The truth about boarding school: the girls

I attended a private all girls school in the heart of Sussex. When I tell people this, I get one of three reactions:

1.“You’re used to sleepovers in your underwear then?”

2. “Was it like St. Trinians?”

3. “God, you must think a lot of yourself then!”

Yes, I know. It looks like something out of a movie.

I’ll be the first to admit, attending a private school is kind of like being in your own little bubble, especially if you board (as I did). There’s a lot expected of you, and if you don’t put in your utmost, there will be punishments.

I’ll dispel the St. Trinian’s myth now. We didn’t play crazy pranks on our teachers, and we didn’t invent crazy elaborate schemes that kept the school open. Of course, my school was made up of girls and so there was in-fighting and some bullying.

Not so much this…

But, bullying is something faced in all schools and I reject the idea that bullying is worse in private schools as compared to state schools. The bullying might be somewhat different, over horses rather than pencil cases, but it’s still bullying nonetheless.

Ultimately though, it was basically like living with your best friends.

More like this..

There’s a perception of private schools perpetuated in society that it’s full of upper class, over privileged snobs. Whilst that is occasionally true, the people I met during my school days were anything but.

My school offered a wide range of scholarships to attract less financially well off students who were academically gifted.  I do believe that my school offered me the chance to grow in confidence as a person, in a safe and secure environment, without being judged.

If people interpret that as thinking a lot of myself, then that’s their issue to deal with. I survived over a decade mostly in the company of all-girls, damn straight I’m confident!

She would definitely get written up for uniform violations.

I’ll never regret where I went to school. If anything, it taught me to deal with those bitches you meet later in life who’ll never like you.

If I can deal with Sussex’s version of Regina George every day, I can deal with my boyfriend’s ex who doesn’t know when to leave us the fuck alone.

This is what an actual sleepover looks like. Look, we’re all wearing clothes!

I understand girls better. Not just because I am one, because I’ve had to deal with the horrible ones. Yes, I chose to leave after my GCSEs, but that had nothing to do with the school itself.

And just so you know, we don’t have sleepovers in our underwear. That’s just what porn thinks we do. Sorry to dispel your fantasy, guys.