Watching the children blossom andflourish, building that close bond andassisting them in developing theirsocial skills,friendshipsand managingtheir independence is very rewarding‘work’! Being able to look after thechildren whilst they are away fromhome feels like an incredible privilege
Boarders live in family homes with their houseparents, the houseparent family and pets for a homely, close-knit experience.
Our Year 6, 7 and 8 children stay in single year group Houses and our Year 4 and 5 children stay in combined Junior Houses.
Flexi boarding is an option for modern families, enabling both flexibility and consistency. Flexi Dragons board regularly for between one and three nights per week.
Occasional is a relatively new boarding offering, enabling parents to book ad hoc nights where needed.
We’ve already received feedback from busy parents to say that it’s hugely helpful, and from children to say how much they love being able to participate in boarding life.
We try to keep things chilled and relaxed in Cherwell and my aim as houseparent is to keep everyone happy! We play board games, puzzles and Lego, watch movies, read books, garden, play whole house games (Cluedo, Hide and Seek, Sardines!), have weekly house events and bake. We also have a few in-house meals where everyone in house bonds and we try our best at the Times crossword. We take walks to Uni Parks and Summertown when we can. In summer, we’ll play in the garden and enjoy our outside space. We have plenty of boarding trips organised for the weekends and, as boarding life is really fulfilling and busy, we also make sure we take the time to relax, talk and share, or read a book.
It’s incredibly important to me that the girls know that they have a huge support system at the Dragon, both with boarding and non-boarding staff, and we really do provide a home-from-home experience.
Evenings and weekends are the perfect time for activities, adventures and exploration. Boarders make full use of the world-famous facilities and museums on our doorstep, with regular visits to Oxford city centre and University Parks. We often venture further afield, too: to Twickenham for Internationals, theme parks, paintballing, trips to the theatre and laser tag.
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