Horizontal and Vertical Boarding

Horizontal and Vertical boarding

There is no doubt about it – trying to choose the perfect boarding school for your child is hard.

• Should we choose a co-ed school or a single sex school?
• How about IB or A Level?
• What about a school in the country or one in the city?

Decisions, decisions!

When you come across terminology that sounds like it belongs in a Maths exam, the choice can be even harder.

Below are two basic terms to start off with which describe how boarding houses are organised.

Horizontal Boarding

This is when a boarding house caters for students who are all in the same year group.

Advantages

• Students bond as a year group and develop lifelong friends.
• House staff can focus and cater to the specific needs of an age group.
• Boarding house can have facilities appropriate for that year group.

Disadvantages

• Students need to move boarding house each year and therefore have to form new relationships with the new boarding staff and get used to new house routines.
• There is a risk of constant comparison of performance between students of the same age group.
• Shy students may find it hard to speak up in fear of being embarrassed by their peers.

Vertical Boarding

Vertical Boarding is when a boarding house caters for students from different year groups.

Advantages

• Older students support younger students and can become friends and mentors.
• Younger students can learn from older students.
• Boarding staff can closely monitor how a student develops academically and personally throughout their years in the house.

Disadvantages

• It can restrict the number of friends a student can have from their own year group.
• The boarding house needs facilities to cater for a variety of ages.

How do I choose between the two boarding styles?

Many schools have a mix of both Horizontal and Vertical Boarding, offering horizontal for younger boarders (for example, in the Prep years – ages 8 to 13) and again for Sixth Form (ages 16-18). And then they switch to Vertical Boarding from ages 13-16.

For more advice on which boarding style and school will best suit your child, talk to our Admissions team who will discuss all the pros and cons.

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This article appears in the following categories  Boarding School Life, FAQs & Resources, School Admissions