What boarding packages does Leweston offer?

Leweston offers five clearly structured boarding packages for 2026/27. Leweston Plus gives every Senior School pupil three complimentary overnight stays included in the day fee, plus access to a Standby bed at short notice. Leweston Flex provides an allocated bed and two guaranteed nights per week in the termly fee, available from Year 4. Leweston Full offers seven nights available every week with weekend decisions made week by week — no forms, no extra charges. Leweston World is an all-inclusive package for international pupils covering everything from airport transfers to EAL support in a single termly fee. Leweston Sixth gives Sixth Form pupils a guaranteed private study bedroom, paid per night with no weekly obligation. Every package has a published fee. Nothing is added mid-year.

Can children board from Year 4?

Yes. Leweston Flex and Leweston Full are both available from Year 4 — earlier than most comparable schools in the South West. Leweston Plus begins from Year 7, and Leweston Sixth from Year 12. Boarding available from Year 4 is one of the things that makes Leweston's offer genuinely different for prep-age families.

What are the nightly boarding rates at Leweston?

All Leweston families can book overnight stays without a package commitment. There are three published nightly rates: the Standby rate at £60 per night for emergency bookings within 24–48 hours; the Sleepover rate at £48 per night for any ad hoc overnight stay with no prior commitment; and the Frequent Sleeper rate at £40 per night for pre-booked blocks or additional nights for Flex boarders. There are no booking fees and no minimum nights required.

Is boarding available for international pupils?

Yes. Leweston welcomes international boarders from a wide range of countries and has extensive experience supporting pupils who are far from home. The Leweston World package is built specifically for international families, covering everything needed for a pupil to board comfortably — including on-site Exeat accommodation so there is no need for a host family arrangement during school holidays. A funded taster visit is available before any enrolment commitment is made.

Boarding for Every Family | Flexible Boarding School Dorset

Q: What is included in Leweston World?

Leweston World is designed for international families who need total cost certainty. One termly fee covers full boarding, airport transfers at every half term and full term, on-site Exeat accommodation (no host family required), EAL support throughout the year, all EAL exam fees, CAS documentation guidance, weekend activities, and a funded 48-hour taster visit arranged before any enrolment decision. The only costs at family discretion are individual electives such as music tuition, LAMDA, equestrian, and elite sport. Leweston World is available from Year 7, from £13,628 per term.

Boarding at Leweston isn't a single option. It's a ladder, five clearly structured packages that let your family access boarding at the level that works for you, right now. You can start at any rung and move up as your needs change.

Whether you need a guaranteed bed two nights a week, the full experience of seven nights with weekends always at your discretion, or an all-inclusive package for an international pupil, there is an option here that fits.

Come and see the boarding house. It's the thing that's hardest to convey on a page and easiest to see in person.

	What it means	From (per term)	Available from
Leweston Plus	Day place + 3 complimentary overnight stays. Standby bed available at short notice. Additional nights from £48.	£7,909- £8,475	Year 7
Leweston Flex	Allocated bed, personal storage, two guaranteed nights per week in the termly fee. Additional nights at £40/night.	£6,173 - £9,900	Year 4
Leweston Full	Seven nights available every week. Weekend decisions made week by week.	£11,793 - £12,880	Year 4
Leweston World	All-inclusive international boarding: full board, airport transfers, on-site Exeat accommodation, CAS, weekend activities, taster visit.	£13,628 - £14,990	Year 7
Leweston Sixth	Private study bedroom. Stay when you need it. Particularly valuable in exam season.	£9,350 + £40/night	Year 12

	Per Night	When it applies
Standby	£60	Emergency booking within 24–48 hours. Available to all families from Year 4.
Sleepover	£48	Standard ad hoc overnight stay. No prior commitment required.
Frequent Sleeper	£40	Pre-booked blocks or additional nights for Flex boarders.

What boarding life actually looks like

Ask any parent who was sceptical about boarding what changed their mind, and the answer is almost always the same: we came to see it.

Evenings in the Leweston boarding house are active, varied, and genuinely social. There is cooking and crafts, outdoor time in the school grounds, film nights, board games, and the kind of unhurried conversation between children of different ages that is almost impossible to engineer and that happens naturally when young people share a space over time.

Screens are managed thoughtfully. Supper is communal and noisy and warm. Older pupils look out for younger ones without being asked. Children who arrive uncertain about boarding leave talking about when they can come back.

Come and see it for yourself

The boarding house is active, warm, and genuinely different from the boarding of a previous generation. The best way to understand it is to spend an afternoon here.

Join us for our Experience Leweston Open Afternoon on Thursday 19 June. Children choose one hands-on activity; parents attend talks and a guided tour of the school. Places are limited.

About Leweston

Leweston is an independent co-educational boarding and day school for pupils aged 3 to 18, set in 50 acres of Dorset countryside just outside Sherborne. Small enough that everyone knows each other, and different enough that children who don't quite fit the mould tend to thrive here.

We are the only co-educational school in a town of single-sex schools. One of only a handful of schools in the country designated as a GB Modern Pentathlon Talent Hub. Our equestrian programme at the Leweston Chedington Riding Academy is BHS Approved and nationally recognised.

And our boarding house is active, warm, screen-light and genuinely different from the boarding of a previous generation.