A Different Kind of School
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CHECK 3 Answer the questions. A different kind of school Hi, I’m Alex and I go to a boarding school in Wiltshire. They’re different from other schools because you live there during term- time. They’re usually private schools – parents pay fees for their kids’ lessons and accommodation. 1 What are boarding schools? Why am I here? My parents were travelling a lot when I was younger, so a boarding school was convenient and they had the money to send me here! It’s also a family tradition. My dad went to a single-sex boarding school, but I’m at a mixed school. I prefer it that way. 2 Why is Alex at a boarding school? We live in school houses (yes, like in Harry Potter!). My house is called Burnley. It’s a bit like a family. We have a house master (Mr Greaves, one of the teachers) and a house mistress (Mr Greaves’s wife). They live with us and they’re always there if we have any problems. 3 What is Burnley and why is it like a family? Venture Level 1 . Venture into Culture, p.114 © Oxford University Press PHOTOCOPIABLE We have lessons from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. We have lunch in the dining hall, where we eat all our meals. After lessons we usually do sport. Then we do our homework or we go to an after- school club. 4 What do the students do after school finishes? In the evenings we can do what we want, but there are strict bedtimes. We sleep in dormitories, which some people think is a bit strange, but I don’t mind it. We have lessons or sports on Saturday mornings, but we’re free for the rest of the weekend. Sometimes students’ families come to visit them on Sundays, and twice a term we have an exeat, when we can go home on Friday afternoon for the whole weekend. 5 What is an exeat? What are the bad things about boarding schools? The school rules here are very strict and our uniform is really old-fashioned! 6 What are the negative things about boarding schools, according to Alex? The girls wear really long skirts and we all wear a long, blue coat and a stripy tie. It’s embarrassing when we go into town, as other teenagers look at us. When I first arrived here, I felt homesick and lonely. Some kids hate boarding school life, but I enjoy it now because I like doing sport every day and I have some good friends. We have lots of fun. 7 What does Alex like about his school? Venture Level 1 . Venture into Culture, p.114 © Oxford University Press PHOTOCOPIABLE.