The boarding house is home to a vibrant community with pupils from all over the world.
The Boarding House is spread over the top three floors in the main Waterhouse building, so you never have far to walk to School. Rooms are airy, well decorated and well-liked by boarders. Each room has a bed, desk, chair and plenty of storage. Pupils in the Sixth Form benefit from having their own sink in their bedroom. All of the bathrooms are shared facilities, and each floor has its own. Kitchenette facilities are available should boarders want to make their own snacks after school, or at the weekend.
The common areas are central, comfortable and conducive to making friends. Activities in the evenings and weekend provide a good balance with academic study. There is never a dull moment as a boarder at St Margaret’s as there are a range of trips and visits planned throughout the year, such as heading into London to visit art galleries and museums, shopping trips, days out to theme parks, cultural experiences at castles, watching plays, or the opportunity to try new things such as go-karting or horse-riding.
We recognise that for some this will be their first experience of living away from the family home and we offer high levels of support and care to ensure it is a successful transition. There is a full induction programme to make students feel welcome, to buddy them up so that the transition is smooth and successful.
A good selection of healthy and nutritious food is available for boarders who are provided with three full meals each day. The catering department takes requests for the weekly ‘Takeaway Night’. There are also regular themed evenings for events such as Chinese New Year, Christmas, Persian New Year, make your own pizza and Pancake Day to name but a few. These all make life as a boarder fun.
One of the benefits of the Boarding House being situated in the Waterhouse Building is that boarders have access to the Library and classrooms where they can study outside school hours. Younger boarders enjoy participating in our mid-week activities programme. There is added peace of mind as our experienced boarding house staff are available to help the boarders 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
We offer flexi-boarding which is popular with students and beneficial to families. Many parents take up this service if they work away on business or when work commitments create pinch points. There is high take up in exam periods or around the time of the musical production or other key events which see later commitments in the evening.
A happy, thriving boarding house with a long tradition
Being in the Boarding House means that pupils can fully immerse themselves in their studies and the wider life of the School.
Life as a boarder at St Margaret’s provides pupils with a sense of community, alongside supportive pastoral care. Wonderful lifelong friendships are formed during their time in the Boarding House.
Our boarding staff are always on hand should any of the pupils feel that they need a chat. Ensuring our boarders are happy, comfortable and safe is at the forefront of priorities.
The convenience of being on the School site means that less time is spent travelling which enables our boarders to dedicate more time to their academic aspirations.
Every Saturday there is an outing on offer which is free of charge to all full boarders.
We visit a variety of different places ranging from fun days out at theme parks to cultural experiences at historical attractions such as Windsor Castle. Trips to local towns such as Oxford, Cambridge and Brighton often prove popular as these provide pupils with the opportunity to go shopping with friends.
We also provide opportunities throughout the year for the pupils to try taster sessions in different activities. In the past the boarders have tried horse riding, skiing, fencing, street dancing, climbing and go karting.
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