Partner schools

A Buttle partner school is a boarding school that has agreed to work with us to help build a package of support for a child or young person we are supporting. The schools we partner with usually have experience in helping vulnerable young people that need boarding places.

We build packages of support for eligible young people to fund a boarding place up to a value of 110%. These schools have signed an agreement with us that sets out ways of working. This is to make sure that we are providing the best chances for children at schools that are right for them.

The Buttle partner schools are spread out across the UK.   We usually aim to place students within an hour and a half of their home but this isn’t always possible. Currently we are working to recruit more schools in Northern Ireland, Scotland and the north of England.

If you already have a bursary offer but the school is not one of our partners, we can talk to the school to see whether they will become a Buttle partner school.  We will only fund boarding places with schools that are our partner schools.

Everyone is woken up by one of the House staff team in the morning. They get up, wash and dress, and have breakfast in the boarding house or a dining room. Facilities are usually shared so young people will be encouraged to have good time keeping. School typically starts at 8:30am. Some pupils will see their personal tutor before lessons start.

Lunchtime is around 1-2pm. This may be in a dining room or in the boarding house. Schools cater for a wide range of dietary requirements and offer different options. Afternoon lessons start around 2pm and finish around 4pm. When the school day ends there will be sports, societies, and clubs either before or after the evening meal. All pupils are encouraged to take part in activities. After the evening meal, there will be a period of quiet time in the house for prep, or homework, and then, additional social activities may be arranged within the house. There are inter-house competitions that take place between the boarding houses at school and pupils are encouraged to take part and represent their house in something they have a passion or talent for. Bedtimes start at around 9.30pm.

On some days there will be an assembly for the whole school or for year groups. New pupils will often have a buddy to help them be in the right place at the right time. Many schools have peer mentoring in place. This is from pupil volunteers who are trained to help younger pupils settle in and talk about common problems like homesickness.

A boarding house is the accommodation that a child will live in whilst at boarding school. Boarding houses come in different sizes and layouts and vary from school to school. When talking with a school, it is worth asking for plenty of information about the boarding house before making a choice. Your child will be cared for and encouraged within their boarding house to take part in all aspects of school and social life. The young people in the house are supported by a house parent, sometimes known as a housemaster or housemistress. They are often a member of the teaching staff and live (in part of the house) with their own family. The houses also have a ‘house matron’, whose job it is to look after the young people in the house. These people are here to make sure life at school and in the boarding house is as much like home as possible as boarding with other young people can have its own challenges. Most schools offer taster days and boarding weekends so a young person can see if they like boarding.

A Buttle partnership involves signing up to our memorandum of understanding and agreeing to work with us in a specific way and providing funding for young people whilst they are at the school. This funding provides support toward the fees, the boarding place and allow the young person to access the additional opportunities and activities that the school can offer.

If you would like to know more please contact info@buttleuk.org.