Boarding Schools: The System That Rules Britain

Is there still a future for boarding schools? Writer Nels Abbey examines the public school boarding system, in a global context. He looks at how this model was driven by the building of Empire and the legacy of educational colonialism in former colonies, and asks why, in the present day, parents continue to choose to let their children live away from them. In the 1990s, Nels attended boarding schools in a former British colony. He looks at the effects of this personal experience and the continuing impact on him, good and bad. He also examines the psychological effects of the closed world of boarding school. He hears about the camaraderie, the independence, the sense of community - and the arguments that this closed world can put children at risk of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. Nels listens to a range of personal experiences - from Kenya where, after years of student protest, teachers are trying to abolish boarding; from a school promising the "humane alternative" to traditional boarding; and from a mother in Nigeria fighting for justice after her daughter was sexually assaulted. Presenter: Nels Abbey Producer: Jill Achineku Commissioned as part of the Multitrack Audio Producers Fellowship A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4