Government to promote boarding school as alternative to care

Councils are set to receive pressure to place children in boarding schools instead of in residential care.

As reported by Schools Week, officials will promote boarding schools as part of plans to put vulnerable children in state and independent boarding schools.

At the moment, around 100 children under council care attend boarding schools in England, saving local authorities tens of thousands of pounds.

Boarding fees range from £25,000 to £39,000 a year if paid in full, but can be lower with bursaries or scholarships.

Residential care placement costs well over £100,000.

Boarding School Partnerships, an organisation that links care charities and councils with boarding places for children, was launched earlier this year with ministerial support and funding from the Department for Education and Education Endowment Foundation.

Colin Morrison, the former chair of the Royal National Children’s Foundation, who chairs Boarding School Partnerships, aims to assist the council in identifying cases where boarding school might be suitable for an individual.