The Journal
Guidance for choosing, written for families.
28 July 2026
What is full boarding? Full, weekly and flexi explained
What is full boarding, and how does it differ from weekly and flexi? A plain guide for international families, and the weekend question that matters most.
Read →28 July 2026
What is Common Entrance? The 13+ and 11+ explained
What is the Common Entrance exam? A plain guide to the 11+ and 13+, who sets it, the subjects, and why many UK schools now use pre-tests instead.
Read →28 July 2026
A-level vs IB at UK boarding schools: which fits
A-level vs IB at UK boarding schools: what each is, how universities read them, and which suits the specialist and which the all-rounder.
Read →28 July 2026
What is UKiset, and do we need it?
UKiset is the standardised test many UK independent schools use to screen overseas applicants. What it is, who needs it, and who does not.
Read →28 July 2026
What is the CCF? Combined Cadet Force, explained for parents
What is the CCF at school? A plain guide to the Combined Cadet Force for parents, what a child actually does, and whether it should sway your choice.
Read →28 July 2026
What is an exeat? The boarding calendar explained
An exeat is a fixed weekend in term when boarders leave school. Here is what that means for planning travel, guardianship and where your child goes.
Read →28 July 2026
Will my child make friends at boarding school?
Making friends at boarding school is mostly design, not luck. How mixed-year houses, shared dorms and the first fortnight actually work.
Read →28 July 2026
Full vs weekly boarding: which your child needs
Full boarding vs weekly boarding is a weekend question, not a weekday one. An honest guide to which suits which family, especially from abroad.
Read →28 July 2026
Joining a UK sixth form at 16: what changes
Joining a UK boarding sixth form at 16 from overseas? What actually changes at 16, what you get to choose, and how to pick a school that fits you.
Read →28 July 2026
Phones, food, free time and rules at boarding school
Can you have your phone at boarding school? An honest answer, plus the truth about food, free time and the rules, written for the person actually going.
Read →28 July 2026
How to know if a school is right for your child
How to know if a school is right for your child: six readable dimensions to check on a visit, and the question that reveals the truth of each.
Read →28 July 2026
The wrong boarding school for your child, famous or not
A school can be excellent and still the wrong boarding school for your child. Why reputation is not fit, and how to give yourself permission to say no.
Read →28 July 2026
Sixth form abroad at 16: the choices that matter
An honest guide to a UK boarding sixth form for international students: the real pros and cons of starting at 16, and how to tell if it’s right for you.
Read →28 July 2026
Boarding school term dates: a Singapore parent’s calendar
How to map a UK boarding calendar onto a Singapore family’s year: where exeats and half terms fall, and the gaps you must plan for.
Read →28 July 2026
UK boarding for Singapore families: exeat and travel reality
What a Singapore family must plan for a UK boarding school: 13-hour flights, exeats, a UK guardian, the time gap and full boarding.
Read →28 July 2026
League tables: the wrong start for a boarding search
The Sunday Times school league tables rank exam results. For a family choosing boarding from overseas, that is the wrong question to start with.
Read →28 July 2026
What Nigerian families should ask a UK boarding school
A practical guide for Nigerian and West African families on the questions, costs and guardianship that decide whether UK boarding works for your child.
Read →28 July 2026
UK boarding schools for Mandarin-speaking students
How to find UK boarding schools that treat a Chinese child’s Mandarin as an academic asset and support developing English, not a token class.
Read →28 July 2026
UK boarding for a Hong Kong family: continuity, not a fresh start
A UK boarding school for a Hong Kong family works best chosen for continuity and fit, not name. What to weigh on flights, exeats, guardianship and distance.
Read →28 July 2026
UK boarding school for Muslim students: the pastoral test
What good pastoral care looks like for a Muslim boarder far from home, and the questions to ask a UK boarding school before you commit.
Read →28 July 2026
UK boarding for a Gulf family that wants both
A UAE or Gulf family weighing UK boarding for the next step. Structure and values on one side, independence and breadth on the other, and how to hold both.
Read →28 July 2026
Guardianship for a Nigerian boarder: a practical guide
What a UK guardian does for a Nigerian student, why schools require one, and how to choose well. AEGIS accreditation, costs and the questions to ask.
Read →28 July 2026
Boarding schools for engineering: backing the builder
For a child who makes things, look past prestige. How to tell a boarding school that genuinely backs engineering and computing from one with a token suite.
Read →28 July 2026
Coming home to board: UK boarding for a returning expat
A UK boarding school can bridge a returning-expat family’s move home. How to check curriculum fit, entry points and settle a third-culture child.
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