Boarding offers many things that cannot be found elsewhere. The boys have more time to play their sport or music; everything is on site so there is no need to spend hours ferrying the boys around; prep (homework) is all done at school so that when the boys are at home it can be proper family time; most of all, though, there is more time for the boys to be with their friends just 'mucking about' and making friends for life. The range of activities on offer is amazing. These include fencing, judo, rifle shooting, model making, art club….. the list goes on and on.  There is never a dull moment and it is certainly true that the idea of being away from home is much more difficult for the parents than it is for the boys.

At Sunningdale we have full boarders, weekly boarders and some day pupils.

Full Boarding

The majority of boys at Sunningdale are full boarders and the boarding ethos pervades every aspect of school life. The school believes that boys benefit from boarding in a small environment where they receive very high levels of care and support. Unlike many schools, Sunningdale is full at weekends and masses of outings and activities are organised for the boys.

There is a one week ‘Long Leave’ in the middle of each term and there are two additional long weekends. These run from 1pm on Friday to 7pm on Monday. Boys may also go out on Sundays after chapel until 6pm. It is expected that full boarders will not choose to go out on more than two additional Sundays.

Weekly Boarding

Boys may weekly board during their first two years at the school. This gives the boys and the parents the chance to get used to the idea of full boarding. Weekly boarders will go home after games on Saturday (4pm) and they should return either on Sunday evening (before 7pm) or on Monday morning (before 8.30am). After two years of weekly boarding it is expected that boys will full board. A lot of boys choose to stay at school during some weekends to take part in the weekend programme.

Day Pupils

There are twenty day places available at Sunningdale. The day pupils are expected to be fully involved in the life of the school and they must attend Saturday morning school and games on Saturday afternoon unless there is a specific reason for them not to.

Day pupils arrive by 8.30am and they leave at 6.15pm unless they are involved in evening activities. We would encourage all day pupils to board before the end of their time at Sunningdale. We do not operate flexi-boarding but boys may opt to board for a few fixed evenings each week, providing there is room in the dormitories. We cannot, however, guarantee to provide day boys with a bed.