We are pleased to share that Walhampton has been shortlisted in the Independent Schools of The Year awards 2023 for an award in the Independent Boarding School of the Year category.

Walhampton has been recognised among hundreds of schools from across the country for the inspiring work that our boarding house families do, going above and beyond for our pupils every day to ensure that our boarders are happy, fulfilled and thriving at School. 

At the heart of Walhampton’s boarding experience is the pupil voice and family ethos. Head of Boarding, Seb Miell and his family, have lived at Bradfield House for 9 years. Working alongside their Assistant Boarding Parents, they strive to create a home-from-home family environment, with an exciting programme of weekend activities and events such as the much-loved ‘Glade-iators’ nights where pupils battle staff under the cover of darkness to ring the Head’s bell! 

Head of Boarding, Seb Miell, said: “Post-pandemic we recognise the importance of wellbeing and bringing together day pupils and boarders to contribute and belong to all aspects of our boarding family life. We are honoured to be shortlisted for the Independent Boarding School of the Year award, particularly following our recent nomination for ‘Happiest Boarding School’ in this year’s Muddy Awards. We are extremely pleased to be recognised among the top UK schools, which is testament to the hard work of all those who work tirelessly in the boarding house to enrich the children’s boarding experience, as well as the whole school community.”  

Initiatives that the boarding team have undertaken include:

• Pupil voice - Enhancing the pupil voice with regular meetings and surveys to ensure ongoing improvements in the day-to-day boarding life, while also putting the children at the centre of all decision making. 
• Pastoral care - Our ‘Hot Chocolate Mondays’, breaktime 1-1s and designated outdoor spaces such as our Wellbeing Hub, ensure our pupils have lots of support and opportunities to resolve any friendship or inevitable homesickness issues. We also have a dedicated ‘Walhampton Express’ accompanied train service to maximise our boarders’ time with their families.
• Special events - Each term we organise special nights for day children to get involved and experience boarding in a fun sleepover style with friends, as well as the popular annual Glade-iators evenings, Coming up in September we are launching our new 'Weekend Discovery' packages. Children will spend Saturday with the rest of their year group doing a fun activity and boarding overnight.
• Dorm refurb - We consulted our boarders to develop the design ideas for our female dorms and have undertaken further enhancements to the children's dorms and shared areas to create spaces where the children feel relaxed, comfortable, happy and ready to learn.

Discover more about boarding at Walhampton and take a tour of Bradfield House here: https://www.walhampton.com/boarding/bradfield-house/