Boarding

Stonyhurst boarding is a home from home, with a lively, family atmosphere in a comfortable, informal and supportive environment. Boarding at Stonyhurst is centred upon excellent pastoral care within happy, well-ordered surroundings, in high quality accommodation. 

Our boarding structure

Across the College and Sixth Form, there are five boarding houses for boys, and three boarding houses for girls, one for Years 9 and 10, one for Year 11, and one for Years 12 and 13. Each boarding house is run by a House Parent and an Assistant and team of teaching staff who support their work. Our House Parents live in the boarding house, and each house has its own unique family atmosphere.

Boarders at Stonyhurst mix with pupils of different ages and backgrounds within the same boarding house. We believe shared dorms (Years 12 and 13 board in single rooms) allow pupils to learn and understand other pupil's cultures and faiths, by making friends and living in a thriving community based on mutual respect, as excellent preparation for the adult world. International pupils will make progress in English by leaps and bounds because of the close daily contact and shared activities with English-speaking pupils.

Hear from our boarders


Figures and Rudiments

From September 2024, we reconfigured the school and made the decision to move Figures (Year 7) and Rudiments (Year 8) into the College. Although these two year groups are now part of the College, boarding will still remain at St Mary's Hall and pupils will be walked over to the Aloysius House Playroom (situated in the College) each morning for registration at 08:10am.

A 7-day-a-week boarding school

Stonyhurst is very much a 7-day-a-week boarding school with a busy weekend activities programme: this includes visits to the cinema, trips to the theatre or sports events and cultural excursions to places such as York or Manchester. Everyone attends Mass in St Peter’s Church on Sunday morning. There are a range of supervised activities provided for boarders every evening after supper and studies, including sport, time to contact home, and creative activities. A snack is available every weeknight in the Boarding Kitchen and 'tuck' is on offer on a Wednesday and Saturday evening. Supported study or revision takes place daily in the time period leading up to examinations.

Full, weekly & occasional boarding options

The majority of boarders at Stonyhurst are full boarders, however we also offer other boarding options to meet the needs of families and pupils. Boarding at Stonyhurst is open to all pupils from age 7 (Year 3) to age 18 (Year 13).

  • Full Boarding is for children who are with us all week and allows pupils to experience all aspects of our provision to the fullest extent.
  • Weekly Boarding is available for children who are with us from at least Monday to Friday night each week and return to school Monday morning.
  • Occasional boarding enables pupils to board for any period of time from sporadic one-offs to a more regular one or two nights per week. The more boarding nights that are booked each term, the less the cost per night. Please note, this option is only available if there are vacant beds.

 

Learn more about our Boarding Houses

Boarders said that they enjoyed being part of the school community and its close family atmosphere. Boarders of all ages and nationalities are supportive of each other, within a harmonious community.

 ISI Inspection Report 


 

Explore a Boarding House through our 360° Virtual Tour

 

Common Room

Launch tour

 

Kitchen Space

Launch tour

 

Bedrooms

Launch tour

 

Rated excellent in all areas by ISI!

View the report

Excellent pastoral care and the excellent boarding experience further contribute to pupil’s resilience and independence.

IS Report 2016

Where do you want to go next?