Boarding at Taunton School

Join our boarding community in the heart of Somerset

At Taunton School we have a close-knit community of boarders, with five senior boarding houses, one prep boarding house and two international houses across the Taunton School sites. Boarding pupils can be aged 7 – 18 and will be allocated to a house depending on their age and gender.

Boarding students at Taunton School are lucky to have our beautiful 56-acre rural campus in the heart of  Somerset as their home. Not only are there numerous facilities on site for them to use, such as swimming pools, tennis courts and a state-of-the-art dining room, but they are close to the nearby cities of Bristol, Bath and Exeter, or a 1 hour 40 minute train journey from London.

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How big is the boarding community?

There is a total of 450 boarders across eight different houses at Taunton School. This includes the Taunton School International Middle School based at The Grange and Taunton School International. Each house is proud to have their own unique history, identity and community. However, they share many things in common: outstanding pastoral care, inviting and spacious rooms, and a fantastic range of modern facilities.

 


What kind of pastoral care do you offer boarding students?

We put pastoral care and student wellbeing at the heart of everything we do. A happy and contented child is one who will flourish, and what better place to start that journey than at Taunton School? Here, students have the free reign of our safe and secure 56-acre campus in the beautiful county of Somerset in the South West of England.

Students have access to medical care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the centrally located Health Centre. Mrs Emily Kane is the Sister-in-charge, and she is well supported by a team of nurses, doctors, matrons, a physiotherapist and counsellors. There are also links with local dentists and opticians allowing us to support students who require emergency appointments. The county hospital, Musgrove Park, is just 5 minutes away.

Become a part of our military family.

We have a rich history of providing exceptional education and pastoral care to families in the armed forces, offering your child a stable and supportive home environment. We even offer significant financial support for military families in receipt of CEA.

Children from military backgrounds are familiar with the upheaval of military life and have often attended several military schools before joining us. Our excellent reputation amongst the British military communities means we always have a good number of boarders from military families.

As well rounded, independent individuals, these pupils enjoy the stability, consistency and uninterrupted education that Taunton School can offer, whether it’s through full, weekly or flexible boarding.

Learn more about Taunton’s military families offer >

What does life as a boarder look like?

Life as a boarder at Taunton School is fun! With regular activities, inter-house competitions, trips and socials, we pride ourselves on providing an unforgettable boarding experience where memories are made. Our staff understand that this is, for many, their first experience of life away from home, and work hard to ensure a family, friendly atmosphere in the boarding houses.

Our in-house catering team prepare three delicious hot meals a day for our boarding community, starting with a hot breakfast buffet before the school day begins. They will then enjoy a full day of lessons with other boarders and day students, followed by after school activities, study sessions and free time that often consists of movie nights, time to Facetime family or play games.

Watch our video: A day in the life of a boarding student >

Junior Boarding

Junior Boarding

Providing a safe, secure and fun environment is our main priority in Thone, our prep boarding house.

Our first class boarding house in the Prep School is home to between 45 and 55 full-time boarders, plus a number of weekly and flexi-boarders. Boys and girls from 7 to 13 years old live happily together in one of our main school buildings in the heart of the school.

Cultural diversity is important to us. Whilst the majority of our boarders are British, many students come from over the world. Approximately two thirds of the boarders are aged between 11-13 and one third between 7-10 years. There is a fairly even split between boys and girls.

The large majority of our full time boarders stay in school during weekends.  On Saturday mornings, all pupils in Years 7 and 8 (including day pupils) have compulsory Saturday morning lessons, whilst over half of our day pupils in Years 3 to 6 choose to come into school for exciting enrichment activities.  For the rest of the weekend, boarders enjoy matches against other schools, down time, trips into town, a varied range of organised activities, and, on Sundays, there is always a fun trip out of school to a local attraction.

Find out more about prep boarding >

Senior Boarding

Senior Boarding

Our five senior boarding houses provide a safe and secure homely environment for pupils aged 13 to 18 years old.

Boarding at Taunton Senior School is truly a ‘home away from home’ experience. The friendships formed in the boarding community last a lifetime, offering students a real sense of belonging throughout their educational journey. Each house has a mix of students from Year 9 to Year 13 with its own house parents, fostering a real ‘family feel’ and an environment where the students can support each other.

But above all, boarding at Taunton School is fun. With regular activities, inter-house competitions, trips and socials, we pride ourselves on creating an unforgettable boarding experience, where memories are made.

Boarders are able to join for either full-time, weekly or flexible boarding at Taunton School. The Fairwater, Wills East and Wills West boarding houses accommodate the boys, and Weirfield and Woodyer accommodate the girls.

Learn more about our senior school >

International Senior Boarding

International Senior Boarding

For international students, Taunton School International offers a warm, welcoming home environment they can truly thrive in.

Our international senior students come from many different backgrounds, and we celebrate the diverse range of nationalities, cultures and faiths within the boarding community – continually offering opportunities for students to embrace the world around us.

Situated on the main 56-acre site, the boarding house will be the focal point of your child’s life at school. A range of activities, sporting programmes, trips, excursions and cultural events help our students to integrate and broaden their horizons whilst also ensuring there is never a dull day.

Boarding plays a key role in our students’ exciting educational journey, helping them to cement lifelong friendships, build confidence and develop independence and self-resilience.

International Middle School Boarding

International Middle School Boarding

Taunton School International Middle School is home to a flourishing community of international students aged 8-14.

When you join Taunton School International, you instantly become part of a very warm, caring and supportive community with students from all over the world, ready to help you reach your full potential.

You will also integrate with the British students at the Senior and Prep Schools in a variety of ways, for example, in sport, music, art, drama, lectures, social events, after-school clubs, weekend trips and inter-house competitions.

All of our international students make full use of the outstanding facilities on the 56-acre Taunton School campus, including two indoor swimming pools, sports halls, fitness suite, climbing wall, tennis and squash courts, football pitches, music school, theatre, dance studio, library, sixth form centre, art school and the soon to be completed multi-million pound dining hall.

Find out more about the international school >

Military Boarding

Military Boarding

Military families have been part of Taunton School for many years and contribute greatly to our broad and diverse community.

For military families, boarding at Taunton School offers children invaluable stability, and the ability to forge lifelong connections. We know military life can involve regular upheaval, which is why we strive to create a nurturing, supportive, and flexible home environment.

By buddying up with our mentors, students learn the ropes, adapt easily to our house system and settle in very quickly. And with pastoral care high on our agenda, your child also receives a high level of care and guidance from our Housemasters, Housemistresses, House Tutors and staff who are always on hand to ensure they are happy and fulfilling their academic potential.

We also offer significant support for military families in receipt of CEA. To find out more about life at Taunton School, book an open morning and experience it for yourself.

Learn more about our military boarding offer >

Pastoral Care for Boarders

Pastoral Care for Boarders

We take the pastoral care of our boarders extremely seriously. With all of our students away from home, family and friends, we know creating a ‘home away from home’ environment is key to their contentment.

Our highly experienced and caring house staff are always on hand to provide whatever support is needed, complemented by our Health Centre staff, comprising doctors, nurses, counsellors and physiotherapist.

When your child joins our boarding community, they make friends for life, discover their true potential, and have plenty of fun – nurtured by a dedicated team of pastoral staff.

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Upcoming Open Days

Attend an upcoming Open Day in April!

Virtual Open Day for Senior and International on 20th April 2024

In-person whole school Open Day on April 27th 2024

Book your place here