THIS
IS
BOARDING
THIS IS CLC
For many of our new boarders, joining Cheltenham Ladies’ College will be the first time they have left home for any considerable period. Whether coming from the UK or overseas, our house system is structured to allow new boarders to settle in quickly, with older girls supporting and nurturing younger pupils in “House families”.
Between this, our experienced staff, and comfortable Houses, we aim to ensure every one of our boarders has a home from home, where they feel included, appreciated and part of a close-knit community.
The House is a sanctuary where girls eat, sleep, play, relax and study. There is a strong sense of camaraderie and family, with girls developing a fierce house spirit which manifests itself noisily during inter-house competitions of all kinds.
See more information about our Junior Boarding and Senior Boarding.
To see our upcoming open days, or to book a 1:1 private visit, see our Visits & Open Days page.
Through boarding at CLC, we aim to enhance and complement other aspects of College life, and enable each pupil to:
Grow into independent, confident young adults, capable of forming mature, fulfilling relationships with family and friends and becoming contributing members of society.
Ensure their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
Fulfil their potential intellectually.
Fulfil their potential in a full and varied co-curricular programme.
Find opportunities to develop leadership and take on responsibility.
We are primarily a full boarding school, however, we understand that every family has varying needs and pulls on their time outside of College. Therefore, in addition to the scheduled Exeats and half terms, most weekends boarders are able to leave College with their parents / guardians from Saturday afternoon (once any commitments are completed), returning in time for supper on the Sunday evening. There are some exceptions ("closed weekends"), such as the first and last weekends of every term and special events, when boarders will be expected to remain in residence for the whole weekend.
We have found that this versatility of being a full boarding school with weekend flexibility has helped families to balance their school and home lives. It has allowed more parents to be able to support their daughter’s participation in College events during Saturday afternoons and evenings, has helped us get to know parents better, and has fostered a greater sense of connection to the wider College community.
House allocation varies from school to school. At CLC, you apply to the school (rather than to a specific house) and House places are not allocated until two-three months prior to enrolment (i.e. June/July for a September start), many months after offers of places have been accepted.
Many girls are active in the sporting and musical lives of College, and we do not have Houses which are linked to specific activities as is the case in some schools.
Parents are able to express a preference, if they have one, but we are unable to guarantee places in specific Houses, except in the case of siblings. At College, we take into account a broad range of factors when matching pupils to Houses, and try to achieve a balanced mix of abilities, interests, personalities and previous schools across each of the Houses.
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