With parents across the country turning their attention to where their children go to secondary school, 40% of London parents say they’d seriously consider sending their children to boarding school in the countryside. The findings come from new research commissioned by coeducational Catholic school, Ampleforth College, which has unveiled its first ever pupils’ online prospectus. Students worked with a production team to ‘showcase what life at a rural school is really like today’.
The study found Londoners are spending more than £11million a year on extracurricular activities for their children, including breakfast clubs, after-school activities, and tutoring. Nearly half of parents in the capital (47.3%) also said that arguments over screen time and homework cause the most tension at home.
The pupil prospectus has been a fantastic opportunity for prospective parents to hear about Ampleforth directly from our pupils
With an increasing appetite for a ‘free range’ education from urban parents, with more than 10% of current school admissions hailing from the capital, Ampleforth commissioned a film crew to showcase what its 2,200 acre site has to offer. The school’s head boy and girl worked as executive producers on the project.
Head girl, Lucy, said: “I fell in love with the outside space when I first came to Ampleforth, and that is what I really wanted these films to show potential Amplefordians. It’s like a family here and – whether it is the sports fields, science facilities or our boarding houses – we wanted to show what life at a North Yorkshire boarding school is really like.”
Acting head, Deirdre Rowe, said: “It was really interesting to learn that London parents spend so much money on extracurricular activities. At Ampleforth, we pride ourselves on being a home-from-home for our pupils, encouraging them to go beyond their potential and flourish in our care.
“The pupil prospectus has been a fantastic opportunity for prospective parents to hear about Ampleforth directly from our pupils, and we hope this helps others to consider an education in the countryside.”
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