Being a boarder at the Duke of York’s Royal Military School - The BSA Guide

Being a boarder at The Duke of York’s Royal Military School (DOYRMS) since September 2020 has been a new experience for me. The school has quickly become my home away from home where I have made new friends. The pastoral staff – my houseparents, matrons and tutors – helped me to settle in very quickly. Like all my friends, I was nervous about starting a new school (especially a boarding school when I would be away from my parents) but from the first day here I felt secure, cared for and inspired.

I have enjoyed all the lessons with science becoming my favourite subject because of the experiments we get to enjoy in the laboratories. There are many clubs and activities to take part in and we even have our own athletics track, indoor heated pool, fitness suite and two climbing walls! When new students arrive at the school they are issued with their own laptops which has been really useful in the classroom, prep and free time. We get to take these home with us during school holidays too. There is wi-fi throughout the school and we are allowed our phones during free time so keeping in touch with our parents is easy.

In my boarding house, I share my dorm with other girls and we have made very close bonds –
I know we will be friends for life. There is lots of space in our boarding house including day rooms and quiet rooms and we have access to games consoles, Sky TV and lots of DVDs. The school’s dining hall reminds me of Hogwarts from Harry Potter and it serves very tasty meals. We go to breakfast, lunch and dinner as a boarding house, but the whole school eats together which makes us feel like a large Dukie family. As everyone is a boarder at the school, sixth-formers are on hand to help us and there is always staff around if we need them.

Since starting at DOYRMS, I have learnt so much in my lessons but also useful lifeskills such as making my bed. My parents are really proud to hear from the school staff about my hard work and determination, and my teachers believe I am working above my predicted grades. Overall, I have loved being a boarder at DOYRMS because of the friends I have made and the new experiences on offer.