Belhaven Hill School

Why Board?

At Belhaven, we believe that children thrive in a warm and familiar environment. Happiness is key to the success of an all-round education.

Time spent with friends under the stewardship of our experienced boarding staff is not only great fun, it’s also fundamental to developing the emotional intelligence that produces resilient, responsible and caring young people.

Many of our younger children and some older children are day pupils who also benefit from our action-packed, holistic educational ethos and 24-hour, wrap-around care. You decide if and when you want your children to board during their Belhaven career.

Belhaven is one big family and generations of Belhavians will agree that the friendships made here at school are those that last a lifetime, and that it is boarding that truly confirms and accelerates that process.

You may be surprised to hear that the school’s food gets rave reviews from everyone (and our match teas are the envy of other schools!). The school’s kitchen provides a healthy, wholesome diet with lots of local produce, which even includes fruit and veg from our own kitchen garden!

The Benefits of Boarding

As we prepare our pupils for the challenges of life, and to go onto the top senior schools in the UK, we have identified several important areas where boarding offers significant benefits:

• Builds confidence and independence – boarding provides a transformational pastoral experience.
• Learning the value of teamwork, responsibility and empathy - contributing to a community.
• Broader, all-round curriculum - more time for sports, music and art.
• Breadth of opportunity – more time for activities and outings.
• Learn how to harness the positive elements of computing and robotics.
• More time to explore and nurture our core values of courtesy, courage and creativity.
• Time with friends – forging friendships that last a lifetime.

Why We Do ‘Fortnightly Boarding’ at Belhaven

We are now the only prep school in the north of the UK that offers full boarding with no ‘weekly’ or ‘flexi’ options. Belhaven follows this ‘fortnightly boarding’ model because we believe that this is in the best interests of the children: strong friendships and a familiar routine, delivered with a light touch, helps to foster good habits for life.

If your children want to board, Belhaven does offer a flexible approach which recognises that it may take some children longer to make the transition from day to boarding. We therefore offer a range of transition options that can be discussed with the Headmaster and house-parents, as and when appropriate.

The key features of Belhaven’s boarding model

• Fortnightly boarding – 11 nights in followed by a ‘weekend out’ – Friday 1pm to Monday 8.30am.
• Regular communication with parents, events at school and a family-friendly approach to decision-making.
• Lots of fun! Outdoor adventures and a range of activities that foster courage, creativity and courtesy.
• Taster boarding experiences – typically Thursday to Sunday mornings.
• Transition to boarding – a longer, phased approach to full boarding, arranged to suit individual family circumstances.
• An extensive, supportive boarding community: from Staff, Local families and across Scotland and England, to Military families and International families.