Scotch Boarding Experience
As a boarder your son goes through two important rites of passage at once: moving into middle or secondary school and living away from home. Our boarding programme is designed to support him emotionally and academically during this irrepressible time of growing independence.
Student Wellbeing
To ensure your son always feels like there is someone he can turn to, we have a high staff to student ratio. Each Residence has a House Mother who provides emotional support and acts as a link between the College and your family. The Head of Residence lives onsite and is the central point of contact for boarders, teachers and parents. They have a holistic view of your son’s wellbeing and if needed, will draw on the expertise of our registered nurses, school psychologists and Chaplain.
The Houses
Our Boarding Houses comprise two distinct residences – a Middle School Residence for Years 6–8 and a Senior School Residence for Years 9–12.
The houses mirror our day-school campuses. Linking our Boarding Residences to our sub-schools ensures we can best support boys at their stage of development and enables us to form strong links between teaching and boarding staff. Students commence their boarding journey in dormitory- style accommodation, which provides a balance of privacy and plenty of opportunities to socialise. In Years 9–10, boys share double rooms, and by Years 11 and 12 all boarders have their own room. As boys move into Senior School Boarding, they are divided into two ‘clans’ with a Head of Clan who follows them all the way through to graduation.
Academic Support
When it comes to homework, assignments and study, your son can get help whenever he needs through our open-door tutoring system. Running every weekday evening, academic staff and tutors provide ongoing support. Many of our tutors are recent Scotch graduates now studying at university. Often close in age, they regularly become unofficial older brothers and mentors.
Scotch College is a residential school that embraces those intangibles that transform a place of residence into all the best qualities of home. The boarding houses provide academic support giving residential students a real advantage as well as an active and rich social and recreational life.
Boarding life at Scotch is based on the understanding that a boarding house is a home rather than just a residence, and the presence of ‘motherly’ care and more senior adult presence provides greater consistency of supervision.
From rising time until lights out, the life of a boarder is an active and fulfilling one, with age-appropriate routines designed to help them flourish academically, physically, socially and spiritually.
On weekends, activities are driven by the interests and initiatives of students with the support of the Head of Boarding and the Recreation Officer. We also have a very good relationship with the other boarding schools in Perth and through this connection we are able to offer lots of mixed school recreational activities.
Food and Catering
Scotch College’s kitchen has been home to some of the best chefs in the country – including an Iron Chef Australia contestant. All boarders eat together in our Dining Hall and enjoy recess and lunch from the school canteens on weekdays. Five meals are made with the freshest ingredients each day, with snacks and fresh fruit always on hand for hungry boys.
Health Centre
Our Health Centre is staffed by a team of registered nurses on call 24 hours a day. Staff provide emergency nursing management, primary health assessment and referral to relevant health specialists, health education and pastoral care. They also manage medical appointments
and arrange transport to appointments as needed.