Ready for the start of the 2017/18 academic year, ACS Cobham International School has opened a new £15 million boarding house that provides world-class facilities for an additional 113 boys and girls. Located in Surrey, to the south of central London, ACS Cobham (part of the ACS International Schools group) is coeducational, with 1,400 day and boarding pupils ranging in age from two to 18. The school offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, the US High School Diploma, Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and the new AP Capstone and International Diplomas.The opening of the new boarding house, Woodlands, was celebrated at a garden party held in the school grounds. Guests included the chief executive of the Boarding Schools’ Association, the Mayor of Elmbridge, members of the school community, and past boarders and staff. 

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Also of interest:

• Choosing a boarding school in the UK
• The new boarding experience: perspectives from schools
• The International Baccalaureate
• The US education system explained

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The modern boarding experience

Woodlands lies within the school’s 128-acre campus, allowing boarders out-of-hours access to its sports, academic, technology and performing-arts facilities, which include six tennis courts, a 25-metre pool, and a six-hole golf course.Mark Venn-Dunn, head of boarding at ACS Cobham, explained that, to develop the concept for the new boarding house, the school had asked itself what the boarding experience should be like and how it could create “the ideal situation for today’s children”.He added, “With light, airy rooms, an array of social hubs, and state-of-the-art facilities, we believe our new boarding house provides a modern, family-style space to relax, study and live – just like at home.”The new house has six common rooms and two quiet areas for socialising, studying and eating, including a cinema-style room, a games room, and work areas with flexible furniture and technology for group projects.A triple-height atrium extending over three floors maximises natural light and space, giving boarders views across the campus and woodlands.As well as accommodation for boarding house staff, the development includes landscaped areas and a communal barbecue area.

Demand for boarding increases

The new facility is helping to meet growing demand from families, both internationally based and local, for boarding-school education. As Relocate’s Guide to Education & Schools in the UK reports, the UK’s boarding schools are among the world’s most sought after – and, with international students comprising a third of the 70,000+ pupils currently at the country’s 500 or so boarding schools, the global appetite for a residential education shows no sign of diminishing.A multimillion-pound refurbishment of ACS Cobham’s other boarding house, Fields, is now underway. It will include a new walk-in medical centre.In October, the school will be holding open mornings for families who are considering applying. Parents can register here.For related news and features, visit our Talent Management section.

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