What boarding house(s) have you been a student in at King’s Ely?

I have been in two boarding houses at King’s. I was in Priory House for two years and I have just finished my second year in Wendreda House.

When have you been boarding since?

I have been boarding for over four years now since the end of 2017, when I first joined King’s Ely Junior in Year 7.

What is your Housemistress like? What about Matron and other House Staff – what are they like?

My Housemistress is really fun and really enthusiastic about everything to do with Wendreda. Miss Dixon is easy to talk to and helps to get everyone in the house involved. Matron is also a big part of Wendreda, she’s always making us snacks for break times and sometimes does baking with us all at the weekends. The other House Staff are great at helping with homework and everything school related throughout the week. They’re also always up for a movie night or a board game in the common room.

Is there a house pet?

Our official house pet is Ginger the hamster. Miss Dixon got Ginger during lockdown and we all met him once we came back to school. He lives in the common room and is so adorable, although he once chewed a hole through the curtain! Miss Dixon’s dog, Poppy, also comes into the house quite often and is always bouncing around.

What do you enjoy about boarding?

There are lots of things that I enjoy about boarding, but I think my favourite would have to be weekend movie nights with popcorn and snacks in the common room. Movie nights are always great fun and everyone joins in. Throughout the week we also go swimming in the school outdoor pool or play a game in the common room or cook in the kitchen. At the weekends we always do a whole house activity on Sunday, like a walk by the river, picnic or competition which is good fun. Being in a house full of your friends is really great too, because you meet loads of new people from different year groups and you can all hang out together, it’s a really cool atmosphere.

In what ways do you think being a boarding student is better than being a day student?

I think that being a boarder often allows you to get more involved in school life, especially with things like extra-curricular activities. If you live far away then it can be harder to experience all of the non-academic things that school offers. Boarding also means that you mix with people from different year groups so you can meet more people than you might if you didn’t board, which is definitely a bonus to boarding.

What are the challenges of being a boarding student?

I’d say that the main challenge of being a boarder is being away from home for long amounts of time. Homesickness is quite difficult for a lot of people, but especially during the first few weeks of school, there is so much going on that you don’t really have time to miss home. Keeping busy is definitely the best way to deal with it.

Do you miss boarding during the school holidays?

I think that the thing I most miss about boarding is being around friends all the time. There’s always someone to talk to in the boarding house and I really enjoy that.

In what ways do you think boarding helps to prepare you for your future and life after school?

Boarding definitely helps with independence, which is really good for the future. At weekends you can cook your own meals and you can do your own washing throughout the week, which are really useful for life after school. As well as that, when you board you are more responsible for your own work. The staff still make sure you are getting work done, but you don’t have the constant nagging from parents so it’s up to you to do the work that you need to do.

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