Boarding

At St Hugh’s, we take great satisfaction in offering a boarding environment that is nurturing and dynamic, that brings out the best in each child, and that offers the freedom to let each boarder and their family find the ideal balance between home and school life. 

Pupils at St Hugh's can choose between weekly and flexi boarding, and many parents use this flexibility to give their children boarding experience while still in prep school before moving on to their preferred senior school.

Mrs Sarah Warwick-Smith and her family live in the house, making it a home for themselves as well as the boys and girls in their care, instilling a family warmth and security that is distinct from the school environment. Breakfast, tea, and supper are all shared by the entire house family, which is an important and distinguishing feature of our pastoral care.

Our house's immersive, family-oriented environment helps pupils develop the ability to live harmoniously together, build friendships, wisdom, compassion for others, and become increasingly independent.

The house is a perfect combination of school and home, with house staff, matrons, teaching staff, and a plethora of supportive role models forming an extended community based on mutual care and support.

Above all, boarding at St Hugh's is enjoyable! Scavenger hunts, sports activities, Kinema visits, and seasonal trips, to name a few, are detailed on the school calendar, which is uploaded in advance on a termly basis.

Principles of Boarding

Boarding at St Hugh's aims to:

  • Encourage positive social interaction and empathy for others. 
  • Encourage cooperation among members of the boarding community. 
  • Increase each child's self-esteem and independence. 
  • Encourage improved personal organisational skills. 
  • Encourage a sense of personal worth so that all boarder residents feel valued members of the community. 
  • Encourage students to make and keep friends, as well as to understand the value and joy of friendship. 
  • Teach children to take care of their own health and hygiene. 
  • Instil a sense of accountability. 
  • Encourage others to respect themselves, their property, and the boarding community as a whole. 
  • Prepare boarders for Senior School boarding life.

Meet the Boarding House Team

Mrs Warwick-Smith
Head of Boarding

Mrs Warwick-Smith, as Head of Boarding, oversees the operation of the boarding house and is the primary point of contact for all boarding communications for parents. Mrs. Warwick-Smith lives in the main building with her husband, Grayson, and their two dogs, Lola and Reggie. She can be found on the sports field as a Games teacher or in the classroom teaching RE when she is not in the Boarding House.

Mr Smith
Resident Staff

Along with his wife, Mr Smith oversees the day-to-day operations of the Boarding House. Mr and Mrs Smith live in the main building with their son, Grayson, and two dogs, Lola and Reggie, as Houseparents. Mr Smith also serves as the school's Site Manager.

Miss Green
Matron

Miss Green is a registered nurse who works on-site during the day. Miss Green is in charge of all students' medical and pastoral care at St Hughs.

Mrs Ellicker-Campling
Deputy Matron

Mrs Ellicker-Campling is a registered nurse who is working on-site while Miss Green is away. Mrs Ellicker-Campling is in charge of all students' medical and pastoral care at St Hughs.

Mr Morrison
Resident Assistant

Mr Morrrison is one of our Resident Assistants, a gap year student, who helps to manage the Boarding House on a daily basis. He can also be found supporting our sports department.

Miss Williams
Resident Assistant

Miss Williams is one of our Resident Assistants, a gap year student, who helps to manage the Boarding House on a daily basis. She can also be found supporting our sports department.

Boarding House Activities

Upcoming activities and events can be found on the school calendar.

Feedback from Parents

We always love to receive feedback from the parents of our boarders. Here is just a small number of the comments we have recently received:

  • “St Hugh’s Boarding House is without a doubt home from home which was very important to us.”
  • “The atmosphere in the boarding is house is incredibly warm and welcoming. There are always activities each evening and the broad and well thought-out range on offer is pretty remarkable for a school the size of St Hugh’s."
  • "The children are encouraged to look out for one another, which creates an incredibly happy home from home. We cannot praise it highly enough!”
  • “The staff are both caring towards the children, and reassuring to parents that our children’s needs are being met."
  • "My son absolutely loves boarding at St Hugh’s and I feel very lucky that he has had such a positive experience. I have seen his independence and confidence grow since he became a full boarder.”
  • “St Hugh’s has been the perfect, happy, family environment for our son to learn the ways of boarding before going off to full board at his next school. I am so grateful that the school has fortified his confidence and independence whilst nurturing and ensuring that he is always happy.”
  • “Boarding at St Hugh’s allows that extra time to focus on prep and also socialise with friends in a wide range of activities on an evening which, I must add, are super.”
  • “Memories are certainly being captured here.”
  • "Mrs Warwick-Smith is so kind, caring, thoughtful, considerate and bags of fun for the children."
  • “Mrs W-S you are the BEST! Happiest kiddies I’ve ever seen!”