Boarding
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Boarding at Malvern St James
Boarding at MSJ can be flexi (1-3 nights per week), weekly or full boarding.MSJ is known for its warm welcome and its award-winning pastoral care. The housemistress and house staff teams in each of our boarding houses will always go the extra mile to support each girl in their care.Living in a boarding house gives girls a global perspective and friends for life.Boarders currently come from around 20 different countries. Whether the girls are international or live relatively locally, boarding allows them to really integrate into school life and participate in all the many extracurricular activities on offer at MSJ.
Boarding at Malvern St James
Benhams - Years 3-9
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Benhams consists of Benhams Junior (Year 3-7) and Benhams Senior (Year 8-9). It is our most recently refurbished boarding house, conveniently located next door to School and just across the road from MSJ’s Sports & Fitness Centre. With a large garden, common room and kitchen facilities, as well as a mixture of single rooms and double occupancy rooms, independence is fostered in Benhams within a happy, friendly and caring atmosphere
Our youngest Benhams boarders get plenty of extra support to help them to settle into boarding life and there is a real relaxed and informal ‘home from home’ atmosphere in this House in particular. There are lots of fun activities with our excellent House staff team, from film nights, to bake-offs, outdoor play in our lovely private garden and weekend activities such as watersports, teambuilding, visits to the Safari Park and the cinema.
Austen - Years 10-11
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Austen spans the upper floors of the main School building, with beautiful panoramic views across the Malvern Hills. Austen boarders enjoy cosy rooms, magnificent views, and most importantly, a commute to School that doesn’t involve getting wet when it rains!
Pupils are able to make excellent use of School facilities in the evenings with the Library, Sixth Form Centre, Art Studios and Gym all open until late.
Poulton - Year 12 (Age 16–17)
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Located on the top two floors of the main school building, Poulton boarders enjoy cosy bedrooms and common rooms and have fantastic views across the Malvern Hills. Year 12 girls are encouraged to be independent which prepares them for University life.
They will have opportunities to learn how to cook and are also expected to do their own laundry and keep the House tidy. The relaxing home-from-home environment ensures girls enjoy their first year in MSJ Sixth Form with a listening ear and clear guidance from the housemistress team.
Greenslade - Year 13 (Age 17–18)
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Greenslade is a transition to university house for Year 13 boarders, assisting them in becoming more independent and ready for life after school. Each girl has her own bedroom.
There are also a range of welcoming communal areas. Girls develop their independence through through choosing to cook for themselves, managing their time effectively and can go further afield with their friends in the evenings and at the weekend.
Explore your Boarding Options
Weekly
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Weekly boarding is a very popular and practical option for parents and pupils who want the best of boarding school benefits along with family life at home. Girls get to socialise, participate in all enrichment studies and sports/drama/music practice, as well as get their homework done before coming home to enjoy quality family time at the weekend. Click here to read Dr Lloyd’s paper on ‘Why Weekly Board?’
Flexi
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Many families with daughters in Year 3 upwards find flexi-boarding a great option. Some girls who come from slightly further afield, perhaps Oxfordshire, The Cotswolds, or Staffordshire, take advantage of one to three nights flexi-boarding a week. This allows girls the chance to engage with evening activities, whether academic or social and allows for a slightly later wake up call in the morning. Day girls are each given two nights boarding per term at no additional cost so every girl can take advantage of boarding life at Malvern St James.
Full
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Weekly boarding is a very popular and practical option for parents and pupils who want the best of boarding school benefits along with family life at home. Girls get to socialise, participate in all enrichment studies and sports/drama/music practice, as well as get their homework done before coming home to enjoy quality family time at the weekend.
- Weekly boarding has been growing fast as parents and pupils realise the advantages for the whole family of splitting the week into focused family and work time.
- Weekly boarders arrive at school on Monday morning and go home on Friday evenings.
- For parents it means that during the working week, they can be fully present in business mode, and at the weekend, they can be fully present for family and spending undistracted quality time together. This can help minimise that familiar frazzled feeling that can start to engulf us as we try to juggle the competing needs of modern life.
- Then there are the economics: whilst there is, of course, a cost for weekly boarding, it minimises some of the other household bills including petrol, food, utilities, and the unquantifiable lost hours of productivity, overseeing homework, dropping off and picking up, making nutritious meals, being a chauffeur service, and so on … any parent knows how this adds up. According to MoneyFarm, the financial planning website, the cost of basics for a teenager living at home (food, heat, lighting, electrical and travel) is £748 per month. This excludes additional costs like entertainment, and childcare/babysitting which will still be required for young teens.
- For girls, weekly boarding means that they can take ownership of their working week, using the time to balance academic, enrichment and social interests. How they do this will depend on their age, but for all of them it gives a greater degree of independence and satisfaction.
