It’s been a huge start to the year for Ascham Boarding! We recently became the first school in NSW to achieve a Certificate of Compliance, relating to the National Boarding Standard for Australian schools and residences. This certification is the culmination of three years’ work of self-assessment and implementation undertaken by Ascham staff, led by Head of Boarding Mrs Allysia Heness-Pugh. Congratulations to Mrs H-P and all the Boarding staff on this very significant achievement!
Today we shine a light on just one of the wonderful programs embedded within Ascham Boarding. We are proud to have a very successful Residential Boarding Program, which gives day students a taste of life as a boarder. Each year, several day students are invited to live in one of our Boarding Houses for one or two terms. It’s such a successful program that some students decide to become full-time boarders in their HSC year.
Living away from home, even for a short time brings both challenges and opportunities for personal growth. Last term, the ‘Resi’ students (as they are affectionately known) embraced boarding life in Macintosh House with enthusiasm, forming new friendships, developing independence and learning valuable life skills. Their time in the house has been filled with many memorable moments—from shared meals and late-night chats to structured routines, early wakings and contributing to dorm responsibilities.
To reflect on their journey, each Resi student was invited to write a short report about her time in Mac House. We are pleased to publish one of the personal accounts here on our website…
Eloise | Year 9 | Residential Boarder
‘Hi, my name is Eloise and I’m in Year 9. I’m a Residential Boarder for Term 1 at Ascham. During my time boarding at Ascham, I’ve made so many new friends with fellow boarders as well as strengthening relationships with peers I’ve already known. My experience staying at Macintosh House has been wonderful, thanks to the kind and caring Boarding staff who helped me settle in and are always there for me whenever I need anything. There have been so many fun activities this term that have helped me connect with my peers, forge new friendships and enhance my overall boarding experience. Highlights for me include the social event with the Newington boarders and the weekend boarding activities. Since becoming a boarder, I have become more independent and responsible, particularly with my routines and time management during prep. This experience has taught me to be more organised with my homework and has been a great step toward becoming more self-sufficient.’
Our Year 9 Resi program is just one of the many wonderful aspects of Boarding at Ascham, where our full-time boarders get to live and learn with some day students on campus for a term or two.
Visit Ascham at the Boarding Schools Expo 2025: Dubbo (16–17 May), Wagga Wagga (20–21 June) and Narrabri (25–26 July).
For more information about Ascham Boarding, head to this page on our website.
