Brighton College has a thriving boarding community and there are now more boarders in the school than at any time in its history. An experienced and dedicated team of boarding staff ensures a warm and caring atmosphere across all four boarding houses in the senior school, and at Handcross Park Preparatory School.
The boys and girls benefit hugely from the confidence and independence that boarding provides; they also love the spirit and support of our friendly and helpful boarding community. All pastoral aspects of boarding at the college were classed 'outstanding' by Ofsted in 2009 and by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) in 2011.
Many boys and girls choose to be weekly boarders, which enables them to enjoy all the benefits of being a boarder from Monday to Friday, and then also to enjoy a full weekend at home. Most weekly boarders arrive in school by 8.15am on Monday morning and return home after school on Friday, at around 5pm. This is possible is because there are no lessons on Saturday mornings. Sports fixtures happen on Saturdays, but most weekly boarders choose to travel directly to and from the fixture from their home. Flexibility is key and weekly boarders may choose to remain in their boarding house on Friday night if they wish; they may also return on Sunday evening if this is easier for them (they simply need to be in the house by 9.30pm).
Weekly boarding also appeals to pupils who wish to come to Brighton College but who live too far away to be day pupils; for this reason, most of our weekly boarders come from London, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex. The train link between London and Brighton takes less than one hour which makes the school easily accessible from the capital.
Brighton also attracts many full boarders, who remain in school throughout the term time (excluding half-term breaks and exeat weekends). Full boarders enjoy all the same advantages as weekly boarders, and a full range of weekend activities is provided, too.
All five boarding houses have excellent facilities and benefit from a continuous process of refurbishment. They are designed to be homely and comfortable and they also offer up-to-date facilities such as wi-fi, Skype, modern furniture, fitted kitchens and IT suites. The brand new Smith Building opened in January 2012 and this has a wonderful, contemporary lounge for all the boarders - both boys and girls - to enjoy in the evenings; it also houses a new health centre, staffed by our wonderful school nurses.
After the day pupils have gone home, the boarders continue to have access to the school's many facilities during the evening. These include the swimming pool, the sports hall, fitness suites, the library, music practice rooms, IT facilities, and more. There is also a wide range of organised evening activities for the boarders; you can read more about these on the other pages about boarding.
