Boarding

at Benenden

Benenden Boarding brings enormous benefits for your daughter: she has the time and space to try new activities, she develops great social and emotional skills, and makes friends for life.

Flexible

Weekends

All pupils are welcome to spend Saturday nights away from School if they choose to – returning on either Sunday night or Monday morning – with the exception of two weekends each term (the first and final weekends for all pupils, and the first weekend after Half Term for Fourth to Upper Fifth).

We find that this approach allows families greater flexibility, however our Housemasters and Housemistresses are always happy to discuss weekend options with girls and parents so that the arrangements work for everyone.

The Weekend

Programme

A boarding school needs an active and attractive Weekend Programme and here at Benenden there’s always something exciting happening. The Weekend Programme is an unrivalled array of socials, outings, creative, physical and cultural activities – and great fun!

Students are able to try new activities, visit fascinating places they otherwise may not see, expand their skillset by earning professional qualifications and widen their cultural and social horizons, all while having a great time with their friends. It’s no wonder that on any given weekend, two thirds of students decide to stay in School!

A series of activities are undertaken with boys’ schools, including the very popular socials, dinners and discos. Taking part in the Weekend Programme is all included in the School fee, as is all travel to and from the venues.

Download the Summer Term Weekend Programme

The Benenden Community

Day Students

Our day students play a full part in every area of school life: leaving at the end of the day will not prevent your daughter from benefiting from the Benenden experience! Day students are fully immersed in the academic, co-curricular and personal and professional elements of our Complete Education.

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Boarding Houses

At Benenden we believe that boarding should complement, not replace, family life. A girl’s boarding House becomes her home from home and the centre of her personal life. It is where she comes ‘home’ to after the school day and it is where she feels happy, safe and well cared for.

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Sixth Form

Sixth Form at Benenden provides students with increased independence and responsibility in a supportive environment, and is the ideal bridge for their next step in life. Known as Founders, in recognition of the three Housemistresses who founded Benenden, the Sixth Form is central to Benenden life and offers students a highly distinctive experience from the Lower School.

The most recognisable distinctions are that Sixth Formers have their own uniform, they live in the dedicated Founders Houses and the Upper Sixth, or Six Two, are allowed to navigate the site on scooters!

However, there is far more to being in Founders than these most visible elements: Benenden is proud to have a superb record of success at A Level and frequently outperforms even the highly-selective Kent grammar schools, students benefit from an enviable list of expert speakers and all Sixth Formers take part in our Professional Skills Programme.

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Food, Travel and More

Here we outline more of the details of life at Benenden, including our award-winning food, travel arrangements, chaplaincy and many other aspects. Benenden Boarding brings enormous benefits for your daughter: she has the time and space to try new activities, she develops great social and emotional skills, and makes friends for life. Boarding is also a partnership between School and family, and parents are always welcome to join their daughter at weekends or throughout the week to cheer her on in matches, have a catch-up, take her out to lunch or enjoy the food at School – Sunday brunch here in the Café is particularly popular with parents!

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