It can be a daunting prospect moving, often halfway around the world, to a new place, new school, full of new people. We can promise a HUGE welcome and it will not be long before we are a ‘second’ family. We are extremely proud of the pastoral care we offer to each one of our students.
Our lively boarding community lies at the heart of Cobham Hall. British and international students from around the world can live, work and socialise together, sharing all aspects of school and Boarding House life. The rich cultural diversity that our students from over 30 different countries bring to our community is a cause for celebration.
Young people leave Cobham Hall confident in their ability to communicate readily and easily with those from different cultures and backgrounds and to take their place in an interconnected, globalised world.
There are a wide variety of activities during the week and at weekends and we always encourage new suggestions from our students. On Saturdays, activities range from baking, pampering and ice skating to an annual trip to the Pantomime. On Sundays, there are trips to London, Brighton, Thorpe Park, panic rooms, paintballing and go-karting. There are also more sedate activities such as shopping in nearby Bluewater and Stratford. We work hard to ensure that there is something on the menu for everybody.
We like to keep our Boarders busy and our Houseparents work with the students to plan a variety of activities. That might be an afternoon of baking, a relaxing film night (complete with popcorn and hot chocolate naturally!), or an adrenaline-filled theme park outing.
Houseparents take into account what’s happening in school. So, if examinations are looming, more time is mind for relaxing activities to allow time to unwind. These may range from the simple joy of staying in school to bake and share homemade pizza or biscuits or taking a walk to the nearby village for some fresh air and exercise.
During the year, there are evening outings during the week. Boarders often make suggestions for these, with popular trips including tobogganing, bowling, the cinema, restaurants and dessert bars. There is an escorted trip almost every weekend, which is compulsory for full boarders in Years 7 to 10.
Weekend trips tend to be further afield, for example to theme parks, the seaside or the many and varied attractions offered in London. Every so often, Boarders will also have a ‘Chill Out’ Sunday, introduced at their request, to just have some unstructured time to relax and unwind.
Those in Years 11 to 13 can choose which trips they attend. With their parents’ permission, Boarders in Year 11 can go to local towns and Bluewater Shopping Centre on Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays. Boarders in Years 12 and 13 can go to Bluewater Shopping Centre and local towns any day after school (returning before the beginning of Prep) and can also go to London at the weekend with their parents’ permission.
On Friday evenings there are activities planned by our elected Head of House and the Boarders. These have included Games nights, Quiz nights, Ten Pin Bowling, Summer BBQs, and an International dining nights, when students have cooked and shared dishes from their home country.
Our Houseparents are always keen to make the life in Boarding as homely as possible, and so birthdays are celebrated with the birthday Boarder’s cake of choice – these have included cakes made from fruit as well as the usual sponge cakes! National holidays are also celebrated whenever possible.
The Summer Term sees our annual Year 7 Boarding Week, when all Year 7 Day Students are invited to join the Boarding Community for the whole week and experience life as a Boarder. They get to take part in all the trips and activities, as well as a few extra events – such as paintballing on South Lawn!
Boarders appreciate what it means to be part of a highly supportive community and actively encourage each other to achieve their potential. Living and growing together, our students understand how their actions affect others; they learn to be considerate and tolerant of different views as well as resilient to the challenges that life and learning can bring.
Our students mix easily across year groups and friendships blossom continually. Day students are often found visiting their friends in the boarding houses and are always welcome to join us – for breakfast or supper, but also on our outings. If they flexi-board, day students easily slip into life in the boarding house and our students join together to create a strong, closely-knit community, looking out for and supporting each other. There is always somebody to turn to when the going gets tough; a fellow pupil, a member of staff, a student leader, amongst others. We know time with us in our happy boarding community will be hugely fulfilling and rewarding.
Please do browse the Boarding section of the website to find out more about our friendly Houseparents, as well as life in Boarding. If you have any questions or would like to know more, please do contact us.
We are proud of the closeness of our Boarding community, and the Houseparents will often hear of holidays spent with each other’s families in home countries. It’s the cultural diversity and richness that makes our boarding houses a rich, varied place to live – one week the students may be celebrating Nigerian Independence Day, another enjoying Thanksgiving Dinner.
The welcoming atmosphere in the boarding houses mean day students can flexi-board and slip easily into life in the boarding houses. We offer full, weekly and flexi-boarding, to provide the ultimate flexibility for families. Whether that’s a single overnight stay due to a trip, rehearsal or a school event, or even because your child just wants time with their friends, or if you need a longer-term solution while you move to a new house, or if you have to go away for work. Weekly Boarding is available as a short or longer-term option to fit around your Boarding needs.
Found at the end of a winding drive and opposite the Tennis Courts, Bligh House is home for Years 7 to 11. There are spacious bedrooms, a kitchen and dining area, and a large common room; the perfect place to watch a film or to curl up on the sofas in front of the wood burner. The House computers enable access to Skype and the large garden provides outdoor areas for use when the weather allows.
Brooke House, next door to Bligh House, is home to girls in our Sixth Form. Some Year 13 Boarders may have an en-suite bedroom, and all Sixth Form Boarders benefit from a spacious, comfortable Common Room. Girls will meet here and chat over breakfast before school or discuss their day over supper in the evenings.
There is a separate boarding house for boys in the main hall, with its own kitchen and comfortable common room – the perfect place to watch a film or play games.
Students in Sixth Form are permitted to cook their supper and will often cook for each other. Occasionally, they’ll tuck into homemade pizzas or enjoy a takeaway. Sixth Form boarders are granted more privileges, all designed to promote characteristics required to live in a larger community, to be thoughtful and considerate to housemates, whilst gaining more independence. It’s the perfect preparation for life at university whilst still under the guidance of caring Houseparents.
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