Boarding Life & Well-being
Today, more than ever, there are many reasons why children come to Swiss boarding schools. We understand the importance of choosing the right school and location and we are proud of all the families and agents who came through our door and trusted us with the care and studies of their children. We have been here since 1947, to welcome children who look for a stimulating, active, safe, and happy environment to grow up and learn.
Boarding Houses
La Garenne Boarding House
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We are known worldwide for our pioneering and enduring approach to caring for and educating children from as young as four years old.
Having your child join La Garenne at a young age can be the easiest way to assimilate into boarding school life. Our youngest boarders embrace their new experiences with joy and positiveness.
Primary School boarders live in the original and authentically Swiss Chalet La Garenne, which has been adapted, modernised and enhanced to make a comfortable, cosy, and safe environment. Naturally, because we are taking care of very young children, we place particular importance on making the boarding house as a family home.
Our House Parents and boarding assistants act in loco parentis at all times and that means being there to help with getting your child up in the mornings, helping with sorting out clothes for the day, making sure that teeth are cleaned and hair is brushed. In the same way, our staff recognise and celebrate all the milestones that your child reaches. It could be losing a first tooth, sending a lovely photo to mummy and daddy, or applauding when a little one takes the stabilisers off their bike and rides independently for the first time.
Activities in Chalet La Garenne are centred on play with friends: from the playground with its accessible climbing frames and plenty of space to run around and let off steam, to the large, comfortable lounge with lego, train sets, books and toys. We also challenge our boarding students with more structured outdoor learning activities such as ball games, easy hikes and of course, ski lessons in winter.
Contact with you and your family is particularly important for your child. We set aside specific times during the week for video calls and as with almost everything, children are completely at ease with chatting for an hour about the big, and small things they have experienced. Family Time is precious time and while we facilitate the technology, we do not get involved in chats between you and your child. If a situation arises, we will contact you separately.
Chalet La Garenne offers care in the true sense of the word: all day, every day, your child is nourished emotionally, physically and academically. They are supported to take their first steps towards independence, while being surrounded with caring House Parents and staff who ensure that everything is set to your child’s unique pace.
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Boarding House La Garenne
A HOUSE MADE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
La Garenne Boarding facilities are developed with the young students in mind. From the practical areas to change their outdoor and ski gear, to the cosy restaurant facilities where the students eat their three meals a day, together with their friends.
The sleeping facilities are spacious rooms where 4 to 6 children sleep together with of course, their own personal belongings for when they want to connect with you.
OUTDOOR LEARNING
Every week our students go out into nature and learn.
This is again an example of why your child would fit in perfectly and grow into a well-developed and open-minded curious young individual.
Please get in touch. We are happy to tell you all about the benefits of La Garenne for your child’s development.
Beau Site Boarding House
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To mark the important transition from Primary School, your child of 11, 12, or 13 years old, move into their very own boarding house which has been designed especially to meet their needs. It is vitally important that they are given the space, time and support from our experienced House Parents to manage this transformative time. Providing a separate boarding house means that they are surrounded by other children who go through this exciting teenage period in a safe environment.
Girls and boys live on separate floors and access is limited by personal electronic keys specific to each room. They share bright, spacious and comfortable rooms with up to three others and each room has its own bathroom facilities, individual workstations and plenty of space for books, clothes and reminders of home. Each room has also a spectacular view over the surrounding mountains and Alpine panoramics. Having young teenagers of both sexes in the same house brings boys and girls together in a family atmosphere, which can not be found in other schools where boarding houses are either for girls or for boys.
Beau Site is a beautiful Swiss chalet with its own outdoor play and exercise equipment and spacious indoor areas where your child can relax and socialise. Working in close collaboration with the children themselves, our House Parents create activities which are age appropriate. At this fantastic age, it is all about fun, friendships and being happy. Once these are in place, the academic effort simply flows unhindered.
One of the key aspects of boarding life at Chalet Beau Site is the increasing amount of independence and autonomy afforded to the children. While some important measures remain in place – such as a strict policy on access to electronic devices – we start to relax others.
Within the boarding house, your child takes part in themed evenings, based on a national dish, or a shared interest of a particular style of music or film. Music and dance are well resourced and Chalet Beau Site has its own performance and music studio space known as Choucas.
Cookery club is particularly popular and both boys and girls can create their own dishes to sample and share in Chalet Beau SIte’s dedicated kitchen area. At weekends, breakfast can be served in the boarding house itself, which offers a more relaxed atmosphere than the restaurant where they eat during the week.
Outside the boarding house, we encourage them to plan and carry out activities for their own friendship groups. For example, a group might come together with House Parents to plan a supervised trip to another European city, or elsewhere in Switzerland. Working to a budget, they might decide how the trip would unfold and which experiences they would hope to gain from it.
