Monkton Prep School has won the Supporting Junior Boarders Award at the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA) Supporting Excellence Awards, recognising its outstanding approach to supporting young boarders and their families.
The accolade, presented as part of the BSA’s 60th anniversary celebrations, highlights the school’s strong focus on care, community and pupil wellbeing.
It follows Monkton Prep’s recent success in being named Independent Boarding School of the Year 2025, reinforcing its reputation for excellence in boarding.
The award celebrates the school’s innovative, research-led approach to boarding induction, designed to support both pupils and parents before, during and after the transition into boarding life.
At the centre of this work is Sarah Winfield, houseparent at Monkton Prep School, who explored boarding induction as part of her BSA Boarding Leadership Diploma research project.
Her findings identified the importance of emotional preparation for the whole family and the need for support to begin well before a child starts boarding and continue long afterwards.
The impact of this work has extended beyond the school, with Sarah invited to speak at the SCiP Alliance annual conference and contribute to Anderson Education’s think tank, helping to develop a ‘Boarding Thriving Lives’ handbook for families across the UK.
