To board or not to board?

What does Pembroke House mean by ‘responsive’ boarding’?
We take a flexible, sensible approach to boarding which allows your child to board at a pace that suits them and works for you as a family. For some children, who live close to school, they may choose to be ‘day’ pupils only or only board occasionally. Some children only board mid-week and typically go home every weekend. The key is that we understand that their needs and preferences evolve and change over time. Often, younger children choose to stay over in the boarding house perhaps just once a week; then as they get older and seek more independence, they can build up the amount of evenings they sleep at school so that they are increasingly prepared for a full boarding experience when they reach senior school. All children enrolled at Pembroke House are allocated their own bed in dorms and use this as a ‘base’ to keep uniform, where they get changed for sports, where they take their ‘rest’ after lunch and can still feel part of the boarding family.

How often will I get to see my child during the term?
During ‘Closed’ weekends at the beginning and end of each term, we encourage all children to stay in the boarding house. Otherwise, we welcome parents to be very much part of the Pembroke House experience. Parents are warmly invited to join our chapel service every Monday and Friday morning; we value their support on the touchline at all sports fixtures; we understand that family and friends might want to take their children ‘out’ of the boarding house to join them for a chat and treat at the Martlet Café and throughout the term we have plenty of events where we encourage parents to join us – from watching plays in the theatre, cheering on the children at ‘Boats’, listening to musical performances or joining community events. We also try to schedule our key events, such as the Christingle Service or play productions on the last day of term so that you can then combine these with taking your child home afterwards.

We would love our child to attend Pembroke House but live so far away. Can we make it work?
We recognise that distances in Kenya can be huge and that work or business commitments can be far away. To assist families, we offer excellent transport options, running our own school buses between Nairobi, Naivasha and Nakuru. We also have two local airstrips in Gilgil and have a number of children who quite literally ‘fly’ into school at the start of the week! We also welcome children, often from the UK, for just a ‘sabbatical’ term whose parents are keen to give them exposure to a different, yet magical educational experience. If you have concerns that you may not be able to collect them for exeat as regularly as you would like, then Pembroke House understands this. We ensure that your child doesn’t feel excluded by arranging wonderful trips to Nakuru and Baringo, where the children enjoy time away from school.