Chalet Beau Site House Parents are the champions of managing all and everything that your child might encounter. The family atmosphere upon which our school was founded, is central to everything we do. House Parents have truly seen everything. Whether it is a missing pencil or a maths homework problem, no issue is ever too small for a House Parent to step in and help. For other challenging situations, Chalet Beau Site students have access to our full-time child counsellor, and our well-being lead.
All in all, Chalet Beau Site is designed to be a fantastic welcoming, safe boarding house for children to find their feet as they progress through the teenage years. And by the end of the Middle Year Programme, when your child has turned 14, their experiences at Chalet Beau Site will have prepared them well to graduate to the next level – boarding as a Senior School student at Le Roc.
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Boarding House Beau Site
ALL THE SPACE TO PLAY AND SHARE
Next to our spacious outdoor playing facilities, our students have access to an indoor music room, art room, social areas, game room, fitness room, and reading facilities. In other words, there is never a boring moment.
ACTIVITIES AND SPORTS
Your child is required to choose at least 2 extracurricular activities and sports. Having an active life and being part of a team is not only helping them to integrate into their new family, it also creates lifetime friendships while staying fit and healthy.
During the weekends, we organise a variety of things to do, to discover Switzerland and other European countries and cities. This also includes visits to Theme Parks, the Zoo, museums like the Olympic Museum and the Red Cross Museum, just to name a few.
With our strict phone and screen regulations, your child is stimulated to share, play, interact, and grow with their friends.
Come and visit our campus, to see for yourself, what La Garenne has to offer. We look forward to talking to you.
Le Roc Boarding House
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Our largest and newest boarding house is called Le Roc and is located at just 10 meters from the ski lift. It was designed with input from students and staff and encompasses student accommodation, classrooms, a gym, comfortable student lounges and a large open-plan restaurant and reception area. Le Roc opened in January 2021 and welcomes up to 80 boarding students each year.
Le Roc accommodation is mostly in two-bed spacious and luxurious suites, each with its own bathroom, study space and incredible views over the Alps to the towering peak of Mont Blanc. Within the boarding house, your child is encouraged to also organise activities themselves, with a focus on building valid peer relationships alongside relaxation and socialising. Wellbeing and holistic therapies are part of the boarding life, as stress needs to be acknowledged and remedied.
Access to the boys floors and girls floors are separated and only accessible with personal digital keys. All the floors have common areas for relaxing, playing and having fun with friends.
Growing up comes with a growing responsibility. Students at Le Roc have weekly duties which help the boarding house run smoothly. Duties also prepare your child for life beyond school, where they will need to be equipped with strategies for managing their own money, for taking care of themselves and for studying completely independently at university. While these four years are increasingly devoted to academics, we do not expect your child to spend all their time on their studies. All students continue to play a full part in the sporting and cultural life of the school. Expeditions and school trips are designed to take them outside their comfort zones and challenge their expectations of self.
Your child may have privileges, such as being able to have takeaways on a Friday and the freedom to go into the small and safe Villars village on their own. They have regular access to mobile phones and electronic devices. However, this is very closely monitored and phones are not allowed during class or sporting activities.
Charting a path through these later teenage years is not always easy. For this reason, Le Roc’s House Parents are required to complete specific and regular training courses for working with teenagers. Our House Parents truly understand the challenges of teenagers and know exactly when to help, when to step in, and when to leave alone. We celebrate success and we applaud those who go the extra mile in the boarding house. We all have the same aim – to see your child become confident, sociable, responsible, empathetic and a happy adult.
As in a family, discussions about expectations, worries and relationships are a feature of life at Le Roc. It follows our philosophy of providing a holistic and supportive structure, giving your child the opportunity to flourish in exceptional surroundings and to become curious, creative, and independent critical thinkers.
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Boarding House Le Roc
MODERN LIGHT AND OPEN COMMUNITY SPACES
Le Roc was designed with the input of students, academic staff, and boarding staff. The result is a light, modern space where students learn and live.
The dining area with its open kitchen plays a pivotal role in the dynamics of Le Roc. Sharing meals and socialising with friends is an important part of growing up. Our international community with over 40 nationalities is the perfect environment to appreciate the immense and exciting diversity of our world. The Le Roc boarding experience prepares every student for adult life.
ROOMS WITH A VIEW
Our bedrooms are the perfect locations to do homework and prepare for lessons and exams. The inspiring mountain views are the perfect backdrop to encourage effort and concentration.
During the free time, we stimulate your child to take part in all the activities open to them. In the winter months, they can be on the ski slopes within minutes. There is no other school with a ski lift as close to the front door as we have.
MAKE IT YOUR OWN
When your child arrives at Le Roc, it is up to them to make it their home. They should bring some family photos, drawings, maybe your country’s flag, a favourite teddy – anything which will help them to settle into their new environment.
