Our boarding programme offers our students the chance to succeed beyond the classroom. It does this not only by encouraging each one of our students to become independent, well rounded and confident beings but also by providing them with the supportive working environment that they need in order to achieve the grades they work towards during the school day. We ensure that each student that boards at Bromsgrove is given the opportunity to work to the best of their ability by offering them further support, encouragement and individual care and well being outside of school hours. We support their physical, social and emotional development and allow them to develop a sense of identity in a community through common practice and activity.
The School uses the British Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA) Standards to support our practices and procedures. We also share some boarding best practices with our sister school, Bromsgrove UK, which has its best level of quality and tradition. We regularly review these as a school and make changes in relations to developments in the UK and worldwide.
We offer three different boarding options to students aged 9-18. Details are given below:
Weekly Boarding
Weekly Boarding is very popular among Thai families. Our five day school week offers our students the opportunity to spend time in the week focusing and working towards success so that on a Friday afternoon, when they return home, they can spend quality time with their families. The advantage that this will help your child to be mature with the independence and confidence which boarding will give them and you, as the parents are able to watch them grow into young adults. Weekly boarding reduces the daily travel to and from the school allowing the students to have more time to learn and relax during the week rather than sitting in Bangkok traffic for perhaps up to 20 hours per week.
Full Boarding
Over half of the Boarding community at BIST are full boarders, who have moved to BIST from places all over the world including the UK, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Russia, South America, Europe and parts of Thailand. For full boarders, boarding at BIST becomes their home away from home and it provides them with opportunities to develop independence and rest and relax with their friends, whilst also taking part in weekend trips around Bangkok.
Flexi Boarding
Flexi Boarding provides opportunities for last minute and one off stays in Boarding. Many parents use this option throughout the term for last minute business trips, family emergencies or for their child to experience life in Boarding before moving to a weekly or full boarder. Other students chose to stay for school events and competitions, especially at weekends.
Boarding Facilities
We are proud to offer boarding facilities which are second to none and are continuously being updated, renovated and modernised to suit the needs of our students. Located on a thirty-six hole golf course with stunning panoramic views our boarders are able to take advantage of all that is offered to them. Space for them to work out of school hours, football pitches, swimming facilities, sports equipment and courts are all just at a glance from their windows in boarding houses. Our two modern and inviting boarding houses offer our boarders comfort and space to relax, work and spend time with friends.
We have two boarding houses, Tudor House and Windsor House, named after famous British Royal families. Students are encouraged to use all of the communal areas across both houses to rest and relax with their friends, play music, table tennis, table football or use the pool table.. We have three different lounges, which cater to the different needs of: Lower Boarders (Year 4 to Year 8), Upper Boarders (Years 9 to 11) and Sixth Form Boarders (Years 12 to 13). Within the lounges there are a range of board games, activities and books, as well as a large TV with True Vision Box, which students can enjoy with their friends.
Both houses have:
- Full wi-fi access
- Common areas for meeting, games, rest and relaxation
- Study rooms
- Common kitchen with hobs, oven, microwave and refrigerators
- Spacious bedroom accommodation organised into 2 beds (Sixth form) , 3 beds (Years 8 to 11) and 4 beds (Primary to Year 8)
- Ensuite shower rooms for Sixth Form Boarders
- Common toilet and shower rooms on each floor
- A secure and safe environment with CCTV, public address system, fire alarm
Students also have access to:
- Full supervised access to school facilities; library, ICT, Sports Hall, field, Performing Arts Centre, classrooms and Science labs
- Resident nurse and onsite medical centre
- Full catering and laundry services
- Residential Boarding staff on every floor
Academic Development
In Boarding, one of our key targets is to continue to develop the academic provision for our boarders.
We offer two streams of academic provision to all of our Boarding students: “Outstanding Academic Provision” and “Additional Programmes for Further Enrichment”.
Primary students (Year 4-6) receive an hour of Academic Development and an hour of Enrichment Monday to Thursday each week. During Academic Development, they work with a member of the Academic Team and a member of the Boarding Team to complete their work. They practise their spellings and complete their ELOs with the help and guidance of the staff around them. Primary students are supported with their reading, mathematics and science. The Enrichment programme is then designed to extend their thinking, provide them with different skills and develop their talents through themed activities of arts and crafts, sport, ICT and performing arts. Each Enrichment activity is led by one of our dedicated Boarding Assistants and a member of the Academic Team.
Secondary students (Year 7-11) receive an hour and fifteen minutes of Academic Development Monday to Thursday, in which all students (from Years 7 to 11) read for fifteen minutes, before spending an hour on their ELOs and ILTs. The groups use the library and ICT rooms so they have access to ICT equipment and academic resources throughout their evening studies.
For our Sixth Form students (Year 12-13), they work in their especially designed sixth form common room which they can use throughout the evening from 15:30 to 21:00. At the same time as the rest of the boarders, the Sixth Form students study and are supported in their subjects as well as receiving advice and guidance on personal statements, university applications and higher level essay writing skills.
Enrichment, Rest and Relaxation and Thursday Team Time
There are many activities for students to take part in during their Rest and Relaxation (R and R) time. From yoga, board games and daily use of the Sports Hall, to arts and crafts, STEM Club and lounges that have been specifically designed to cater for the needs of all of our students from Year 4 to Sixth Form.
Thursday Team Time is held every Thursday in which Boarding students from Primary to Year 11 participate in various sports, games and activities. These include:
Sports: Basketball, Football, Badminton, Volleyball
Team Games: Capture the Flag, Dodgeball, Scavenger Hunt, Charades
Arts and Music: Boarding’s Got Talent, Trashion Show, Lip Sync Competition, Dance Contests, Book design.
These activities provide students opportunities to work with their peers from different ages and across both houses, creating a real team spirit and a sense of belonging. We encourage our boarders to celebrate and share their home traditions. Each activity and event is designed to help boarders: develop their physical skills and abilities; improve their communication skills in English; learn key cooperative and teamwork skills such as planning, management, leadership and peer support. At BIST we pride ourselves on the range of activities available for students and how each of these contribute to the community spirit we foster in Boarding at BIST.
BIST boarding community and staffing
We currently consist of 12 nationalities of boarders. The boarding houses are each run by Housemistress and Housemaster who live in the respective houses and who act ‘in loco parentis’. They are also teachers in the day school so will have a thorough understanding of and provide the important link between day and boarding. They are assisted by a team which includes House Assistants, Liaisons and Graduate Gap staff. Boarding staff will also be supported throughout the evenings and weekend by day staff teachers who help students with their Academic Development or activities or attend trips. All Houses are very well staffed in accordance with the number of children in each House. The Headmaster and Head of Boarding, along with their families also live on site. Staff new to Bromsgrove are carefully inducted and trained; we follow close guidance from the Boarding Schools’ Association.