What is life really like as a boarder at Hatherop?

With all our boarders back in the castle , we thought it would be nice to take some time out and chat with one of them about what life is really like as a boarder at Hatherop.

So, how long have you been a boarder for?

I started boarding at the beginning of this term so I am quite new to boarding here. I started feeling a little homesick at the beginning but soon felt at home and I am really enjoying the weekend activities, they are great fun.

What sort of activities do you have at the weekend?

So this weekend, we had a visitor come and see us and we did some graffiti activities which was such fun! There is always a good variety of things at the weekend and always something for us to do.

Do most boarders stay for the weekend or does it depend on which activities are happening?

Well my room mate normally stays for the weekend activities with me as she lives in London so is a full boarder like me. We also have another full time boarder girl who lives in the Lake District. Others board because both parents are in the military so they also full time board.

So what made you choose Hatherop?

My sister always wanted to go to a boarding school and when we were all looking at schools she chose Hatherop so when I was old enough I started boarding too. She boards in the senior girls room though as she is in Prep 7. This is her room here.

Tell me a little more about your daily routines?

At the weekend we are woken up at 8.30am but during the week we are woken up at 7.10am, we need to get dressed and then we are allowed to go down for breakfast. After breakfast we come back up to our rooms and make our beds and get ourselves ready for the school day.

And what is the breakfast like?

It’s good, today we had sausages, bacon, beans and fruit and tomorrow we are having pancakes!

So what do you like most about boarding?

Hmm, I think it is probably the fact that I am never late for school! I really like that I can go straight from my room down to my classroom without having to worry about travelling to school.

When do you do your prep as a boarder?

We get our prep done with a teacher which is very helpful as they are there to support us if we get stuck on something. Then when we are finished, the seniors do their prep whilst we are all having showers. It’s nice to do it with the teachers as then we don’t have so much to do when we go home to see our families.

What happens here in the Snug?

So here we are able to chill out and relax when we have some free time. The phones are also kept here so we are able to call our parents in the evenings and chat to them when we want to.

So if you could ask Mr Reed for anything new for boarders what would it be?

Maybe some more storage in our room for all our clothes! The seniors have the higher beds with drawers underneath and so that would be great to have some more storage for all our things as we have quite a lot!