Building better futures: Brilliant British boarding in Bangladesh
The best boarding schools are built on three pillars: strong values, great people and explicit standards. Haileybury Bhaluka has a mission to develop advanced performers, enterprising learners, and creative thinkers
Traditions in English Literature
Boarding schools have a significant place in British arts and culture, spanning classic literature, popular children's comics and mainstream films. From Tom Brown's Schooldays in the 19th to Decline and Fall mid-20th century, British boarding schools have been the classic set for fictionalising the English ruling class.
Comic parodies like Billy Bunter of Greyfriars and St Tinian's had mass appeal; the first a weekly feature in a boys' own magazine and the second a successful series of films that captured the comedy of an unruly girls' school. Literary titans like Orwell and Ishiguro gave an autobiographical essay and a piece of sinister science fiction, respectively.
The most magical boarding school and perhaps the world's best known is Hogwarts, first appearing in the wonderful Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. With over 500 million copies sold and read, Hogwarts was a literary sensation: with young children queuing to read it out of sheer love of doing so.
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Beyond literature, boarding schools are seen as the breeding ground for a social elite in arts, science and politics: for example, since 1945, of the 17 UK prime ministers, 10 were educated privately; and since 2020, just 20% of UK cabinet ministers were state educated. Closer to home, we see the towering figure of Clement Attlee, Britain's successful post-war prime minister, who was educated at Haileybury College. Closer to home, we see leading figures from the arts, sports, the diplomatic service, the armed services, business, law and learning.
Boarding Home from home
Such a prominent place in arts and culture shape our views about boarding schools, particularly where there is no tradition of boarding education. The past lingers into the present, but the present shapes a progressive and exciting future.
Haileybury Bhaluka commissioned market research onboarding education in Bangladesh before it built the school. It showed polarities. Parents with family ties to English boarding schools had a strong affiliation, articulating the experience of instilling values, building character and developing lifelong skills. Parents who had been educated in local schools were less informed and more ambivalent.
Many parents now see the value of their son being educated at an outstanding school, right here in Bangladesh. No more sending him away. No visa applications or expensive flights. No complicated family logistics. No more agents' commissions or exchange outflows.
Boarding at Bhaluka
Like many modern boarding schools, we promote flexible boarding arrangements. Some boys choose to board on a weekly basis and spend their weekends with their parents. Others prefer to be full boarders, taking advantage of a full programme of weekend activities, and selecting special weekends to be with their parents (exeats).
We also host families for school events and activities, as we treasure when parents are with us supporting the school. In close touch with the Housemaster, boys can vary their stays to take advantage of special family occasions and the like. Boarding at Bhaluka offers a wonderfully calm context for learning and self-discovery but is never too far to be with close friends and family.
Great people, strong values, clear standards
The best boarding schools are built on three pillars: strong values, great people and explicit standards. Haileybury Bhaluka has a mission to develop advanced performers, enterprising learners, and creative thinkers. We are delighted that an experienced UK housemaster – Mr Chris Hill – is joining us, along with his wife and children. We value that he has led great boarding houses and know that he is keen to meet with our new families.
Values-driven with great people at the helm, a brilliant boarding education is built on clear standards. Haileybury Bhaluka draws upon international boarding standards (from the UK Boarding Schools Association and the Council of British International Schools) and is accountable to international inspectors for the quality of its provision.
Our standards focus on happiness and well-being; well-trained staff and great facilities; regular communication with home; care and consideration for our boys' health and safety; high standards of cuisine, and a superb range of activities to suit all interests.
We have taken great care in designing our facilities to ensure that it feels like home from home. We have first-rate study facilities for prep and great spaces for arts, music and sports, with a well-resourced fitness suite on site. We are the only boarding school to have full insurance for its students, as well as a qualified doctor and nurse at the school's medical centre.
We have built a team of highly trained staff: international teachers, boarding matrons, sports coaches, medical staff, and security teams. We take safeguarding seriously and all our staff have been subject to safer recruitment and rigorous employment checks. We are keen to share our expertise with other schools here.
We value regular communication between school and home, with welcome visits to campus, online communication and a specially designed app that keeps us in touch with our boys throughout the day. When a new boy joins our school, he is welcomed by fellow students and given a supportive induction to Haileybury Bhaluka; he soon becomes part of the family. We are choosy about our food and ensure that there is a wide choice to suit special dietary, medical or religious needs, and we take feedback from our borders seriously.
We invest in a great programme of events, activities and trips. Every day is a busy day with something different going on, be it a sports fixture, a lecture, a Duke of Edinburgh expedition or a Model United Nations conference. You name it; we probably have it already. Successful activities are well organised with experienced coaches and tutors and appropriate staffing ratios.
Best of British Boarding in Bangladesh
The offer of a school place at Haileybury Bhaluka is the special preserve of the Headmaster, and it's a special privilege to be selected to join the school. To take up the place is a decision for the student in concert with his parents. You choose to join Haileybury if offered a place to come. And in opening up a world of new possibilities, get ready to fly, for Haileybury is boarding now.
Simon O'Grady is the Founding Headmaster of Haileybury Bhaluka, the first premier boarding school in Bangladesh. Having built outstanding schools on three continents, he draws on his leadership experience in a series of defining articles to reimagine education. An alumnus of The London School of Economics, he understands the importance of investing in human capital.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.
