Boarding

Barnard Castle School is a British boarding school. The Boarding community is made up predominately of UK based pupils, with an international community who add a cultural vibrancy to our Houses. From our youngest Boarders in Year 3 to our Sixth Formers, our Boarding community is rich in diversity. Our Boarding houses provide a warm and nurturing atmosphere in which pupils feel at home and where staff and pupils work together to forge strong relationships built on trust, respect, House spirit and, overwhelmingly, a sense of family.

The House system at Barney forms the bedrock of our pastoral care; our Housemasters and Housemistresses are prominent leaders within the school for their pupils and their families, and for the teams of tutors they lead. Our four Boarding Houses and five Day Houses compete enthusiastically across a wealth of competitions and activities, spanning academia, sports and the arts, to ensure they are the House that ‘Nails Up’ in true Barney tradition at the end of each term. Despite this healthy competition, close relationships are at the heart of our community and our Boarders are role models in championing this ethos.

Families choose boarding for a number of reasons unique to their circumstances – parents’ work commitments that take them away from home; a chance to avoid lengthy a lengthy commute to and from school and create valuable time for structured activities or supervised prep; a first taste of independent living as preparation for university; and the experience of life in a different country are just some of the reasons. As well as providing full time Boarding, flexi and occasional Boarding is available as we seek to meet the demands and different needs of individual families.

Modern Boarding does not necessarily mean long separation from family and friends outside school. Exeat weekends punctuate each half-term, during which our pupils are able to remain in school or return home. Parents are always welcome into Barney to attend Chapel services, to watch our regular musical and dramatic productions and to join pupils pitch-side at sporting fixtures throughout the year.

There are four boarding houses:

Old Courts – for Junior boarders (Year 3 – Year 8)
Longfield – for Senior girls (Year 9- Year 13)
York – for Senior boys (Year 9- Year 13)
Northumberland – for Senior boys (Year 9- Year 13)

For more information or to arrange a visit, please contact Mrs Bronwyn Huddleston, Registrar on: +44 (0)1833 696030 or email admissions@barneyschool.org.uk