Life as a Boarder
With almost 125 years experience in boarding, TAS is a leader in residential education.
Residential life at TAS is based on the understanding that a boarding house is a home rather than just a residence, and the existence of caring, 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 House and staff.
Boarding House Structure
TAS is a fully co-educational boarding and day school. Founded in 1894, TAS has been a boarding school with day students for most of its history. In more recent years there has been a change to a balance between boarders and day students in the senior school and 2016 saw the introduction of girls in the senior school. The strong history of boarding continues to pervade the heart of the school and comprises around 230 boarders with boarding offered from Year 6.
Boarding at TAS is flexible and is offered as seven-days-a-week boarding or casual boarding.
The boarding houses provide academic support giving our boarding students a real advantage, as well as an active and rich social and recreational life.
Girls and boys reside in separate accommodation, under the care of specialist staff who understand their needs.
White House is home to all boy Middle School boarders (Years 6–8), who are under the care of the Head of Middle School Boarding and a Housemother, both being assisted by teaching and duty staff.
Commencing Term 3, 2019, Middle School girls reside in Dangar House which was completely refurbished as the inaugural girls’ boarding house in 2016. Living in dormitory style accommodation for six to eight girls, this will replicate the same boarding model for girls’ boarding as it is for boys where all Middle School boarders are able to have their own house and space and a greater level of specialised care given their ages.
Senior girl boarders (years 9-12) are accommodated in the newly built Girls Boarding House, creating a safe and homely environment in a state of the art facility. Girls reside in shared rooms with all aspects of the interior design focused on maintaining a sense of privacy within light, bright rooms. Year 12 girls will typically have their own room. Here specialist staff including the Head of Girls’ Boarding care for them with a keen interest in their happiness and welfare.
In the middle and senior years, vertical boarding provides for interaction, which more closely mimics that of the bonds within a family. Leadership by senior students is seen as an important part of boarding both in terms of the relationship with the boarder and the development of the leader generally.
Both boys and girls take part in inter-house competition based in their senior boarding house – Abbott, Croft, Tyrrell – while day boys and girls compete for one of the three day houses – Broughton, Green or Ross.