And if your child is not sure to start a boarding life away from home, no worries! Our integration programme is specifically designed for families to experience boarding first, before engaging in a full school year commitment.
House Parents and Boarding Staff
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When your child comes to our school, he or she is being well taken care of by our House Parents and Boarding Staff. People who are internationally experienced and ready to welcome your child to our school family with open arms. When you meet our House Parents and Boarding staff, you quickly understand that we are a school with family warmth and deep family traditions.
Your child’s well-being, safety, and comfort are our top priority, because we know as no other, that only in optimal conditions, your child can focus on their study, their personal development, their well-being, and their health.
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House Parents
Each boarding student is expected to follow the house rules. Living together with like-minded people in a multicultural community means that each student learns about other cultures, other food, other habits and other views on current issues and events. Together they look for solutions while taking other perspectives into consideration. That is how each La Garenne student becomes a global citizen and grows into a curious and caring individual.
Our House Parents are well-trained and internationally experienced pastoral caretakers. Their role is crucial in the safe and comfortable boarding life of your child.
House Parents stimulate children to explore their talents and interests. They can participate in a large variety of extracurricular activities. From music, visual arts, and performing arts, to many different sports, in particular skiing and snowboarding in the winter. In our extracurricular section, you can get a glance at what we have on offer.
Individual care and discipline
We aim to provide our students, your children, with care and attention to equal that of your own home environment. House Parents offer a kind, empathetic ear to all children as they settle in. Community spirit and mutual support means we create a home away from home, or as we like to say, a family away from home. Students are encouraged to make their bedrooms their own personal space, with mementos from home, photographs, and drawings. Of course we also expect them to keep their rooms clean and tidy. Learning to share space and time is all part of the learning curve and discipline.
Our core values and philosophy are embedded in pastoral care. Your child is treated as an individual. Home activities such as baking, games evenings, and dinner together, are organised by the House Parents to build a sense of belonging and community.
Safeguarding
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When you send your child to our boarding school, you want to be 100% sure that it is the best and safest place you can find for your child. Our sole objective is to offer you that security. We guarantee the safety and protection of your child here at La Garenne. It goes without saying that all our staff are screened thoroughly in the hiring process and we can ensure that your child is in the best caring hands possible.
We would love to welcome you here on our campus to show you around and let you experience the safest boarding life you can find for your child.
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Safeguarding
La Garenne operates a child-centred and coordinated approach to safeguarding. At its heart, our safeguarding policy creates an environment where our students feel they are respected and listened to, so that if anything goes wrong, they can report it and be taken seriously. Our procedures ensure that all staff from cleaners to teachers, from the catering team to boarding house staff, and the whole admin team understand their responsibilities.
New staff are subject to enhanced pre-employment clearance, including identity, criminal background (as well as a special extract from the Swiss criminal records for people working with children), qualifications and employment checks. All staff are required to complete regular training programmes.
La Garenne’s unique mission is underpinned by our belief and commitment that all our students will thrive in the safest possible environment. The students are empowered to make decisions for themselves and are educated about consent and how to keep themselves safe through PSHE and E-Safety awareness as well as during whole-school and key stage assemblies.
La Garenne International School’s Safeguarding Policy is reviewed annually.
Well-being
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The well-being and the mindset of your child, has to be in an optimum and positive state, in order to study free of stress. Our staff are trained and regularly updated with new developments and research in child psychology, to make sure that your child gets the best care and support. Because a happy student is a great learner!
Our dedicated House Parents and teaching staff are extremely experienced in what they do. Whatever kind of situation may come up, they have dealt with it before and they know how to support your child with anything he or she may need to deal with.
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Well-being
COUNSELLING
Our in-school counselling service supports students with academic, social and emotional issues. The service is open to all. We always respect students’ privacy and need for confidentiality. The trust built between counsellor and student is key. Sometimes we need to contact outside agencies for more in-depth support – this is always done with student and parental consent – but we find that most issues can be dealt with successfully here at La Garenne. Our team includes a psychologist and our excellent special needs and disability specialists. We offer a package of wellness therapies for older students.
School Meals
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Eating at regular hours has many advantages for our students. It brings routine to their lives, it nourishes their most precious belongings (their body and brain), and it is part of our social life routine. Regular meals are an opportunity to share food with friends and classmates. It is a moment of relaxation and of course of having fun.
Studying and taking part in sports and other extracurricular activities requires a lot from your child. It is therefore of utmost importance that we nourish our students with a diverse and well-balanced diet, specially put together by our Head Chef and his team, in constant consultation with dieticians.
We pay special attention to any food intolerances and allergies your child may have, as well as taking into account cultural requirements for our diverse and international school community.
Here at La Garenne, you can be sure that your child is served with a variety of dishes all through the week. Our staff is there to make sure your child is getting the necessary ingredients to perform both in class as outdoors.
