What are the term dates?
Please click here for term dates.

Does Sevenoaks offer weekly boarding?
No, but students may go home after Saturday games by agreement with their Housemaster/Housemistress.

How many boarders to a room?
This depends on the age of the student. Lower School pupils are in dorms of 10; Middle School dorms vary in size between 2 and 6 pupils to a room; most of our Lower Sixth students share with one other student, and most of the Upper Sixth have their own room.

What happens at weekends?
Once school commitments are complete (including games and sports fixtures), students are able to return to the House to relax. From Monday morning to Friday lunchtime school meals are compulsory, but at the weekends there is an element of choice. Depending on their year group students can choose whether to eat in the dining hall, cook for themselves or attend a restaurant in town.  Many students choose to visit other Houses at this time. Houses take it in turns to host cultural and social events on Saturday evenings including each House’s annual ball. On Sundays there is a programme of trips, designed to appeal to a wide variety of boarders. Examples include visits to the London Aquarium and the London Eye, trips to sporting events, cultural visits to historic buildings, ice skating, rock climbing, cinema trips, bowling and off-road cycling.

At Sevenoaks we believe in flexibility, so the only weekend when students have to stay in at the weekend is the very first one of the academic year. At other weekends, provided all the relevant permissions have been sought, students may go home or stay at friends’ houses, returning by 9pm on Sunday evening.

What are exeat weekends?
There are five weekends a year where there is no Saturday school. Boarders go home to parents or guardians on the Friday night, to get a well earned break.

Is the school open over the weekend?
Many of our facilities are open including the Sports Centre, the Music practice rooms and the computer suite.

Do many boarders stay in at the weekend?
Yes, our Houses are pretty full at the weekend. We have House trips every Sunday for Middle and Junior School pupils, and occasional trips are organised for Sixth Form pupils, who prefer to organise their own outings at weekends. Sixth Formers have other attractions that keep them in at weekends like House Balls and International Evenings.

Is the school open over the holidays?
The school is closed during the holidays, though the main school office remains open for most of the year.

When do boarders have to return to School?
Boarders must be back in their Houses by 21:00 on the day before the start of every term or half-term.

What are Sevenoaks boarders like?
Our aim is to produce sociable, mature, courteous and active students who enjoy being part of the community. While there is no particular type of student that we are looking for, in fact variety of personality is one of the great strengths of the boarding experience, boarders tend to be students who contribute a great deal to school life, and achieve a great deal.

Can they ride bicycles?
Yes, provided they have the relevant permissions.

Where do I get my School uniform?
The School’s outfitters is Horncastles on the High Street. It is about 100 metres from the School. It is possible to purchase items here and put the cost on the School bill. Please log on to the Parent Pages for detailed uniform lists.

Do I have to bring my own duvet, pillow and bedding?
The requirements vary from House to House, so it is best to contact the Housemaster/mistress direct. The information you need will also be in each House’s booklet. There is no need to bring duvets from abroad, as you will be able to purchase bedding from a linen shop in the High Street. In this shop it is possible to have the cost of any purchases added to the School bill.

Do I need a laptop?
Each boarding house has a computer suite with five or six computers linked to the school's network giving access to the Internet, emails, student intranet and secure storage areas for homework, coursework, research and communication. Most Sixth Form boarders, many Middle School and some Junior School boarders also own a laptop for secure, wireless access to the same facilities.

Pupils also have access to facilities in the Computing Department suites until 21:30 and the school Library until 20:00. Both areas also have wireless access to the school's network.

Access to ICT… How is it monitored?
Each of the Houses has a computer room, but each House also has a wireless network. Boarders can connect to the school network system in order to access the internet from their room. Naturally the school blocks unsuitable websites, and restricts access to gaming and social websites during the school day and the allocated homework time in the evening. Each House has an IT representative, and in the ever changing world of ICT the school is proactive in addressing the opinions of the students to see if their needs can be accommodated.

Should I have a mobile phone?
Nearly all of our pupils have mobile phones. They do provide an extra level of security for all our pupils and they find them invaluable for contacting family.

How is work supervised?
Each House has allocated evening prep time, where students work at their study desks. Adults on duty in the evening are always members of the academic staff, and are on hand to help out with any difficulties. During the course of the evening, staff visit each student, offering help and ensuring an appropriately studious atmosphere.

Is there an airport transfer service?
Our matrons co-ordinate the students' journeys to airports and arrange taxis for them. They try to get pupils to share taxis to reduce the cost. The cost will be added to the School bill, if taxis are booked this way. All of our taxi companies hire drivers with enhanced CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) checks. Most companies offer an accompanied delivery to the check-in desk for minors.

Are boarding students required to have a guardian?
The Governors of the School require that every pupil whose parents are resident abroad has a suitable guardian living in this country. Where parents find it difficult to nominate a relative or good acquaintance for this purpose we suggest they refer to the AEGIS website at www.aegisuk.net as a starting point.

How do I find out more about individual Houses?
Visit the Boarding section to view the Boarding Houses’ individual webpages.

How do I arrange a visit to the School and a Boarding House?
Contact the Registrar on regist@sevenoaksschool.org or the Sixth Form Registrar on regist6@sevenoaksschool.org.