October half term trip to Sri Lanka
Guardianship, Students
Brand new half term trip to Sri Lanka for international students In October 2024 Academic Families launched a new destination to our half term trips,
There is so much more to boarding school life than learning in the classroom. Make the most of your experience by enrolling in everything you can, whether you've tried it before or not - you may discover a new passion or hidden talent!
With over 400 boarding schools in the UK, there is certainly a school for everyone. Some speciality schools have a focus on certain sports or areas of interest such as STEM, arts, drama, dance and much more.
Whatever you are looking to study in the UK, you can be sure there is a school here for you!
Attending boarding school gives you a chance to try different things, develop new skills and create lasting friendships.
You’ll also be expected to play an active role in the life of your house by taking part in inter-house competitions and in fun activities like music, sports and drama. With everything onsite and no travelling involved, you can use more of your spare time to try new activities and discover fresh talents!
School holidays or breaks are another opportunity to try an activity for the first time.
Several times throughout the year, we take students on escorted trips all over the world.
Whether it’s sightseeing at cultural or historic hotspots, volunteering at local charities, or participating in your favourite sport at a specialty camp, you can experience an unforgettable holiday.
Ask your parents to book your place as soon as a trip comes up – it’s easier to cancel a place than move up from the waiting list.
Some of our recent excursions include:
There have been some differences that I've experienced moving from a day school in Kenya to a boarding school in England. There are many more opportunities in the UK such as the ‘Duke of Edinburgh Award’ and ‘Round Square’ which I'm heavily involved in.
I'm a Round Square Captain and Leader of Democracy which means that I'm involved in things like Amnesty International and I get to meet all sorts of people. Yesterday we met Prince Edward who came to open our massive £5 million sports hall.
Those are the sorts of things that the school allows us to do... whereas in Kenya we had stuff like sports, music and art but on a smaller scale so it's nice to sort of push myself.
Tandia, 17 year old student from Kenya
Academic Families offers continuous support from the idea of going to boarding school in the UK to the day you graduate. Our local staff across the UK are on-hand 24 hours a day, 365 days a year so we can quickly fix problems such as getting stuck in the airport or even simply running out of cash while in town or on a school trip.
Whatever it is you need, we can take care of it!
Your UK boarding school will contact your guardian (Academic Families) if there is anything we can help with regarding your welfare, education and safety. After all, coming to live and study in the UK is most likely a new experience for you, so we want to make sure you settle in well both academically and culturally.
As your appointed guardian, Academic Families will visit you at least once every school term to hear about your social life and find out how you’re enjoying your time in your boarding house.
At least once a year, your school will have a Parents’ Meeting, which we can attend on behalf of your parents. We’ll also meet your teachers to discuss how you’re doing with your school work and with other activities like music and sport. We’ll then send a report to your parents, so they’ll know how everything is working out.
It's natural to have many questions about the exciting times that lie ahead. We are here to reassure you about the help that's always available to support your education adventures in the UK.
Message us via the Live Chat feature on our site or complete our enquiry form and one of our team members will contact you whenever you prefer.
Academic Families has personal and professional experience with boarding schools. Many of our staff attended boarding schools themselves when they were young or have worked in them. We have all lived overseas and most of us are mothers, so we understand how important it is to find the very best education for every child no matter where that might be in the world.
From our headquarters in Edinburgh to our local staff across the UK, our team regularly visits hundreds of British schools. Our excellent knowledge of the UK education system, accreditation by the Boarding School Association (BSA) and certification from the British Council means we understand UK boarding education from the inside and out, and know how to ensure the best education for each child.
In addition, our guardianship service has been Gold accredited by AEGIS (the Association for the Education and Guardianship of International Students) since 2016 and also by the BSA, so you know, with Academic Families, you're guaranteed to have the best local support anywhere in the UK.
Moreover, our team are trained MHFA Mental Health First Aiders so we are qualified to support our students with any wellbeing and mental health concerns.
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