Boarding at Kent College aratory & Senior School
Kent College is a vibrant and exciting place with a strong sense of community and superb pastoral care. Boarding is central to the school s life and Christian ethos and is one of our great strengths. We are very fortunate to have such a close-knit boarding community at the heart of our school. Girls are able to be full or weekly boarders. We also have a very popular flexi-boarding community for day pupils which our parents find to be an invaluable service and which embodies the 24/7 life of the school. Girls thrive in the beautiful, rural grounds with outstanding care in a nurturing environment. We believe that the family atmosphere present in the boarding houses has an extremely positive effect on all of the girls and staff here. At Kent College, we encourage our boarders to appreciate the values of a community life. It engenders team spirit, helps girls learn to accept each other s failings and to support each other in times of difficulty. Boarders at Kent College learn to respect their own and other people s property, the importance of being kind and courteous and taking responsibility for one s own actions. The spiritual development of our boarders is also an important part of our ethos; in an increasingly individualistic world, these qualities stand our boarders in good stead. Your setting is exceptional and significant elements of your work are exemplary. Boarding has a high priority within the school. Recent changes in staffing and reorganisation of the boarding houses, has resulted in clear leadership and a knowledgeable, experienced staff team.
The Kent College Boarding Houses Boarding Houses At Kent College there are two Boarding Houses; James & Osborn is for older girls in Years 10- Upper Sixth, whilst Hawkwell & Hargreaves is for younger girls in Years 4-9. Each house has its own Senior Housemistress and assisting team of staff. Usually Upper Sixth Formers each have their own room, while Lower Sixth room in twins. Girls from the other older years tend to share in triples. The youngest boarders are in bedrooms for three or four girls and have great fun together. Boarding House Staff Any one boarder has up to four members of staff working with them and this gives every girl a choice of adults to turn to. It also means that our dedicated boarding staff have an excellent knowledge and understanding of the girls. Shared responsibility means that there will always be at least one or two members of staff in each house during the evenings, which also means flexibility for one-to-one discussion and extra activities. One Housemistress has overall responsibility for either Junior or Senior boarders, ensuring that information from within or outside the school is shared appropriately. Significantly, the majority of boarding staff are also teaching staff and teach a variety of subjects from Classics, to Mathematics, English, Drama and PE. This strengthens the links between academic and pastoral provision and provides a balance of skills across each House team. Boarding staff maintain a strong level of consistency across both boarding houses and all girls are party to the same rules and regulations, helping them to know where they stand and that staff will be fair.
The Kent College Boarding Houses Hawkwell & Hargreaves Junior Boarding Staff Hawkwell & Hargreaves is family run by Mrs Sarah Krushandl, who lives in the boarding house with her husband who teaches maths support lessons and her three daughters (two of whom are in the School and one in Year 7). Sarah is assisted by Assistant Housemistress Mrs Rebecca Leach (Becky) who is a maths teacher and has a passion for the great outdoors. Miss Jo Hall assists the Junior Boarding House as Residential House Tutor and is also a member of the PE department. Sarah is also supported by nonresidential House Tutor Miss Carly Hudson, who is a teaching assistant in the School. The family atmosphere makes the Junior Boarding house L-R: Sarah Krushandl, Rebecca Leach & a safe and caring place where all girls complete their prep Jo Hall under the guidance of house staff and then can relax, chat with friends and participate in activities such as baking, swimming and games. James & Osborn Senior Boarding Staff James & Osborn, the Senior Boarding House is run by Housemistress Miss Gilly Thorpe who teaches Drama and Theatre Studies and runs the School s popular Saturday Theatre Academy. Miss Thorpe is assisted by Assistant Housemistresses Mrs Iris Stafford and House Tutors Miss Elizabeth Hayes who teaches Classics, and non-residential House Tutors Miss Amy Jones, who teaches PE, and Mr John Watson, who teaches Science. James and Osborn offers the girls a more studious environment, as all girls are studying towards public exams. The house is well equipped for such study, with each girl having their own desk and study area. L-R: Gilly Thorpe, Iris Stafford & Elizabeth Hayes. Both houses are assisted by Mrs Trina Birch, our non-residental Assistant Housemistress. Together all staff work hard to ensure that all girls have a very positive experience of boarding.
The Kent College Boarding Houses Flexi-boarding As the name suggests, flexi-boarding is all about providing flexibility and this low cost service is increasingly popular with our day pupils. Often the service is used because a girl has an activity after school, fixtures on a Saturday, or for parents who have work commitments or a social engagement. Flexi-boarding enables girls to enjoy the comforts of home whilst staying with friends in school. Flexi-boarding is offered from Year 4 and pupils who use the service join either boarding house depending on their age. All are welcomed into the boarding community by both staff and girls alike. I think that flexi-boarding is really good because I have made lots of friends and it is really nice actually being at school but feeling that you are at home as well. It s a great balance. Year 8 Flexi-boarder Flexi-boarding is great because you feel like you have so much more time in the evenings. The rooms look lovely, the beds are very comfy and there s always plenty to do. You even get a super breakfast! Year 9 Flexi-boarder Flexi-boarding taster days for new pupils are held throughout the school year. Girls can flexiboard from one night up to 3 nights at a time. At 45.00 per night this includes dinner and breakfast. The main dining hall provides cooked breakfasts and a wide choice of hot and cold dishes with a salad bar at lunchtimes and in the evenings. Parents wishing their daughter to flexi-board in Hawkwell & Hargreaves should either contact Sarah Krushandl on 07760 615334 or via email: handh@kentcollege.kent.sch.uk for availability and booking. For Senior flexi-boarding please contact James and Osborn on 01892 822006 or via email jando@kentcollege.kent.sch.uk We ask that when booking, at least one week s advance notice should be given.
