Girls boost boarding school enrolments

Boarding schools are experiencing a surge in numbers, as more parents choose to send their daughters away to study at an earlier age, figures suggest.

The numbers of pupils attending boarding prep schools – which usually cater for seven to 13-year-olds – have risen to 13,945 from 13,426 in 2008, according to the Independent Association of Prep Schools. This was fuelled by a 23 per cent increase in the number of girls enrolling.