Boarding is a very popular choice even for girls whose families live within commuting distance of the School. The boarding community plays a vital role in maintaining the vibrancy and pulse of the school and creates new opportunities for a wealth of cross-curricular links with others schools and organisations.
The girls have an active social calendar and enjoy many events from ‘getting to know you’ evenings to Highland Balls with our brother school, Merchiston. Boarders are also involved in many volunteering activities within the local community. A boarder at Kilgraston will experience a whole new world of social and cultural opportunities contributing to a broad new dimension to her Kilgraston education ‘experience’.
Pastoral help and advice day and night
Our boarding and pastoral care staff are friendly, approachable, sensitive and highly professional. They offer girls help and advice at any time of the day or night. They are also there to support the girls with their studies and work closely with each girl’s tutor to make sure she is getting the individual attention she deserves. Occasionally day girls wish to board for a night or two. This is not a problem. In fact, we are happy to encourage it. For further details please contact the Bursar.
The Junior Boarding House at Kilgraston School accommodates the youngest boarders from eight to twelve years of age. The youngest members live in Butterstone house and the older girls live in the Austin dorms.
Living within the main school means that the girls can enjoy the benefits of the whole school whilst still enjoying living within a family environment. The Boarding Mistress aims to create a home from home feeling within the boarding house and the Assistant Boarding Mistress also encourages the girls to utilize the many opportunities that Kilgraston has to offer.
Boarding at Kilgraston extends beyond the dorms to a world of social and cultural opportunities. The girls are encouraged to participate in a variety of evening and weekend activities. These activities can range from museum trips, to watching theatre shows or learning a new skill such as jewelry making. With two common rooms, equipped with televisions and DVD players, the girls are able to socialise on the weekends. The girls also have a kitchen, which allows them access to drinks and snacks and provides them with the opportunity to try their hand at baking and cooking.
Junior boarding offers many advantages for parents and pupils. For families with busy schedules and careers, junior boarding offers stability and the chance for children to develop their skills and take up the many opportunities and extra-curricular activities offered. This means that pupils can stay later at their music lesson or have that extra riding lesson without causing disruption. Having experienced staff means that pupils are constantly supported emotionally and academically. It also means that their needs are closely monitored to ensure that they are reaching their full potential. Staff members are also experienced in providing academic support. In Junior boarding, there is a structured routine of homework and close supervision is given, helping pupils excel with their academic work.
Junior boarding prepares children for their senior school careers, making them more independent and creative. At Kilgraston School, junior boarding provides a safe and happy place in which pupils can thrive and develop within a supportive environment. The transition from junior to senior boarding is eased by the links both staff and pupils have with both houses. The girls are encouraged to integrate with other year groups and attend trips onsite and off-site together. The girls are guided throughout this transition and towards the end of junior boarding are given more responsibilities. Throughout their time in junior boarding the pupils learn important key skills including, respect for others, kindness and teamwork. The girls learn to be adaptable and supportive with others and the pupils grow and develop and become ready for senior school.
At 13, most girls are given their own study bedroom in ‘Mater’, the Senior house, allowing them their own space to think, read, study or just enjoy time to themselves. At weekends, activities on offer include cultural trips, outdoor activities and social events. These ensure that Senior School boarders are kept busy having fun and enjoying new experiences.
The clubs and activities programme is diverse and includes activities from theatre trips to dog sledding! These provide a great opportunity for integration and camaraderie between boarders of all ages.
Wireless internet access, monitored, as well as filtered, is provided throughout all residential areas of the school. This gives girls the opportunity to keep in touch not only with friends and family during term time but also to make use of a wealth of information and debate related to their academic and co-curricular activities.
Boarding houses at Kilgraston are attached to the main school. This is a major plus giving girls access to all of the school facilities; musicians can practise at any time and artists have free access to their artwork during evenings and weekends.
As they prepare for their Higher and Advanced Higher examinations, our sixth form girls are offered a variety of study options. This could be quietly in their own rooms, with support in the communal study areas or working together in small groups much as they would at university.
The Sixth Form has its own boarding houses where each girl has her own room in which she can study, listen to music or just enjoy chatting with friends. Boarding is a great way to learn about new cultures; we currently have students from South America, Asia and Europe. This makes boarding a truly international experience and the cosmopolitan thinking this generates is a hugely positive experience both academically and socially.
Our Sixth Form boarding houses – called ‘Barat’ and ‘Swinton’ – are named after two pivotal women in the field of education. Sister Swinton was Headmistress of Kilgraston from 1954 to 1974 during which time she influenced and guided many of our young women. Saint Madeline Sophie Barat was the founder of the Society of the Sacred Heart and dedicated her life to the education of young women. Her Sacred Heart Schools were established to promote serious and thoughtful study, to cultivate the mind and to create young women who would perform good deeds in God’s name.
Living away from home encourages teamwork and self-responsibility and in a boarding community, students learn the need for compromise and co-operation. Boarding is therefore an excellent ‘stepping stone’ to university and independent living. Residential staff are always available to talk if pupils have any concerns, and a sense of reassurance, security and support is tangible throughout the entire boarding community.
We have a shared kitchen where Sixth Formers can prepare snacks and hot drinks and of course their own common room, Scotties, complete with wide screen TV, pool table and comfy chairs. At weekends, the Sixth Form use Scotties to host the Sixth Form social events. Girls love the warm and friendly atmosphere of the Sixth Form areas; a ‘home away from home’. Kilgraston has a strong sense of ‘family’ across the year groups, and when the Sixth Formers get together with the lower school, it is not clear who enjoys it more!
There is a full programme of weekend and evening activities for the boarders to take part and get involved in. They get out and about to plays, films and restaurants; there are regular social events – from discos to debates with local schools.
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