An International Community Our boarders come from the UK, from British Services families, expatriate families and from other nations. Our core aim is to maintain a good balance of British and overseas boarders in the houses and teaching groups. We are a small, global community learning to respect and understand each other. We maintain a good balance of boarders living within and outside of the EU, and provide excellent integration for all new pupils and especially for those who are from overseas. Activities, inductions and a constant sense of community encourages new boarders to meet one another and to quickly feel part of the Kent College boarding community. To celebrate our international community our boarders hold an annual International Evening which is the highlight of our calendar. This is an opportunity for the girls to celebrate their own cultures through dance, drama and song. The evening is concluded with the ever competitive inter-house song.
Boarding Life Most girls are full boarders who stay at weekends, whilst a number of local girls go home on Friday evenings. At the weekend and during the week after lessons, there is a wide range of activities arranged by teaching and boarding staff involving sport, music, drama and art in addition to Saturday workshops at Kent College s Theatre, Gymnastics and Swimming Academies which boarders can join. Weekends are busy and there is a regular programme of weekend activities organised by boarding staff, which may include a visit to a theme park, cinema, local place of interest or shopping trip, as well as in-house activities such as sport & games, art & craft, cookery and gardening or attending events held at the school such as concerts or festivals. Boarding Events There are various events that occur regularly throughout the school year and many of these are organised by the boarders. Such as the Charity Themed Dinner, International Evening and The Boarders Farewell BBQ, which are great opportunities for all boarding girls to socialise and have fun. The boarders host a special Christmas concert for Friends of the School and local neighbours This performance is greatly appreciated and valued. It provides all boarders the opportunity to showcase their skills and is often a moving and magical event. Other events throughout the school calendar include dinners, the KC Runway Fashion Show and concerts.
Weekly Boarding Activities Boarders enjoy a selection of programmed activities with the day girls after school and at lunchtime. For a detailed list of the activities your daughter could get involved in, please view the extra-curricular activities programme available to download from the prospectus memory stick or from the website. Monday Tuesday Junior Boarding House Meeting Evening Prayers Senior Boarding Fitness Suite Soapbox Housemeeting Talking Points Evening Prayers Wednesday Thursday Friday Weekends Swimming Supermarket Trip Swimming Activities Programme Sunday Service Swimming Bench Ball Various Sports inc badminton Supermarket Trip Cooking Activities Activities Programme Town visits Fitness Suite Sunday Service
Activities Examples of the activities on offer at weekends throughout the year are shown below: New boarders and buddies into Tunbridge Wells for tours and shopping House games night Cinema trips Christmas Shopping to Bluewater Thorpe Park Temper Temper Chocolate Making Bee keeping Dunorlan Park/ Bewl Water Ice Skating at Gillingham Swimming at Larkfield Pantomime Senior Citizens Tea Catering Our award-winning healthy and international cuisine caters for all tastes and needs, including vegetarians and those on special diets. The only difficulty is deciding what to choose! The main dining hall provides cooked breakfasts and a wide choice of hot and cold dishes with a salad bar at lunchtimes and in the evenings. In-House breakfasts are a regular weekend treat. Below is an example week s menu.
Methodism Kent College is a Methodist School and is the only girls school within the Methodist Independent Schools Trust. This Christian foundation focuses all we do in a spirit of kindness and community and embraces those of all faiths and none. The school has a resident Chaplain, Rev Harry Matthews, who is well known to all girls for his fun assemblies and taste in music! Harry is available for friendly advice and support and holds assemblies, regular Communion and leads Boarders prayers and Sunday Services in the neighbouring Church. Parental Contact All boarders need contact with home, and girls can contact their parents by landline and mobile phone, email, internet via Skype and post. The school office and House staff regularly communicates via email with boarders' parents. In the Senior Boarding House the sixth form committee produce a boarders' termly newsletter which is emailed home. In the Junior Boarding House, the Head of Junior Boarding Sarah Krushandl writes a regular Boarding Life update, which keeps parents updated on news and events in the boarding house. Guardians All parents based overseas must have a guardian in the UK for their daughter. The guardian acts in loco-parentis in emergencies and will be responsible for care and accommodation during the holidays and exeats (when applicable) whilst a boarder is in the UK. It is therefore advisable for the guardian to reside at a suitable proximity to the pupil/school. Medical Provision The school has a Nursing Sister who takes care of the medical needs of all boarding students, including dental treatment, eye testing and illness whilst at School.
Location and Travel The school is ideally located in the Garden of England, Kent. There are good communication networks. London is just 40 minutes away by train, Gatwick and Heathrow international airports are about an hour away, and seaports and the Channel Tunnel are within easy access. At the beginning and end of term the school can organise transport to and from the airports. Contact Admissions For all boarding related enquiries, please contact the Kent College Admissions department. We would be delighted to assist you further and invite you to visit the school for a tour of the boarding houses and to meet our house staff and pupils. Kent College holds four Open Mornings throughout the academic year. If you would like to visit us at one of our forthcoming events and to specifically visit the boarding houses, please contact Admissions on +44(0)1892 820218 or via email on admissions@ kentcollege.kent.sch.uk to book your places. We would be delighted to welcome you.