studentfocus Boarding at St George’s Ascot I remember my first term in St George’s. I was 13 years old, fresh from Nigeria and the Lycée Français Louis Pasteur de Lagos. I was so scared that I wouldn’t fit in or that the girls would not be welcoming. I was shocked by all the girls in my year, and even the year above, coming to say hi and wanting to get to know me. Boarding at St George’s is a lot of fun. The boarding spaces are very private and the activities are entertaining. Communicating with our families is really easy too as we have access to our phones in the evening. There are many leadership roles for girls and many things other than academics to learn, like confidence, tolerance, inclusivity and open-mindedness. I would definitely recommend joining St George’s. Carmen – Fourth Year (Year 10). St George’s has really helped with my confidence and English grammar since I came from a French-speaking school. The school introduced me to so many new things such as netball, which I had never heard of, and now I am on the U18 netball team. Omosigho – Lower Sixth (Year 12). I am currently in the Third Year (Year 9) at St George’s. This year is very special for my year because we have our GCSE choices coming up and we require a lot of advice. For an international student whose parents have not done GCSEs it can be hard, but the staff have helped me and given me advice that my parents could not have and I really appreciate it. Boarding is defined as “the arrangement according to which pupils live in school during term”, but to me boarding at St George’s is a home that is on school premises. I joined St George’s in September 2017 and knew right away that I liked it. The taster night that I had before joining was a great way to meet people and get used to boarding. I was a bit shy at first, but I soon realised how nice everyone is and I made friends quickly. It is really fun, with activities in the evenings and weekends. The boarding staff are more like parents than staff to us, and provide strong pastoral care and help us with our daily needs. Joanna – Third Year (Year 9). 13 UK SCHOOLS DIRECTORY 2019/20