Would you like to know more about what we offer, please contact our Admissions Team for more information about how we make sure your child will be eating, growing and learning in the most beautiful mountain setting.
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Boarding Food
Healthy Eating
Our catering at La Garenne is managed by Eldora. In consultation with dieticians, our chef and his team create a wide variety of healthy and nutritious meals for our students throughout the day. They place great emphasis on well-balanced and seasonal food, paying attention to any food intolerances and allergies the students may have, as well as taking into account vegetarian and cultural requirements for our diverse school community.
Food Sources
All meals are cooked here in our own kitchens and we aim to use locally sourced products wherever possible. We eat together in our relaxed and spacious dining area which affords spectacular views over the surrounding Alps. The students are seated in different places at each meal, which encourages them to mix and make new friends. Meal times are supervised by adults and the executive team also sits down to eat with students as a way to find out at first hand, how their day is going.
Cooking Club
As well as providing three hot meals a day, students can have snacks at morning and afternoon breaktime. We encourage students to have an open mind to food and to try international flavours and food combinations. We also encourage them to develop their own passion for food through our popular cooking club. Birthdays are special occasions and at La Garenne these are celebrated with a cake shared with friends.
If you have a specific question about the food we serve, please use the form. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
Boarding Activities
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Living as a boarding student at La Garenne is more than studying of course. Because after working hard in classrooms all week and participating in many different extracurricular activities and school clubs, the weekend starts!
Our weekend activities are truly what makes La Garenne Boarding School an exceptional experience. Our staff puts in place many different activities outdoor and indoor, depending on the weather forecast and there is never a dull moment with friends and boarding staff alike.
Our House System
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When your child joins our school community, they become part of one of our four Houses: Buse / Bouquetin / Lynx / Cerf. All the students, from 4 to 18 years old are part of a House, and so is the staff. During the school year, different events are organised, where students can win points for their respective Houses. It is a great way of making all of our students and staff members belong to something bigger, and be part of their own family within the school community. It stimulates children to connect and make new friends. Every child experiences pride for their House when points are won during the school year.
The point scoring is updated every week and at the end of the school year, the winning House has a fantastic treat! Every student is looking forward to winning the end-of-the-year mystery prize, next to the pride and joy they share with their House family.
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La Garenne House System
We all know the famous houses from the Harry Potter books and movies. The principle is the same, although we do not have a magic hat to decide who goes to which house.
Our four houses, from which you see the 4 logos, are based on some of the wild animals that live in the mountains that surround us. All with their own powers, courage and strengths.
Your child will become part of one of the houses and share competitive school activities and other ways to gain points. It is a great way to make children feel that their actions have consequences and that positive attitude and perseverance always pay off.
But more importantly, even, it is a way to connect with students of all ages, where the young ones look up to the older students and the older students take responsibility for their actions and show a good example to the younger ones.
This is just one of many of our initiatives that truly make La Garenne a unique school for your child.
Photography Package
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La Garenne is a special place for your child, to study and grow up with friends and with their second family. There is so much going on, the experiences are so great, and the activities are so diverse, that we offer you as parents the possibility to order a photo package for the whole year or for a trimester.
Our in-house professional photographer ensures that your child is photographed in many of the activities during their boarding life here at school. It is a fantastic way of documenting the full La Garenne experience. Your private platform gives you access to this regularly updated selection of photos, which you can share with family and friends.
At the end of each year, you will receive an invitation to order a luxurious printed book with a selection of images, reflecting the amazing year your child has had with us.
Click here to view the book and the kind of images you can expect.
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Photography Package
A year passes by quickly and with everything your child is doing and learning, it is not easy to keep up with the activities and experiences. It is even hard for your child to remember everything.
That is where our unique and premium-quality photo album makes the difference. It is a rich and lasting memory of the school year. The box will protect the book for decennia to come and with your child growing older, the book takes more and more value as time passes.
One day, when your child becomes a parent themselves, they will cherish their memories and share the photos and experiences with their own children.
If you want to order the photo package and book, please let us know. Our dedicated professional photographer will ensure the visual memories of your child.
Educational Trips
When your child becomes a student with us, you can expect him or her to go and discover different places around the world. This year, we go to 4 different continents to discover other cultures, and opportunities and truly experience the lives of other people.
These trips are not only meant for our students to get out of their comfort zones, but also to learn about humanitarian aid, and environmental initiatives in which they will be participating.
Trip locations and activities are adapted to the age of the students and their academic programme. The groups are small, which means that your child is fully participating in all the events that are organised. Team spirit and respect are some of the key-words we highly value in our school, especially when visiting other cultures, people, and communities.
Our school trips, wherever they may go, are always linked to the academic programme, subjects, and objectives. So even though the students are enjoying themselves, it is not a relaxing, comfortable beach holiday, but a fully packed, active learning experience, mixed with exciting group activities, laughter, and fun!