- For younger girls, this means that prep (homework time) will be supervised with an adult who will be able to help them academically, and encourage them to use their time effectively. This will be followed by plenty of time playing games or an activity such as baking or crafting, having dinner together and fun socials like karaoke.
- Older girls get plenty of time to make the best use of study facilities including the Library which is open till 9pm every weeknight, and the gym (also open till 9pm), as well as being able to work collaboratively on projects with friends, join in evening enrichment activities like Enterprise, debating, or academic lectures and Somerville Suppers, as well as just being able to spend downtime with friends, shooting the breeze and dreaming of the future (it’s surprising how many good ideas and ambitions are formulated this way!).
- For girls who have team commitments like sport, drama or music where individual and group practice are important – whether this is for fun or for GCSE or A Level qualification – being able to have this extra time can be a game-changer. And for parents, it removes the need to plan late pick-ups from school: a win-win for all concerned.
- Friendships flourish in the boarding environment: girls get to know each other better and form bonds with their own peer group, as well as being mentors for younger girls and being mentored by the older ones. This sisterhood concept is what all-girls’ is really about – making everyone feel that they belong, that they are valued, and that they all have something unique and significant to offer.
- Spending time outside of school with friends face-to-face, rather than via messaging apps such as TikTok, FaceTime, BeReal etc is also a really important part of growing in social confidence in an age when more and more children are showing anxiety around real-life personal interaction.
- For busy parents, weekly boarding allows a more balanced working week, where they can spend time before or after the office focused on their wellbeing and health, whether that means hitting the gym, laying out their yoga mat, or nurturing friendships. Create the space for your resolutions to really happen: most of us acknowledge that we parent more effectively when we get time to meet our own needs as well as everybody else’s.
- At MSJ, girls can board from Year 3 upwards and we pride ourselves on being a home from home. Our boarding team are tip-top from our boarding graduates (recent university leavers who bring lots of fun, energy and the ability to help with academic studies), to our very experienced Housemistress and House staff team who are experts in helping teenage girls navigate all aspects of life with patience, good humour, and wisdom. You can rest assured that your daughters are in the best possible hands.
Can I use my phone at school?
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Yes and no! In the school day from when you arrive in school for breakfast ( 07:30) to the end of supper ( 19:00) you’re not allowed to use your phone. Younger boarders don’t even bring their phones into school but leave them safely in the boarding house. This is better for everyone since we find that pupils talk to each other and get on much better.
We know that you want to keep contact with home so many boarders call parents before breakfast or after supper. Phones are handed in before bedtime for everyone in Year 10 and below. It’s more relaxed at weekends.
Who will look after me in the boarding Houses?
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The boarding houses are run by a team including your Housemistress, Deputy Housemistress and a Graduate Boarding Tutor. There will always be staff in the House with you day and night. They live in the boarding houses and are always there to help.
How many people will be in my dorm?
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The different boarding Houses all have a range of accommodation from single dorms up to dorms for four boarders. We change dorms each term so you will get a chance to be in both larger and smaller rooms. By the time boarders get into Sixth Form all full boarders have will have single rooms for the duration of their time.
What time do we wake up in the morning?
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All boarders, except for those in Sixth Form, are woken up at 7am, during the week, so they have time to get ready for the day and have breakfast before going into school. Sixth Formers are expected to get themselves up independently and are checked in at breakfast.
What do I do in the evenings?
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There are a range of things going on in the evenings, with boarders having time to do prep and participate in activities as well as having time to unwind, spend time with friends, call family back home and get ready for bed.
What happens at the weekends?
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In boarding we love weekends. We have a bit more time to sleep in and then have a lot of time to unwind and have fun. Saturdays are for sports, trips into town and movie nights. On Sundays we have boarding trips which you sign up for at the beginning of term.
What happens if I feel sick?
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At MSJ we have a Health Centre that will look after you when you are feeling unwell. They have rooms for you to stay in and are staffed 24/7 with Health Care professionals. We have a school doctor with who you can make an appointment if necessary.
Where do we eat and what is the food like?
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Food at MSJ is delicious and there are so many choices you can always find something to eat. Boarders take all their meals in the main Alice Dining Room together. In Year 13, boarders have a little more freedom to cook for themselves in the evenings and can have breakfast in-house. All the boarding houses also have kitchens where you can make yourself snacks and have a supply of drinks, breads, spreads, cereals and fruit for you.
What are the laundry arrangements?
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MSJ has a school laundry which will do your laundry for you. Additionally, all the Houses have washing machines for you to use if you like. All boarders in the Sixth Form are expected to wash their own clothes, which is excellent preparation for life beyond MSJ.
