What's it like boarding at Wymondham College? Where to start?

It's an amazing experience. Forget all the stereotypes and cliché rumours that you may have heard amongst the crowds. No, we are not nasty cast offs, and neither are we stuck up spoilt brats. In fact, we are pretty much like normal teenagers.

The beauty of boarding school is that we have a diversity of people, a wide range of facilities and spend time a lot of time with our best friends while still getting the academic support necessary to help achieve our full potential.

We are going to be honest with you, having started at this school over four years ago. We were at the young age of 11 when we came here, so starting was a scary experience.

Now, bearing in mind that starting high school is one of the most daunting experiences of you adolescence, try imagine having to go through all those emotions without having the physical support from your folks like most Year 7's would. Different people deal with things in different ways, but the best part about the boarding experience is that you have your own big, dysfunctional yet loving sort of family ready to help 24/7.

One thing we often get asked is 'you must be so bored all the time being at boarding school'. That couldn't be more wrong. There is a packed schedule at Wymondham College to ensure that we never find ourselves without something to do. Here's an example of our daily routine:

7:00 Wake up

7:30 Go downstairs for registration

7:35 Make your way over to breakfast

8:00 Go back to house, brush teeth, tidy dorm and get ready for school

8:25 Leave boarding house and go to tutor room

8:30 School day begins

11:05 Break time – return to house for biscuits and hot drinks

11:20 Return to lessons

12:25 Lunch break – make your way over to the refectory to eat lunch then when finished, return to house and you can play football or basketball, play board games, watch TV, if in Year 11 go up to your dorms and attend the vast range of clubs and catch up sessions the school has to offer

1:30 Return to lessons

3:45 End of school day. Attend extra-curricular activities, relax in dorm, watch TV, play outside or go and see friends in other houses

5:30 Meet downstairs for registration then make your way over to dinner

6:30 Prep (homework) - either study in house or go to tech block to use computers

8:30 Finish prep, get toast, fruit, biscuits and hot drinks. Watch TV, do extra-curricular activities from sign language to hockey or relax with friends.

9:45 Go up to bed, shower and brush your teeth

10:00 Lights out

Overall, the experiences and memories we have gained in the last four years is something that words could not describe. We couldn't even imagine what our lives would be without boarding. Maybe boarding is not for all but if you're looking for somewhere that will stretch you intelligence, give you opportunities you've never even thought about and where you will have a great time then boarding might just be for you.

Esther Oyewole, 15, Wymondham College