Join our Boarding Community in the heart of Somerset

Boarding Life at Taunton School

At Taunton School we have a close-knit community of boarders, with five senior boarding houses, one prep boarding house and four 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 onsite 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.

The coast is a short drive away. Taunton is only 30 miles from the famous Devonian Jurassic coast, 17 miles from the Somerset coast and 11 miles from the beautiful Quantock Hills in Somerset.

Boarding Options at Taunton School

Boarding at Taunton School is a home from home experience, offering exceptional pastoral care for students, as evident in our recent Good School Guide report. We provide a full range of boarding options, catering for international, national and more local boarders.

Find out more about our boarding fees

Full Boarding
Weekly Boarding
Flexi Boarding

Full Boarding

7 nights

Full boarding remains a popular choice for families in the UK and internationally. This ensures a full boarding community at weekends at the heart of our school.

Unlike many UK boarding schools, we do not have exeat weekends in senior school. In place of exeat weekends, we have reading weekends. On such weekends no Saturday morning lessons, or afternoon sports fixtures take place and pupils may leave after commitments on Friday evenings if they wish, however they welcome to stay with us over the weekend. Reading weekends provide a much-needed rest for the boarding community but the key difference to an exeat is that pupils are not required to leave the school.

Full boarders are able to stay with friends and family at weekends should they choose. Parents can rest safe in the knowledge that the boarding houses are always available, every weekend, should this not be possible. All our boarders benefit from exceptional facilities, close relationships with those in their house “families”, a rich programme of clubs and activities, and all that the school has to offer.

Living away from home offers a real stepping stone to university life, or the workplace, and develops the personal independence so necessary for whatever lies ahead.

Weekly Boarding

5/6 nights

Our weekly boarding experience means that pupils can enjoy five or six nights of school life, and weekends at home with their parents. Students who weekly board head home after all commitments on a Saturday and can return to school on Sunday evening or Monday morning.

Should weekly boarders wish to take advantage of the busy weekend boarding programme in any given week, the occasional boarding rate will be charged.

Flexi Boarding

3 nights

Flexi boarding is for a minimum of three nights and provides access to all boarding house amenities every day, ensuring students feel a sense of belonging in their houses. Flexi boarding gives students from local families the best of both worlds, blending busy school days with quality family time.

Students can stay one extra night a week if they would like and this is charged at the occasional boarding rate. Parents may choose the same nights for boarding each week, or change according to their plans, as long as sufficient notice is given to house staff.

Flexi boarding is available within the Prep School from Years 3 and upwards and is especially popular as an option in Years 7 and 8. Flexi boarding is available within Senior School from Years 9 – 11. Pupils can continue as flexi boarders in the Sixth Form if space allows but to guarantee your place you would need to become weekly.

View our boarding houses

We operate a House System

Every child at Taunton School belongs to a house for their whole educational journey, whether they’re boarders or day pupils, ensuring a real sense of belonging that offers the familiarity, consistency, support, and care of the family environment.

In addition, every child has a House Tutor and Head of House who are constantly on hand to offer support, advice, and guidance both academically and pastorally. The support and sense of family is strengthened by older pupils who often become role models for the younger children. Our Peer Mentor system ensures Seniors, who are trained as mentors, are always available to support and assist other students.

Belonging to a house encourages a sense of pride, camaraderie and an infectious team spirit that is fiercely demonstrated during in-house competitions and school events.

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 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.

Learn more about Taunton’s offer for military families

We welcome and respect a diversity of backgrounds and faiths

As a Christian school with Christian values, we respect and welcome a diversity of backgrounds, cultures, nationalities, and religious beliefs. All students, irrespective of their religion, are encouraged to explore and develop their own faith whilst at the school.

Built in 1907, our beautiful Chapel is at the heart of the school community. Students attend and participate in many Chapel services throughout the year, from hymn practice and presentations, to Harvest, Remembrance, Easter, and Carol Services. Our School Chaplain plays a key role in the pastoral care of all pupils, regardless of their faith, and is always on hand to offer support and spiritual and moral guidance.

We have our own catering department onsite

Meals are cooked daily using fresh local produce.

Providing top quality sustenance throughout the day for our children is hugely important to ensure they are healthy, focused and energised for their busy life at Taunton School. Meals are taken together in the state-of-the-art dining room which caters for the whole school community. This light and spacious facility provides a welcoming environment for students to enjoy their meals and acts as a central hub for dining in the heart of the school.

Our dedicated team of chefs produces healthy, nutritious, and appetising food for students to enjoy. There is an excellent choice, including provision for many different dietary needs and requirements and we are proud to source the majority of our produce locally.

There is also a school shop, Griffins, located in the heart of the school and older students have the freedom to purchase a variety of different snacks and drinks.

Independent Schools Inspectorate Quotations (April 2024 Inspection)

“Boarding leaders are well trained and implement a range of policies for boarders so that their wellbeing remains a priority.”

“The boarders experience is rich and nurturing.”

“Boarders speak enthusiastically about the diverse programme of weekend activities as well as the chance to relax with friends.”

“Boarders enjoy access to leadership opportunities where they can train as playground ambassadors and heads of house, valuing the chance to mentor the younger boarders.”

“Boarders feel confident and safe within their boarding houses.”

“The school provides high-quality sleeping and living accommodation for boarders.”

“The close bonds which develop within the boarding environment foster pupils social and cultural understanding.”

“There is a strong emphasis developing skills for independent living in the boarding houses. Leadership skills are developed in many areas.”

“Leaders prioritise pupils’ emotional and physical wellbeing, enabling pupils to feel valued in a dynamic and caring community.”

Frequently Asked Questions

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 and the aim is that every boarding house becomes a ‘home from home’ for the boarders who reside there.
What kind of pastoral care do you offer boarding students?
Pastoral care and wellbeing are 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 Southwest of England.
Students have access to medical care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the centrally located Health Centre. Within the Health Centre, students can access a team of nurses, doctors, matrons, mental health nurses, counsellors, and a physiotherapist, who together help to take care of the physical and emotional needs of pupils. 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.
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 prepares 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 co-curricular activities, study sessions and free time that often consists of movie nights and boarding activities.
Find out more about our food offer
What kind of trips and activities do we offer?
The weekend trips are hugely varied and include surfing, paintballing, mountain biking, trips to watch professional sports games, shopping and dining in Bristol, pottery painting, Christmas markets in Bath, go karting, trampoline parks, theme parks, escape rooms, Harry Potter Studios, the Eden Project, residential trips to London to see the sights, a show and to do some shopping, and many more. There is also an annual ski trip which takes place during the school holidays and the opportunity to get involved in trips to Europe.

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Find your Exceptional

Are you interested to find out more about Boarding at Taunton School? Book an open day or personal tour with our admissions team.

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