Boarding Pupils

On average over 80% of boarders stay in at weekends and on A weekends 100% of boarders are in school.  There is a full programme of activities offered, and also the chance to make use of the school’s sports facilities. Some pupils also like to catch up on homework or simply relax in house with their friends.

Our 120 Shells join us from around 50 different prep and junior schools.  Most boarders come from prep schools within a 2-2.5 hour radius of the school, but we do also take a good number each year from the Channel Islands.   

In the Shells there will typically be 4-6 pupils per dorm.  This number decreases as you move up the school, with most Fifth Formers sharing a twin room and most Sixth Formers having a single study bedroom.

Unlike an increasing number of UK boarding schools, Canford’s percentage of international pupils remains relatively low. Currently 10.5% of families are resident abroad, which includes 6.5% who are non-native English speakers.

With over 80% of boarders choosing to stay in school each weekend, it is important that the programme of what we offer on Saturday nights and on Sundays is varied and busy, particularly in the junior years.

As pupils move into the upper years, we recognise that at weekends they may wish to be more independent with their free time – perhaps catching up on prep, using the sports facilities or simply relaxing in House. The school week is very full and we want to ensure that pupils have sufficient ‘downtime’ on Sundays, while offering activity options for those who want them.

Joining a new school can be daunting and particularly in those early days it is important to keep busy and socialise as much as possible. We run a dedicated, compulsory Shell weekends programme which ensures that there is no time to feel homesick or lonely, and encourages friendships and support.

With a location just 15 minutes from the coast, our Shells take advantage of the beach and waterparks whenever possible and at school they have enjoyed a range of activities each term such as film nights, pizza making, Inter-House challenges and even circus skills training!

The new Sunday activities have meant a lot to me. Having participated in the pizza making, trips to West Quay, ice skating and probably more, it has been great, and so much fun to get out and do something different. There is always something to look forward to.

EXAMPLE WEEKEND PROGRAMME

Housemaster or Housemistress: living attached to the Boarding House and available at all times, the Housemaster and Housemistress is a daily presence in House. They have an overview of each pupil’s academic and pastoral life and will have a close and trusting relationship with the parents and pupils in their care. They also teach and coach sports. 

Live-In Tutor: another regular presence in House, the Live-In Tutor resides attached to the Boarding House and tutors the Shells (Year 9).

Evening Tutors: Three subject teachers will be allocated to each House and have a duty night once a week. As well as bringing their own expertise and personalities to the team. Two will tutor the 4^th Form and 5^th Form.  

A team of two or three matrons: A matron will be in House from morning Registration through to 7pm in the evening. They are your first port of call with regards any queries, and help with the practical running of daily House life for pupils. 

Around 60 pupils in each house; around 12 in each year group from Year 9 (Shells) to Upper Sixth, aged 13-18.

Shell dorms have 3-4 beds, a bedside cabinet and wardrobe each.  Shells study prep together at an allocated desk in their own separate Junior Common Room. There are two prep times every evening and these are supervised. 

Large comfy communal areas provide time to relax and socialise. They include a piano, pool table, table tennis, board games, televisions. Kitchens are another social area. Most houses have designated quiet rooms for study or private phone calls.

While all meals are provided in the main building, each house has a number of kitchens with fridges and facilities for making toast, hot drinks and daily bread and occasional baking or cooking. Bread and milk is delivered to House daily. Matron will also have a selection of fruit and biscuits on offer. 

Our fabulous in-house Catering Team creates a thoughtful, vibrant and flexible catering offer uniquely tailored to the needs of our pupils.  The team prepares handcrafted and home baked dishes daily from ethically sourced natural ingredients. Menu planning focuses on delicious meals that are nutritious, sustainable, inclusive and tantalise the taste buds. In addition, the team enjoys broadening its culinary flair and passion by producing half termly themed lunches with an array of decorations, literature and posters, house activities and multicultural events to enrich your child’s food and nutrition experience. On Saturday evenings the School offers a food delivery system to House, as an alternative to take-aways.

All meals are freshly prepared on-site using:

·        Eggs with the Red Lion Quality Mark.

·        Red Tractor products/Farm-assured meat - where possible.

·        Sustainable fish.

·        Seasonal fruit and vegetables.

·        Locally sourced produce where possible.

Meals are compulsory. We support a range of dietary requirements, and staff enjoy the same food as our pupils. There are extremely robust procedures in place for families with children with specific food allergies or intolerances to ensure that your child’s meals are either carefully individually prepared or clear signage along our serveries to promote independence and self-confidence. We take dietary requirements very seriously and ensure our catering staff all receive annual external accredited allergy courses as well as reviewing our policies and procedures on a regular basis. If your child does have any dietary or complex requirements, please do let us know and we do all we can to support and advice.

During your child’s time at Canford we absolutely recognise the importance of what great food has on their morale and overall experience. Therefore, we hold a catering forum once a term where we receive feedback and suggestions that are presented to our Catering Management Team by the Pupil Leader Food Committee.  These points are always received constructively, and all requests undergo a review and facilitated where possible.

November 2025 update

The Catering team have launched a new and improved four-week menu cycle. The exciting new options, all shaped by general feedback and outcomes of the recent Pupil Survey, offer a greater variety, quality and flavour. A huge thank you to Head Executive Chef Rob, Kelly and the Catering team for their tireless work on this new menu, introducing around 276 new dishes. The positive feedback has been unanimously positive!

Highlights include:

•   An extended menu cycle- from 3 week to 4 week cycle - providing increased choice and seasonal variety
•   Hot breakfast served daily - with traditional hot breakfast as standard, and an alternating cycle of warm pastries/French toast  (replacing Wednesday waffles)
•   Expanded lunch options - offering an elevated range of main core dishes (Street food and home comfort dishes) and accompaniments
•   Hot dessert available every day - complemented by two visually enhanced assorted cold desserts and some winter warmer hot tasty puddings
•   Greater variety of potatoes and vegetables, that complement the dishes and reflecting the season 
•   Seasonal fresh homemade soups – enhanced choices - available at both lunch and supper
•   Enhanced Chef’s Salad Bar - featuring freshly prepared and flavourful and vibrant combinations and a Chefs Special salad
•   Upgraded Potato Bar - now served together as a bar with all the trimmings
•   Improved supper offer - revamped but we kept some of the pupil favourites!

Sample menu 

If you have any queries you would like to discuss with our Catering team, please email via the following:

catering@canford.com

In addition to the school rules regarding mobile phones during the academic day, mobile phone use in House is carefully monitored. For example, the younger years are allowed it for a short period every evening after prep and then must hand them in, along with their laptops, overnight.

All term time washing of kit, mufti and bedding is done by school laundry. It is collected from house and delivered back to house. Dry cleaning is available through the school shop.

All house staff have access to first aid kits and basic over the counter medicines, such as painkillers and antiseptic cream. Prescription medicines will be held by staff and given as prescribed.

For greater medical care, our Health Centre is available, with a nurse on call 24/7 and morning doctor’s surgery.

They can knock on the Houseparent’s door and seek help. The Health Centre is available 24/7 if required.

All details regarding airport transfers for boarders can be found via this link:

Bus services for boarding pupils