Boarding life

What is boarding at Loughborough Grammar School like?

As a day school with boarding, our boarders are immediately immersed into a wonderfully diverse community with pupils from across the UK, Europe, and around the globe. We believe boarding is about more than just a place to live, it’s about creating a vibrant and supportive community. 

Year 10 pupil, Wyatt, and Year 12 pupil, Brandon, share their experiences of boarding life at Loughborough Grammar.

Tell me a little bit about your LGS journey to date? 

Brandon: In your first year, you’re not adapted to anything and so it’s quite chaotic and confusing. But as you move into your second and third year you start to adapt, as the teachers are so helpful and help you on your journey. For anything you don’t understand in English, for example, there is EAL support and if you ever have any subject specific questions, there are specialist teachers to help you. 

How did you choose Loughborough Grammar School? 

Wyatt: The school was a recommendation through my agent. I was deciding between two schools and I chose Loughborough Grammar. I had a virtual discussion with the Head of Boarding, Mr Blackman, to answer my questions. 

Brandon: I chose the school through relatives (my relatives studied at LGS and were in Year 13 in School House) and also, through my agent who supported me through the visa and moving process. Before we came here, we had an interview in Hong Kong, asked all of our questions and saw images and videos. 

What were your first impressions on arriving at the school? 

Brandon: I thought it was historic and beautiful. My Mum is a big Harry Potter fan and she described the school as being like Hogwarts! In Hong Kong we don’t have a lot of space so when I arrived, I was surprised that different subjects have their own buildings – the Science Department, Maths Building. It’s a big campus. 

Wyatt: I really like the sports facilities – they have a massive field and two astro turfs. And it’s great that they have different blocks for different subjects, because they don’t have that in Hong Kong.  

Did you experience homesickness and if so, how did you overcome this? 

Wyatt: I was homesick for the first couple of weeks because you have moved away from family, friends and everything, and you have to adapt to a new environment. 

I’ve been home quite often and I think to get less home sick, you just have to talk to more people and keep in contact with family and friends at home. 

Brandon: For the first month or two I was completely homesick, because you have literally moved to a completely different environment and you don’t know what to do or what to expect. I also felt a little out of place, as I didn’t know what people were talking about – like football teams. And everyone is really supportive of their team! But after a week or two, I got to know people and what they were talking about and I could adapt to the social circle. 

I overcame homesickness through making friends. In our school we have an international community, people from literally every background and I made friends with guys from other countries. Nowadays I play football with a lot of the Day lads and that has helped me a lot. I also make phone calls to home. 

What words would best describe yourself when you joined the school? 

Wyatt: I was really shy back then. 

Brandon: I was shy and confused too, as I didn’t know where anything was!  

What words would you use to describe yourself today? 

Brandon: More outgoing, more familiar and more confident. After you’ve been here for a while you adapt to everything and know how the school works and know your teachers, if you want to talk about something. 

 
What subjects do you study now and which is you favourite/which do you find most difficult? 

Brandon: My favourite is Chemistry, but the hardest for me is definitely Maths. I’m not the person you look for if you need help with Maths! 

Wyatt: I like Spanish, because I think it’s quite nice to learn a new language – it’s quite challenging – and I like Biology because of the practicals.  

How easy was it to settle into school life? 

Brandon: It’s quite easy because the teachers are really helpful. We have Form Rooms and we are assigned a buddy. My Form Tutor assigned me to literally one of my best mates and we talk a lot. This really helped my journey. 

Wyatt: You make friends and then you have people to talk to and you’re fine. I have lots of friends who are Day pupils and we can invite them into the boarding house. 

What do you do outside of the classroom? 

Brandon: I’m in the CCF and play football. CCF is quite a social activity, you have boys and girls mixed together and it’s allowed me to experience the military. But I love football too! Shooting is a new thing for me which I started when I joined the school – I’m quite good at it! 

Wyatt: I’m a sporty person, so I play football and I run a lot. I like being outdoors so I’ve done DofE Bronze and Silver. During my free time, I love grabbing a football and having a kick around in the Boarding House garden. 

What do you think of Loughborough as a town? 

Brandon: It’s safe and quite quiet. It’s a typical British Market town, but it’s a University town as well, so you can find anything you need – there are lots of international shops. 

Wyatt: It’s just a short walk from school to town and you can get anything you need in town. 

What do you do on the weekends? What do you think of the weekend schedule? 

Brandon: I’ve enjoyed the city tours to London and Cambridge. On Saturday, I tend to catch up with school work. Not having classes on the weekend definitely gives you a bit of downtime. 

Wyatt: On weekends when I don’t have any trips, I usually play football or I call my grandparents back home. Or I go on a run. My favourite trips so far have been Go Karting and Go Ape. 

How do you feel about being in a smaller boarding environment than some other schools? 

Brandon: The smaller boarding environment is good as the teachers know you better than in a large boarding environment. We also have a large Day community, so we hang out with the Day boys as well. 

Wyatt: In a small boarding house we get to know one another really well, instead of in a massive boarding house, where you might only know a couple of people. 

What are you hoping to do after Sixth Form? 

Brandon: I hope to study Pharmacy. I’ve already selected five universities as I’m in Year 12 and it’s close to Year 13: Cardiff, Nottingham, UCL, Sheffield and Brighton. 

Yesterday we had the Post-18 Day where a lot of companies and universities came into school to visit us. We also have sessions on clinical applications in preparation for University applications. MedSoc also prepares you for things like UCAT if you want to apply to Medicine. 

What are your favourite things about LGS?  

Brandon: The best thing is definitely the memories – the trips, the boarding meals at restaurants, and the football. 

Wyatt: The best thing is the sporting opportunities. You can do pretty much every sort of sport here and I know that if I ever wanted to get into a new sport, the school would support me. 

How do you think you/your life might be different if you hadn’t come to LGS? 

Brandon: I would not be as outgoing and wouldn’t have tried as many new things. The UK teaching environment helps us to grow and develop our own opinions. 

Wyatt: Although LGS is prestigious the workload and expectations are more balanced than in other countries.