Whangārei Girls' High School principal Anne Cooper says Carruth's closure would have a minimal impact on Lupton House. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Whangārei Girls' High School principal Anne Cooper says Carruth's closure would have a minimal impact on Lupton House. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Northland families hoping to send their boys to a boarding school within the region will need to consider a different type of education or look further afield after Whangārei Boy's High School announced the closure of its boarding hostel Carruth House.
After nearly 100 years of educating boys in Carruth,the boarding house will be closing at the end of the year due to declining student numbers, the school board said.
Whangārei Boy's High School board chairman Don Robertson said Covid had been "something of a death knell" because many boarders didn't return after the lockdowns.
The Ministry of Education recognised that the closure will have an impact on the community.
"The boarding house has played a significant role in the lives of boarding students at the school over many years, particularly those who live rurally," Isabel Evans, MoE hautū (leader) Te Tai Raro (north), said.
Boarding schools around the country have felt the impact of the pandemic, in particular, the lack of international students but many are also reporting that numbers are coming back up.
But is boarding still a popular choice for kids and their parents or has Covid put a nail in the coffin for schools with residential facilities?
Whangārei Girls' High School principal Anne Cooper says Carruth's closure would have a minimal impact on Lupton House. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Neighbouring Whangārei Girl's High School has just over 50 boarders and principal Anne Cooper says Lupton House is still going strong.
"Our numbers are a bit down from a few years ago but at the moment we're holding our own," Cooper said.
She acknowledged the challenges associated with financing a boarding hostel and said the closure of Carruth meant the "end of an era".
While they will keep their spot at the school, Carruth's current 28 boarders will be left without a place to stay at the end of the year and parents of younger boys with the question of where to send their child for boarding.
For Pataua South mother Jodie Hannam enrolling her son Jax at a boarding school in Auckland was an emotional decision but she believes his opportunities are far greater outside of Northland.
"It's the nature of being in a bigger city. There's every club under the sun, the facilities are better, and there are more after-school groups," Hannam said.
"It opens the world to them."
Jax started at Mount Albert Grammar School (MAGS) at the beginning of the year and is one of 96 boarders. At capacity, MAGS houses 107 students in the boy's hostel.
About a third of boarding students there are from Northland.
"The main reason Jax is going is that his dad went to boarding school there," Hannam explained.
She is among 18 per cent of parents in New Zealand who chose their child's school based on parental education, according to CoreData research.
Northlander Jax Hannam on his first day at Mount Albert Grammar School. Photo / Supplied
For two out of three parents, academic reputation or NCEA marks are very or extremely important when considering a school.
But after grades, the school's artistic, creative and environmental offering was most highly rated, with 45 per cent of parents saying they were very or extremely important.
Regardless of their preferences, 70 per cent of parents surveyed don't think they've got many options due to our zoning rules.
Often parents will relocate to a different school zone; others chose to board.
The research also showed that parents are willing to tighten their household budget to finance their kids' education.
To board or not to board?
Hannam said while her son missed being with his friends, Jax is convinced that boarding school is where he needs to be to do well.
"They live in an environment where everything is structured. They have to do homework every day and be in bed at nine."
While it could be a difficult decision, Hannam believes parents need to choose what is right for their kids.
MAGS director of boarding Daryl Cartwright says most families choose to board because the school can offer opportunities not available at their local school - especially those living in smaller or rural communities.
"Access to all the pillars of our school is the major advantage for boarding students at MAGS," Cartwright said.
"Attending boarding school also provides you with an opportunity to develop lifelong friendships, it teaches you to be organised, independent and you have the opportunity to develop these skills living in a communal setting with students from a diverse range of backgrounds."
Cartwright acknowledged there are challenges with sending kids away from home saying leaving your family and support network behind was the hardest for most.
"Those challenges are hard on both students and parents alike.
"Working through the things we find challenging is how we develop true resilience."
Boarding school is not the right choice for everyone.
Hannam said while the family had plans to send her daughter to boarding school, too, she wasn't keen on going.
She instead attends Girl's High now and is doing well as it allows her to develop her creative skills.
Thirty per cent of Mount Albert Grammar School boarders are from Northland. Photo / Grant Bradley
The ABCs for boarding schools
For boarding school students to flourish, the schools need to be committed to providing pastoral care, associate professor Sonja Macfarlane from Te Kura o te Mātauranga Institute of Education at Massey University explained.
Macfarlane's research is looking into what made Māori boarding students excel at their schools and found that creating a sense of belonging and care for the children was essential.
"Some schools are doing it better than others."
Shane Jones and Lance O'Sullivan are some of the high-profile Māori Northlanders who are looking back fondly at their time at boarding school, according to Macfarlane.
She said those who did well, later reported about a culture of care at their boarding facilities; they felt safe, had room to develop their potential and worked together in a group setting with the other boarders.
"Students need to feel like there is always someone they can go to."
Mana motuhake or having a positive sense of identity was also important for boarders along with feeling empowered and the sense that the boarding hostel was open and welcoming to their whānau.
Macfarlane said high turnover of staff and high levels of stand-downs or exclusions for students were signs of a badly run boarding hostel.
