What do people think about the idea of placing vulnerable children in boarding schools? It seemed to be a fashionable idea a couple of years ago but a minister has told this year's social services conference that quite a few of the placements have broken down.
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My major reservation about this when it was first suggested was whether proper stability would be offered for children during the holidays. Going to boarding school can be unsettling for children but if they are going to return to a different household every holiday it must be even worse. A boarding school is not a home, its an institution that is open for certain weeks of the year. If funds are already being pumped into boarding school fees, is a LA also going to pay a foster carer to keep a place permenantly open while a child is attending school. In my view that is the only way stability can be reasonably offered.
It would be interesting to know why the placements broke down. To be honest I very much doubt these schools are set up to deal with the difficult behaviour some of these children will exhibit.
I couldnt access the link but I have my doubts about boarding schools for any child. I know they are not all the same but children who have already been labelled as vulnerable require stable,loving families.
I think it depends massively on the child and the school. I went to a boarding school from when I was 10 until I finished my A levels and it provided me with much more stability than I would have had at home. People have perceptions of what it is like there but each situation is different.
Personally I think that like most private boarding schools, boys' military schools also typically have smaller class sizes than mainstream schools. This is very important in terms of making sure that your child is not overlooked in any way. Even the most quiet child will find it hard to slip through the class if there are only 15 students or less in a class. If a student is having a hard time coping with the academic load, teachers will immediately notice this and can take proactive steps towards helping the student. It's also easier for students to form a bond with other students and teachers if the class size is small.
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I agree with cb completely. I went to a boarding school for a while (not due to affluency but due to the unusual demands of my parents jobs at that time).
My experience was brilliant ... it was definitely better than having to fly around the world constantly making new friends. The stability of a consistent peer group was something I really benefitted from (I think we often forget how important friends are to children...Most children will confide in friends way before parents / adults)
I also recall there were a number of pupils who exhibited highly difficult behaviour and it was managed well as there was great consistency between teachers and house mistresses/masters.
But I also certainly agree with the point that children MUST have a regular foster family to return to.
Getting the right boarding school, robust preparation and a consistent foster family will give the best chance of success. I personally think they have their place and would be interested to know reasons for failure (from both the LA and the schools perspective)
As social work is all about 'Attachment, Separation and Loss' perhaps therein lies the clues to failures of such placements - unlike 'Rainbowarch' these children were placed from already extremely difficult family situations.
From what I understand, the idea of this girl/boy boarding schools would help to prevent vulnerable children going off the rails and live in there as a student. Also, minor juvenile offenders would go there and receive an education.
parents want their son go to boy boarding schools