What's Life Like in a Private British Boarding School? | Leaving Home at 8 Years Old
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Published 2020-02-07
There is a cliché of boarding schools existing just so that rich distant parents can unburden themselves of their kids in search of less responsibility and a life of luxuries. Although this might be the true for some, like most clichés the reality for most cases is vastly different.
At Highfield Prep School in Hampshire, four new 8 year olds are about to find a new home that could shape the course of their whole lives. All coming from military families that are constantly on the move, every one of these girls parents decided that being in a stable environment as well as getting a top class education was the best way for them to grow up. But what kind of emotional strain does this put on both the homesick kids and their yearning parents.
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All Comments (21)
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They all HAVE to do after school activities everyday. “No chance to disappear off on your own too much” this is an introverts nightmare omg 😭
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There's something messed up about young kids having to comfort each other because mummy isn't there.
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I think 8-years-old is a bit young for boarding school. I didn't become a full time boarder until I was 15, and I absolutely loved it. But children that young really need their parents.
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Keep them busy 16 hours a day so that they don't have time to deal with their emotions. That's outstanding childcare!! These children are taught to normalise the trauma of being sent away by their parents.
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personally i would not want some random middle aged guy to be checking in on my daughter at night...
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any one else’s parents when they were younger go “stop misbehaving or i’ll send you to boarding school”😂😭
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My goodness, children are little for such a short period of time. How could a parent not want to be with their child each and every day? You will never get those precious years back. Those days when my kids were little, were the happiest days of my life, and ones I will always cherish.
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I remember as a child asking my dad if I could go to boarding school and his response was "no" I asked why? He said "why would we have children and pay someone else to raise them for us?" Now as a parent I can totally agree with him. Sending a child to boarding school for years on end seems very unnatural, what exactly is you're role as a parent if your kids are only with you a few weeks of the year? You have "elite" schools that kids can attend during the day and come home like normal school. I don't get it
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Aw the camera man trying to comfort the twins when they were left behind. I am glad he made an effort.
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I think the school needs an on-site psychologist to help the kids cope with homesickness and separation. Saying things like "keeping them busy and getting them tired" seems like really unhealthy coping mechanisms. It's not dealing with the issue but repressing them. Also, frankly, I think 8 years old is a tad too young to be sent away to boarding school. I don't think they're able to fully comprehend what's happening and why they're being sent away. They should probably wait until the kids are at least 12 years old; sit them down and have a talk; and then involve them in the process of transitioning to life in a boarding school.
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I love how the little girl comforting the homesick one in the beginning gave her a hug and pulled her away from the camera so it wouldn’t see her crying❤ that’s a true friend right there
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did anyone else find it super upsetting to see that when april’s mum couldn’t make it and lottie insisted she hang with her and her mum, that april kept trying to hug lottie’s mum and join in on group hugs, but lottie’s mum would either not extend her arm around april too or one time she even unwrapped aprils arms around her so she could only hug lottie. I understand she misses her daughter and wants to hug her, but if she’s so maternal surely she’d feel some duty to bring april in to and give her some sense of affection
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They should do a follow-up this year as its been 10 years since this came out where the kids and parents reflect on their experience.
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April's Dad has the emotional range of a teaspoon.
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April's mom puts her husband before her children . It was heartbreaking to watch how April clung to Lotties mom when she visited and was pushed away so many times before the woman grudgingly gave her a quick hug.
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I actually love the idea of boarding schools for teens but I don’t think pre teens and toddlers should live away from their mothers. This seems evil
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It broke my heart when April’s mum couldn’t come so she hugged lottys instead. 🥺🥺
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I went to a boarding school in the UK, and all I can say it's that sending them there from 8 is just not right. 16 is the minimum age I would suggest. Children need their parents more than they need anyone else.
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The mothers beating themselves up for being sad to be separated from their children is killing me. You are supposed to be sad when you are doing something so unnatural.
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Seeing the hurt expression on Miss King's face as she recalls feeling homesick everyday broke my heart. The pain she felt as a child is something that still affects her as an adult. And when she said her Mother never came, the feeling of abandonment for a child must have been soul crushing. I am sure some children adapt or learn coping methods, like Alex. Alex physically separates from his family to avoid being emotionally hurt. I don't see how that is healthy for children. Some children will thrive but there should be therapy and a psych evaluation for every child to check on their emotional health and decide if that environment is appropriate for each child.
