Day pupil life at Sedbergh: Grace’s experience
Sedbergh is a full boarding school, and the rhythm of a seven-day community shapes life here. Day pupils are fully part of that community, sharing in the same House life, friendships and opportunities that define the wider Sedbergh experience.
They belong to a House, eat alongside their friends, take part in sport, activities and societies, and can stay for rehearsals, evening meals, prep and events well beyond the end of lessons. For many, the school day extends into the evening before they head home.
Grace, a day pupil in Lupton House, explains what that looks like in practice — and why, for her, going home at night has little bearing on how fully she takes part in Sedbergh life.
Sedbergh is a full boarding school, and the rhythm of a seven-day community shapes life here. Day pupils are fully part of that community, sharing in the same House life, friendships and opportunities that define the wider Sedbergh experience.
They belong to a House, eat alongside their friends, take part in sport, activities and societies, and can stay for rehearsals, evening meals, prep and events well beyond the end of lessons. For many, the school day extends into the evening before they head home.
Grace, a day pupil in Lupton House, explains what that looks like in practice — and why, for her, going home at night has little bearing on how fully she takes part in Sedbergh life.
What does a typical school day at Sedbergh look like for you, from arriving in the morning to heading home?
I arrive at around 7.35am, sometimes earlier if I want to have breakfast in Lupton. Then I head to Chapel for 8.00am and from Chapel go to my lessons.
For break and lunch, I head back to Lupton for some food and chill time in my room. Then I either have two more lessons or Games, when I will get changed in my room.
Some days I will have Drama rehearsals in free time, which I do before going to tea at 6.00pm. I then head to Choir or Orchestra after I have eaten, before going back to House to finish my prep.
I usually get picked up at around 8.30pm, but sometimes later.
What do you enjoy most about being a day pupil at Sedbergh?
What I enjoy most about being a day pupil is being able to get the most out of the school day and all of the experiences I want from Sedbergh, but then being able to go home, talk to my family and sleep in my own bed.
Are there parts of school life that people might not realise day pupils can take part in?
Choir, Orchestra and Band, because they happen outside school hours. Some day pupils might not think they are able to do the things that happen after 6.00pm.
How involved are you in House life, and what does being part of your House mean to you?
I think I am very involved in House life, just as much as a boarder is. Being part of a House means that it is like having a second family. Your House will always look out for you and will push you to do new things and take part in lots of House events and competitions.
What happens after lessons finish? Are there activities, sport, prep, meals or other things you regularly stay for?
There is tea at 6.00pm, then there are things like Band, Orchestra and Choir that happen after lesson time, but also Debating Society, Law Society and many more groups you can join after lessons.
There is also prep from 7.00pm until 9.00pm in the evening.
What do you think makes Sedbergh feel different from a more conventional day school?
There are many more different opportunities you can get at Sedbergh that you wouldn’t be able to get at another school, and you can still get all the unique experiences whilst being a day pupil.
If a family were considering Sedbergh as a day option, what would you want them to understand about the experience?
I would want them to understand that being a day pupil doesn’t mean taking your child home at 6.00pm straight after lessons. It allows them to do all of these new groups and spend more time with friends, and then you are still able to take them home.
Can you think of a moment when you felt particularly involved in, or proud to be part of, the wider Sedbergh community?
I would say when I performed at the Menin Gate in Belgium on the Battlefields trip with Choir for the School’s 500th anniversary. It was a very powerful experience that I will never forget.
When you think about your friends and the people you spend most time with at School, does whether someone boards or goes home at night really come into it?
No, not for me. I have friends who board and I have friends who are day pupils, and I never think that whether you go home or whether you stay at School really matters.
You spend so much time together anyway that, at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter that you go home.
Are there times in the school week when you particularly feel part of the House or wider School community?
When we have House Unisons practice for the House singing competition and the whole House is in one room singing as loudly as possible.
Imagine another pupil was joining Sedbergh as a day pupil next term. Is there anything you would tell them that would help them settle in or make the most of school life?
I would say don’t go home as soon as you can. Stay and get involved with new things and start new experiences you never thought you would do.
You can have so much more fun with your mates, even if you just stay an hour later than lessons.