Boarding by Boarders

WELCOME FROM OUR BOARDING CAPTAIN:

Hello Everybody,

My name is Adaeze Onii- Egbunine, I am in the Upper Sixth and I am the Boarding Captain (2008-2009). Having arrived into the Sixth Form in September 2007, there is no other way of describing Ashford School’s boarding house other than ‘a home away from home’. Settling in was not a problem for me as everybody was very keen on meeting new people from different cultures and with different backgrounds. A system which will help you settle in even quicker than you expected is that in which an old boarder is assigned to you. He or she is known as your big sister or big brother and they are always there to direct you, help you out with various issues including school work and they are also there to talk to in case you find it difficult to talk to the members of staff who are always ready to listen to you and help you out.

Apart from settling in and making new friends, there are so many activities for you to partake in. Are you an excellent swimmer and intend to improve your swimming skills or are you just a beginner looking to get better at it? The swimming pool is always open for you. It is run by members of the boarding staff on particular evenings and is always incredibly fun. Are you the type that wants to keep fit and healthy? The gym is there for you to use anytime, as long as you get a member of the boarding staff to accompany you. If you love theme parks, rides and outings, then you will be fascinated by the various weekend trips to different parks and places of attractions in the UK such as Thorpe Park and a lot more.

There are other activities organised by boarders and this gives you a chance to get involved, i.e. discos, the Halloween party, the Christmas party and the International Evening. Most importantly, the boarding house provides a very conducive environment for study, this might be in the comfort of your own room or in the relaxing common rooms which will give you a chance to work with others. Apart from myself and the other boarders, you have the house captains, Richard, Kim and Minjae who will assist you in any way that they can. Ashford School’s boarding house is an experience and one which you should certainly have.

We all look forward to seeing you and we will be waiting with our arms wide open to receive you.  Best wishes and good luck to you all!

Adaeze Onii- Egbunine (Nigeria)
Boarding Captain, Year 13

THOUGHTS FROM SOME OF OUR YOUNGEST BOARDERS

This is my first year boarding and it's really nice.

You always do nice things. Sometimes you go swimming or you can rent a movie. In the weekend on a Saturday you can always go on a trip, sometimes to theme parks like Chessington, or you go to the cinema to see the latest films like Mama Mia and James Bond, or you can go ice skating. And on a Sunday you can do what you want, go into town or whatever you want to do! It's just a lot of fun to do.

The first few days are always a bit scary but you get used to it and now I'm really enjoying it!

Esmee, (Holland)
Year 7

I like the boarding house because we have a really good Captain, Richard, and we can do a lot of stuff like playing on the computer or going into town. Our boarding Head, Mrs Evans, is really nice and I think everybody likes her because she provides so much fun! Mr Atkinson is very nice as well and Mr Munteanu is very nice as he lets me play football any time as he is good at football. So, I like my boarding house and I think everyone will because it's so good!

Nikita, (Russia)
Year 8

MY FIRST TERM BOARDING AT ASHFORD:

I think that boarding is really good. At first I thought that it was going to be quite bad but now I find it really fun because I know a lot of the people in the boarding house.

The boarding staff are really friendly and they are very nice to us, except they always tell us to go to bed early. And if you get bored at weekends there are always activities like football and swimming or going out to visit places. Overall I like boarding at Ashford.

Sebastian (America)
Year 10

My name is Rachel. I come from China and I am in the Lower Sixth. I live in Brabourne. I love this house; people are very friendly and staff are very helpful and nice. And the kitchens are very useful too, sometimes I cook food with my friends which is quite fun. The common room is big and the decoration reminds me of home. I like it.

Rachel (China)
Year 12

'From all five continents, children come here where their school is part of the community of Ashford, in the beautiful county of Kent, which is its home. Here its pupils, in a school which makes no distinction of creed or race, have had the opportunity of learning the difficult business of growing up and the art of living.'

(H. E. Bates on the occasion of the School's Golden Jubilee in 1948)