Boarding school for children as young as eight opening in the UK

The UK government is opening a boarding school for children as young as eight. Haven’t they read Harry Potter? It’s not that great an idea, writes European Correspondent Stephen Drill.

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I’m stunned, shocked, and appalled but I should not have been surprised.

News this week was that the UK government is opening a boarding school for children as young as eight.

No, that’s not a misprint.

Boys and girls who would be in grade two or three in Australia will be shipped off to live in a Wymondham College Prep School in Norfolk, 160km north of London.

And while the likes of the upper classes have traditionally outsourced their parenting, this time it’s the “overstretched” middle classes pushing their children out of home.

They moan that it’s hard to juggle work and children because of the 3.30pm school finish.

And while I sympathise with those who don’t have family nearby, boarding school for such young children is an over-reaction.

Parents treat their children differently in the UK, says Stephen Drill. Picture: AAP

For many parents reading this in Australia while sharing the breakfast table with their hungover 20-something who refuses to move out, they may be tempted to think it’s a good idea.

But it is unconscionable that the UK government would be backing this idea.

Parents will have to pay about $A21,000 (11,000 GBP) a year for teachers to read their children bedtime stories and let them play with Mabel, a golden Labrador.

That’s about a third of the price of private fee paying boarding schools, while local primary schools are free.

And this is part of a trend, with more boarding schools expected to come online on the government tab.

Haven’t they read Harry Potter? It’s not that great an idea.

And while Voldemort has been vanquished, for many eight-year-olds, their first night away from home might feel as if they are battling the Dark Lord without a wand.

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley in a scene from the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Picture: Warner Bros

I cannot understand why someone would want to send their children away at such a young age to boarding school – for me, even high school would be a stretch.

Parents treat their children differently in the UK, it’s not like they want them to be seen and not heard, but it’s close.

My ratbags drag me to the playground and the sound of silence is deafening.

The kids are polite, for sure, but from my time in Australia in similar surroundings there are usually screams of laughter.

These kids are more likely to offer you a cup of tea rather than run up the slide instead of going down it.

Lord Voldemort. For many eight-year-olds, their first night at boarding school might feel as if they are battling the Dark Lord. Picture: Supplied

The children here start their first year of school at four, with kindergarten, or nursery school running five days a week for three hours a day for three-year-olds.

It makes for good book worms but I wonder if they miss out on a bit more time playing with their mates without so many rules.

The flip side of the early start is that they can finish as early as 16, which is a recipe for disaster, but surprisingly youth unemployment is only 11 per cent, about the same as in Australia.

The UK government should scrap these boarding schools for eight-years-olds and instead invest in after-school care programs and better childcare.

Originally published as Boarding school for children as young as eight opening in the UK