful surroundings, alongside the fun that goes with boarding, plus a hassle-free weekly commute and weekends spent at home.
All boarders have the opportunity to enjoy additional co-curricular activities such as ballet, cookery, fitness, judo, carpentry and swimming, as well as further supervised prep sessions to ensure that academic levels are maintained.
There is something for everyone and themed activity nights are organised to bring out the best in the children and develop their characters further as they experience all the benefits of boarding.
Flexi boarding
Pupils may board ad hoc or regularly any night/s of the week, providing flexibility for local families to reserve a space in the Boarding House as suits their requirements. Parents may book up to midday on the day that they require boarding, providing there is availability. Should your child accompany us on a weekend trip additional charges may apply.
We ensure that a night in the Boarding House is a fun experience for our full, weekly and flexi boarders. In addition, we will have two dedicated activity nights every week which may be of particular interest to our flexi boarders. Activity nights will be on a Wednesday and Thursday and details of activities will be published in the weekly newsletter.
To arrange for your child to flexi board, please contact the boarding team via the button below.