Incentive For Families to Go West Offered by West Buckland School
12 May 2020
Has your child ever surfed a wave next to their Headmaster? Or hit the beach mid-week to study sea creatures in rock pools? Or traversed a National Park on a Tuesday to study soil erosion? Research has shown that this is exactly what many parents would love their children to be doing but unsurprisingly, they don’t have the access to these natural ‘classrooms’.
Has your child ever surfed a wave next to their Headmaster? Or hit the beach mid-week to study sea creatures in rock pools? Or traversed a National Park on a Tuesday to study soil erosion? Research has shown that this is exactly what many parents would love their children to be doing but unsurprisingly, they don’t have the access to these natural ‘classrooms’.
With many children having sat their Common Entrance exams recently, West Buckland School, a Top 40 co-ed independent Prep and Senior school in stunning Devon, has launched a new initiative that puts family first. We are offering outstanding independent schooling beyond the pollution, congestion and expense of the South East of England, whilst still enabling parents to remain in the city for their work.
The Benefits of the Countryside and a Realistic Price
‘Go West’ (www.westbuckland.com/go-west) offers a 5-night boarding option for under £20,000 a year, which would see children aged 11 and upwards enjoying all the benefits of a school with open space, fresh air and the mental and physical benefits of a rural setting, without compromising on their education. One person who has seen, first hand, the benefits of fresh air is former Olympic triple-jumper, Michelle Griffith-Robinson, who moved with her family to the school when her husband, former Wales rugby international, Matthew Robinson, took up the post of Head of Boarding at West Buckland.
“Our youngest son suffered with acute asthma when we were living in Kent and was always having to miss out on swimming and other activities due to shortness of breath. Within months of being here we noticed that he wasn’t needing to use his inhaler nearly as much and now he’s unstoppable!”
Families can have Valuable Weekend Time Together
Families can choose to join their children in Devon at weekends for some quality time together in this beautiful part of the world. Staying in one of the school’s Preferred Supplier B&Bs, hotels and holiday cottages (featured on the school’s website), many of which are run by parents or former pupils of the school, parents taking up the Go West package will be able to kick back and enjoy family time, watch their children in sports fixtures or concerts, go to the beach, trek across Exmoor or simply relax without the pressures of city life.
Alternatively, children can be taken to Tiverton Parkway on Friday after school for a train home at weekends and picked up from the station on Sunday evening.
Parents Fed Up with the Exhausting Pace
West Buckland Headmaster, Phillip Stapleton, believes this offers the best of both worlds for some families in and around the South East. “We know, from the many enquiries we have had and from our research, that families are fed up with high levels of pollution, traffic, very pressured schools and the exhausting pace of life, causing them to look at educational alternatives for their children.
“Our Go West package puts family at the centre of everything and offers a cost-effective solution to those who are tied to cities by their jobs but want a healthy and high-quality education for their children.”
“Having no entrance assessment for our Prep children on entering the Senior school takes away all the stress of SATS and Common Entrance as we are a through school offering a continuous education from three to eighteen.”
Some are Choosing to Move for Good
For those looking to move out of the South East completely, Michelle Griffith-Robinson does empathise with those who might be fearful of geographical remoteness and a lack of facilities. “I can reassure families that are looking to move to the South West, you will not regret it. Life is less frenetic and more relaxing but at the same time adventure awaits you here and you won’t be compromising on culture, quality of education for your children or the quality of your family’s health.”