Boarding

The college enjoys an outstanding reputation for its pastoral care. The whole community is seen as an extended family and all relationships are modelled on that. Every student is cared for by both a houseparent and a tutor. Each student has a personal tutor with whom they have weekly meetings to discuss every aspect of their life at school and beyond. In addition to the boarding houses each student is placed into one of three competitive houses named after the local castles – Hopton, Stokesay and Wigmore. There are many events throughout the year where these vertical houses compete: on the sports field, on stage, in debates and more. A healthy sense of rivalry is encouraged!

Each of the four boarding houses is cared for by resident houseparents, all of whom have families of their own and provide an outstanding level of care for their charges. They are all staff with other roles in the college; mostly they are teachers as well as houseparents so get to know their charges very well. Non-resident house tutors assist in the running of the houses. Indeed, the majority of the academic staff is either a resident or non-resident house tutor. They help with the supervision of prep (homework); it is very useful for our students to have a subject specialist on hand during this time.

Education is a partnership between parents and school. At Bedstone, the staff, students and parents know each other very well, and the Headmaster, Deputy Headmasters, houseparents and tutors are always available for consultation. We are only ever a telephone call away.

The single-sex boarding houses cater for a small range of year groups, arranged according to the different stages of a child’s development. We offer flexible boarding to suit the needs of your child and family, including weekly boarding.  The boarding houses are comfortable, well-equipped and homely. They are cleaned daily, and also enjoy a daily laundry service. There is a mixture of small dormitories and study bedrooms depending upon the age of the students and the geography of the individual house. Each house has its own common room with television and DVD, and a kitchenette so that snacks can be made when feeling peckish.  All houses have wi-fi internet access allowing students to communicate with friends and family as well as undertake necessary research. All college wi-fi is silently monitored by computer software and wi-fi access is disabled overnight at times that depend upon the age group within the boarding house.

Boarding Handbook 2023