Royal National Children's Foundation

Project based in: UK

Boarding school education for children with extreme home difficulties

The issue

Most children enjoy a happy life with loving, caring parents. For a variety of reasons, however, the normal happy development of some children is prejudiced by chronic problems in the home.

The response

The Royal National Children’s Foundation (RNCF) works with other charities to fund a boarding school education for children where this is considered to be the best solution for them and where no other suitable care is available. By placing these children in a boarding school, RNCF can give them a high level of stability and care while maintaining family bonds. It can also reduce the pressure within the family, thereby improving the quality of life of everyone involved.

RNCF currently funds more than 330 children at independent or state-run boarding schools. Most are aged between 11 and 18 and must actively want to start boarding. Although parents and carers can choose their school, RNCF usually works with a group of schools that it knows very well which will offer the highest level of pastoral care.

Who, why and how

Children can only qualify for this support if their parent/carer would not otherwise be able to afford the school fees. In addition, RNCF must be satisfied that the child’s home life is preventing them from developing normally and that boarding is in their best interests.

This situation can arise for one of several reasons:

the death or permanent absence of one or both parents
a chronic and enduring mental or physical ill health of a parent
a parent who can no longer meet the daily needs of a child
a sibling with a serious enough disability to affect the care of others in the family
abandonment or abuse.

Whenever the necessary conditions have been met and everyone involved, particularly the child, supports this choice, RNCF sets about arranging the funding. Different charities work together to set up a ‘funding package’ for each child; this often includes a generous bursary from the school itself.

The organisation

In December 2010 the Royal Wanstead Children’s Foundation merged with the Joint educational Trust to form the Royal National Children’s Foundation. Sofronie Foundation continues to support the organisation whose mission remains the same. The Royal Wanstead was set up over 180 years ago. Over the past 40 years, its ‘welfare boarding’ scheme has involved 150 schools and transformed the lives of some 2,000 vulnerable children.

The funding

Sofronie is supporting the Royal National Children’s Foundation for the fifth consecutive year. Its latest grant of £160,000 is supporting over 90 children to start a fresh life at boarding school.

T: +44 (0) 1932 868622
F: +44 (0) 1932 866420
E: admin@rncf.org.uk
W: www.rncf.org.uk