History Main / BoardingSchool

The misadventures of students at boarding schools were once a staple of children's literature, starting in the Victorian era, but they fell out of fashion in TheSixties. Starting in the [[TheNineties late 1990s]], however, the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series, a HeroicFantasy taking place in a {{wizarding|school}} boarding school, revived many of its tropes (although significantly breaking from the tradition by making the school mixed instead of single-sex; and also free to attend). [[note]]They are called "public schools" in the UK, the British term for most private schools, which are commonly boarding schools. Boarding schools may be "public" schools where the pupils are not charged a tuition fee and/or the pupils are selected on their talents or meritocratic basis, or "private", where the pupils (or rather their parents) are charged a tuition fee (which may or may not be outrageous). In Britain, public schools are private and do charge fees, unless you're a scholarship student, and both terms are used more or less interchangeably. See Useful Notes or the Other Wiki for explanation.[[/note]]

* ''Film/TheGettingOfWisdom'' is set in an all-girls' school located near UsefulNotes/{{Melbourne}} in the [[TheGayNineties 1890s]].

* Bob Geldof, lead singer of TheBoomtownRats, describes his experiences at a Catholic boarding school in Ireland during TheSeventies in his memoirs. It was [[BoardingSchoolOfHorrors not a pleasant experience]] to put it mildly, and contributed greatly to his disenchantment with the Catholic Church.

* The TropeCodifier for the girls' boarding school story is the work (over fifty novels) of Angela Brazil. They were the original source of most of the tropes that came to be regarded as boarding school cliches in later years and suffered badly from OnceOriginalNowOverdone as a result.

Quite often, the school buildings would be old and in fairly bad shape - leaking roofs, faulty heating, and clanking pipes - leading to stories where the children attempted to raise enough money to [[HeyLetsPutOnAShow save their school]]. If the boarding school is in an old castle or manor house, the kids may explore and find hidden {{Bookcase Passage}}s, {{Secret Underground Passage}}s, and {{Secret Room}}s, in which they may find antiques and mysterious items. If it's a fantasy story, they may find magical items or portals.

* The Jeremiah School Of Young Prophets in ''Literature/TheJeremiahSchool'', which is where young children who are called to be prophets of God go to.

* The TropeCodifier for the girls' boarding school story is the work (over fifty novels) of Angela Brazil. They were the original source of most of the tropes that came to be regarded as boarding school cliches in later years and suffered badly from SeinfeldIsUnfunny as a result.

The misadventures of students at boarding schools were once a staple of children's literature, starting in the Victorian era, but they fell out of fashion in TheSixties. Starting in the late 1990s, however, the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series, a HeroicFantasy taking place in a {{wizarding|school}} boarding school, revived many of its tropes (although significantly breaking from the tradition by making the school mixed instead of single-sex; and also free to attend). [[note]]They are called "public schools" in the UK, the British term for most private schools, which are commonly boarding schools. Boarding schools may be "public" schools where the pupils are not charged a tuition fee and/or the pupils are selected on their talents or meritocratic basis, or "private", where the pupils (or rather their parents) are charged a tuition fee (which may or may not be outrageous). In Britain, public schools are private and do charge fees, unless you're a scholarship student, and both terms are used more or less interchangeably. See Useful Notes or the Other Wiki for explanation.[[/note]]

The misadventures of students at boarding schools were once a staple of children's literature, starting in the Victorian era, but they fell out of fashion in the sixties. Starting in the late 1990s, however, the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series, a HeroicFantasy taking place in a {{wizarding|school}} boarding school, revived many of its tropes (although significantly breaking from the tradition by making the school mixed instead of single-sex; and also free to attend). [[note]]They are called "public schools" in the UK, the British term for most private schools, which are commonly boarding schools. Boarding schools may be "public" schools where the pupils are not charged a tuition fee and/or the pupils are selected on their talents or meritocratic basis, or "private", where the pupils (or rather their parents) are charged a tuition fee (which may or may not be outrageous). In Britain, public schools are private and do charge fees, unless you're a scholarship student, and both terms are used more or less interchangeably. See Useful Notes or the Other Wiki for explanation.[[/note]]