# A Very Sad Statistic



## Guest (Sep 21, 2007)

I am one of those "lucky" souls who went to a Girl's boarding school in the mid/late 1970's and despite the cozy stereotype of jolly hockey sticks and midnight feasts - it was absolutely HORRENDOUS. Now I'm not sobbing in my beer - both my parents went (for different reasons) and they genuinely thought it would be a fantastic opportunity for me and my wayward sister Fay. I was mercilessly bullied and life was pretty bloody grim (being locked up in a cupboard all night and beaten with hairbrushes rank as particular low spots).Apparently, kids who went to boarding schools are about ten times more likely to experience mental health problems - I don't find that statistic particularly surprising. What is chilling is that I've just heard about a girl who was in my class - who committed suicide last week. I wasn't close to this lass but its still pretty horrendous and rather too close to home in the light of what happened to me about 20 months ago!!!I don't know whether anyone else was shuntled off to boarding school - I'd love to hear your stories - I think alot of my friends now look at me as if I'm lying when I tell them about my experiences there.I must admit - the last 2 years were an absolute hoot - we had our own rooms and I think life was alot more normal - especially thanks to the wonderful larger than life Dr Ingle who taught Biology and who took us on many a piss up on the River Severn - god bless him.Sue


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## Haunted (Mar 29, 2007)

I go to a co-ed boarding school, but I don't actually board. I'm just a day student. I have four boarders in my class, and although they all seem to be fine, I often wonder what their life is really like. I know I could never be a boarder with IBS and all. Even 7 hours at school is a big challenge, so I certainly wouldn't survive boarding for over two months at a time!


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2007)

To be honest Jack - I don't think you can compare life in today's boarding schools with what it was like 30 years' ago - least I HOPE not. Even mine is unrecognisable from then - no school uniforms, the Sixth run their own enterprise company, proper liaison with a boy's school (instead of in the shrubbery at the odd - very odd Sixth form disco), limitless visits home and many weekly board too.Yeah, I cannot imagine how I'd have survived those grizzly bathrooms (you had to put a sock over the bathtap to make it run - they were push on - baths had to be 3" deep no more - hair washing once a week) with IBS!!!!Thanks for sharingSue


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## evulienka (Jan 12, 2007)

"Stereotype of jolly hockey sticks and midnight feasts" - yeah, that´s exactly the way I have always imagined it - but only because I grew up reading Enid Blyton books ( I think we have already mentioned it on another thread). I´m sorry that the reality was so different, Sue. How many years did you have to spend there? I have no other experience with boarding schools - I´ve never attened one and none of my friends, either. I´m sorry you had to go through such a torture. I´m like Jack - it was hard enough for me to be in high school with IBS and everything, I can hardly imagine myself being in boarding school.


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2007)

Oh god bless you - it wasn't that bad Evu - well the first 3 years were - I was there from 1974-1980 - so 11 to 17. It was cold, bleak and frankly not the ideal place to be if you were clever, short-sighted and complete #### at sports!!! However, I suppose I learnt to be resilient and in the end made some pretty amazing friends. I do think it scarred me to a certain extent - and certainly scarred alot of other folk too - I know of at least 6 suicides of people who were there with me (though not all age peers). Yes, we had tuck-boxes and terrible blue tweed cloaks. We were totally isolated - the school was on the Welsh/Shropshire border and the only men we ever saw were the maths teacher - beard, speccies and terrible BO and the extra fruit man (god knows what he did - he did run off with the cook). I can't actually believe I ever went there really - but it was about as far removed from Enid Blyton as it is possible to be. We had Hale Selassi's daughter and 3 girls who had been expelled from borstals - so yeah, pretty colourful characters right enough.Rejoice you didn't have to attend such a loony-tunes establishment Evu.Far more importantly, hows you - are you in a better frame of mind about going off to college??Sue xxxxx


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## Haunted (Mar 29, 2007)

SueV said:


> and frankly not the ideal place to be if you were clever, short-sighted and complete #### at sports!!!


We have so much in common!


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## Guest (Sep 22, 2007)

but of course Jack - thats why you and my son have the best lad's name in the known universe!!!!Sue


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## Haunted (Mar 29, 2007)

SueV said:


> but of course Jack - thats why you and my son have the best lad's name in the known universe!!!!Sue


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