For families plotting a move overseas, the question of schools takes centre stage. There is a minefield of considerations to be worked through before the final decision can be made about where a child, or children, should be placed, Lucia Cockcroft reports

For many with the financial means, the first is likely to revolve around whether to keep a child at home in the UK, or to move them to the country of re-location – whether that’s in an international, or local school. There are also a raft of other considerations to be weighed up before the final decision is made. These include the personality and wishes of the child and the practicality of returning to the base of the parents during school holidays.

Boarding at home
It is far from uncommon for children to be schooled in the UK while their parents live elsewhere – around 700 schools in the UK offer boarding school places. Currently, around 20,000 overseas children are studying in Britain. Many more new British expats decide that the best all-round option is for their kids to continue a UK education.

For many, however, it’s not an easy call to make. Gail Dixon, editor www.tom-brown.com, an online guide to independent education, says many people moving abroad will wrestle with the decision to send their child to board in the UK, or to take them with them. Much of this quandary, he says, rests on concerns about pastoral care and being so far away from their offspring. Parents may be especially worried if children are young – leaving families and pets can be a bigger wrench for smaller children, though little touches, such as posters, teddies and photographs, can make a difference.

Dixon says: “If you didn’t board yourself – or have memories of stark dorms and feeling homesick – it’s only natural to be apprehensive about sending your youngster to boarding school. Immediately, for many, a very tough regime with lino and Crimean War beds springs to mind.

“The good news is that life in modern boarding schools has moved on leaps and bounds, and as well as the transformation in accommodation and facilities, there is now strong emphasis on pastoral care to support children’s emotional needs.”
“Whether boarders are from Oxford or Bangkok, schools will often help new pupils to start making the transition before they’ve even set foot in the building. Many schools have mentoring programmes, and pupils will begin emailing their new classmates in the holidays to help them feel they have friends to go to.”

There are other arguments in favour of a boarding school education in the UK. Boarders often enjoy the benefits of close, long-lasting friendships and an excellent range of facilities and activities. The standard of accommodation is far higher than of old – with well-decorated bedrooms in small groups. Sixth formers generally have single-study bedrooms.

Location
Once a decision is made to send children to a UK boarding school, parents should focus on the desired geographical area. From here, questions can be asked about pastoral care and educational standards. Ofsted (www.ofsted.gov) is a good source of information, and holds the most recent inspection reports.

It’s also important to take your child with you to visit at least two of the short listed schools. If boarding is on the cards, perhaps a particular activity (such as horse riding) offered there will pique his or her imagination, and make the prospect of staying at home as a boarder more palatable. Hilary Moriarty, National Director of the UK-based organisation, Boarding Schools’ Association (www.boarding.org.uk) says a central benefit of staying at school in this country is continuity of education, especially in the years between 14 and 18. She says: “Psychologists tell us a pupil goes backwards by six months when they change schools – settling in, making friends, working out how a school operates and how they fit in take precedence over school work, for obvious reasons. Becoming happy where you are feels more important than chasing grades.

“So if a pupil is settled when you get posted, let them stay as a boarder. If you have to go and your return is unpredictable or you may move on to other foreign places, getting a child settled into boarding school for the duration of their school days is probably a very wise investment.”

Moriarty stresses that pastoral care is a priority in boarding schools, with schools having an independent listener available for children if they wish. House parents and other staff are aware of children’s individual circumstances. She adds: “Schools expect a pupil whose parents are overseas to have a guardian in this country, and the guardian is treated almost like a parent – invited to school for parents’ evenings or for concerts or matches etc. The guardian would be expected to have the child for weekends (when the school might be closed for two days) or at half terms if the child cannot get out to parents.”

Case study 1
Sally Dawson boarded at the Dollar Academy in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, for seven years, from the age of nine. She saw her parents for the major holidays and also during half term, once her parents bought a flat in Scotland. Dawson says boarding school was a positive experience, overall: “I never had any issues with feeling ‘deserted’ by my parents. At first it was like an adventure and as I got older, I came to appreciate that my parents had put us all there to avoid us being taken out of different education systems, and the upheaval that can cause, as they moved around the world with Dad’s job.”
Dawson feels that, had she moved around with her parents all over the world, she would have found it an uprooting and unsettling experience: “I am so grateful that I was able to stay in the one place in the UK. Plus, the holidays were wonderful!” However she does caution that having a sibling at the same school, as she did, made all the difference, and minimised any feelings of loneliness or isolation.

Overseas schooling
It is for these same reasons that many parents decide to take their children with them. And despite the pros of a boarding school education in the UK, there are compelling arguments in favour of an overseas education: broadened horizons, new language skills, and the chance to meet children from other backgrounds and nationalities.

Colin Brunt is owner of www.abovethearctic.com, a company arranging and selling holiday homes in the Finnish Lapland. Brunt has four children of school age, while his youngest, aged five, is still at nursery. Brunt is enthusiastic about the lifestyle and educational prospects of British children living abroad. He says: “It is hard to make comparisons with how they would be doing in the UK, but I have no doubt they are more mature and self-confident from the experience of living here, as well as having the benefits of learning a second language.”

His children study the usual roll call of subjects and the school ethos, Brunt says, feels relaxed: “There are no uniforms and teachers are called by their first names. There is a mutual feeling of respect between the children and teachers. As the school day finishes at between 12 and 2pm, there is plenty of time for outside exercise such as skiing or biking. Brunt adds: “We see few, if any, disadvantages. The children may have a bit of catching up to do in some subjects when we return to the UK, for example they do not learn French here, but I don’t expect this will take too long.”

Case study 2
Bernice de Braal had a similarly positive experience when she moved to Cairo for three years from 1983. She was eight years old. Her father was posted to Egypt for his development work, and funding from the British Council meant the family could afford to send her to the city’s British International School. De Braal says the transition from a rather grey, bleak Glasgow, where she was at school in the UK, to the sunshine and colour of Egypt, was “wonderful”, and surprisingly easy.
“Going out to the Middle East, I was made to feel very welcome. It was a big transition – I went from a very average state school in Glasgow to a private school in Cairo, where there were 40-50 different nationalities. It was an overwhelmingly positive experience. The school hours were great – 8am to 2.30pm – and we studied a broader range of subjects.”

De Braal also has fond memories of the exotic school trips – a Faluka trip on the Nile, a trip to the Pyramids. She made friends with local children and became part of their community – an experience that has helped to give her a broad, multi-cultural outlook. There were, however, teething problems – for the first month in Egypt she was plagued with stomach problems while she adjusted to a different diet and lifestyle. “My Mum was genuinely frightened – my weight dropped and I couldn’t keep my food down. I even had to go to hospital once.”

For some parents, the stress and worry of illness brought on by a new climate and environment, especially in the Near and Far East, is too much – and the entire family ends up moving back to the UK. For those, like de Braal, who sit the adjustment period out, however, the rewards can be rich.

“I am so glad I went. I was devastated to go back to Glasgow three years later. Despite all the troubles in the Middle East now, I have perspective. On a day to day basis, I found it a very peaceful life, and it’s not an exaggeration to say I have had itchy feet, in a good way, ever since!”