There are three boarding Houses situated on or within easy reach of the main campus, with separate Houses allocated for boys and girls. The Houses are at the heart of pupils' lives, and all boarders will experience a warm and supportive atmosphere in their House, each run by an experienced and dedicated team of Housemasters/mistresses, Tutors and Matrons.
Boarders support each other’s achievements on the sports' field, in concerts, on stage and in the examination hall. Pupils compete in many events as a House, and there is a strong sense of community through the School with major competitions in singing, debating and most major and minor sports.
Boarders at Durham School fall into three categories: Full Boarders, Weekly Boarders and Occasional Boarders.
Full Boarding (Age 11-18)
Most, but not all, of our full boarders live overseas and have a guardian living in the UK who can act as a first point of contact with the School when necessary and where boarders can go and spend the half-term holiday when the School is closed. Most full boarders stay at School seven nights per week, although they can go home at weekends if they wish. They are also allowed to visit their friends who live locally and stay with them - an experience with is greatly valued by our overseas boarders. Excursions to places of interest, both locally and further afield, are regularly organised at weekends.
Weekly Boarding - 'the best of both worlds!' (Age 11-18)
Weekly Boarding is popular with boys and girls who live within a 50-mile radius of the School. They regard Weekly Boarding as the ‘best of both worlds' since they can enjoy all the advantages of boarding through the week and still touch base with home and family every weekend. Furthermore, they do not waste all that time travelling to and from School each day. There is a special Weekly Boarding fee (considerably lower than the full boarding fee) that makes this a particularly attractive option. Weekly Boarders can stay up to six nights per week but do not stay at School on Saturday nights.
Occasional Boarding (Age 11-18)
If the need arises, it is sometimes possible for pupils to be accommodated for short periods as occasional boarders, subject to there being space available and provided sufficient notice is given, and this option is very popular with those who need extra flexibility. The cost of this depends on how many nights pupils stay per week.
Evenings and Weekend Programme
Outside of school hours, there is always a diverse range of exciting and engaging events and activities for our pupils to take part in.
Prep (homework)
There is a specific time set aside each evening for Boarders to complete their prep (homework). Pupils are registered at 6.30 p.m. and prep commences after a short House meeting until 8.30 p.m. Prep is supervised by a visiting tutor, and sixth formers may work in Houses with the permission of their Housemaster/mistress.
The Art and D.T. Department is open for pupils studying Art, Photography, and Design Technology at GCSE and A level.
Evenings
The Boarding Programme provides a series of activities after prep through the week covering physical and cerebral challenges. Pupils enjoy activities such as swimming, basketball, dodgeball, football, lectures and various visits to places of interest.
Weekends
Durham School ensures that there is always a diverse range of exciting and engaging events at the weekend. While there is no formal teaching, school fixtures take place at home and away on a Saturday, and evenings provide a more relaxed atmosphere with film nights, joint House BBQs and socials.
On Sundays, the Houses often take trips or pupils can use the School's sporting facilities. Regular trips include the Metro Centre in Gateshead, paintballing, go-karting, the Newcastle Falcons, Wet 'n' Wild, the beach and so on. All Boarders can visit the cinema in Durham with organised trips on a frequent basis and trips further afield, such as to Edinburgh, occur on a termly basis.