Why did you join Millfield?  

Alex: I joined Millfield because I come from Barbados where the education isn’t as good, and they didn't balance sport as well. I thought it was a perfect balance between sport and academics. 

Luke: I first came across Millfield due to a friend of my dad's who's a teacher here, but looking at the number of opportunities and extracurricular activities you can do, and just the wide variety of sports you can do, really stood out to me. 

Tristan: I joined Millfield Prep in Year 7 because my brother was here and I heard about how much sport there is here, so I was keen to join. 

Alex and Luke, is this your first-time boarding?   

Alex: Yes, it is, I think it's been a really good experience overall, especially because I come from so far away. It's been really welcoming and I've enjoyed it so far. It was a bit daunting at first, but I reassured myself that everyone was feeling the same. 

Luke: I'm a single child, so I was not used to being around lots of people the same age as me. I’ve really enjoyed having people my age around to talk to. There's so much going on, you don’t really have time to be homesick. 

What did the school do to help settle you in?  

Luke: On the first day of Year 9, we had lots of activities that we did with our tutor groups which was good. We also went on camp on the first weekend, which was great because we were able to get to know each other and make friends. 

What boarding houses are for Year 9 boys and where are they?  

Alex: At Millfield, there is two Year 9 boys houses, Millfield House and Keens Elm. 

Luke: Millfield House is at the centre of everything. It's at the top of the golf course, and it's about a minute's walk away from most of the classes. At Keens Elm, you are at the bottom of the golf course and that is by the sports pitches, junior field, athletics track, and swimming pool.  

What sort of things do you do in the evening? 

Tristan: Usually after prep, you are free to do what you want, you can go to the main campus astro, the fields, play on the nine-hole pitch and putt on the golf course, or play basketball or football with friends. 

What do you enjoy most about boarding?   

Alex: It’s a dream to live in a house with all your friends. It gets a bit chaotic sometimes but that's kind of the whole aura of it. It's what excites you the most and having that general support from everyone around you. Meeting new people is the highlight of it, I'd say. 

Are there any opportunities to represent your house? What sort of things are on offer? 

Alex: Recently we've just had house athletics and house football. It is a really good opportunity to socialise and meet people in the older years, especially in Year 9.   

What time do you get up in the morning? 

Luke: In the morning it kind of varies but I normally aim to wake up around 6:30am so I have time to get changed and go down for roll call around 7.05am and then we head to the dining hall for to breakfast. 

What time does the school day end? 

Tristan: Usually, lessons finish at 3.45pm then usually 4-5pm you have an activity. We mainly do sports but there are other activities we can do. On Monday, I have Outdoor Education, Tuesday there's co-curricular, and then obviously Wednesday is a bit different because it's only half a day for sport. 

Luke: After this, we go to the dining hall as a house for dinner. After dinner, we do Prep, which is usually around 6.15-7:30pm, and then after that we have our evening to do what we like. I sometimes use this time to call my parents and socialise, then after that we get ready for bed, we hand in tech at 8.30pm, and then lights out 9.30pm.  

What do you do on a Saturday evening and a Sunday?  

Alex: On Saturday, we have school for half the day, and then we might play sports and have fixtures in the afternoon. I really look forward to Saturday evening as we have a nice lie-in on Sunday, so it feels very rewarding after a busy week. On Sunday, we have a later roll call at about 10.15am, and then at about 11.15am, we have brunch at the dining hall. There is another roll call at 1:30pm but between that time you can do whatever you want, we like to go onto the rugby pitches. Usually, during the summer there's a lot of cricket on, so we go to the pavilion to watch the matches. After the afternoon roll call, some of us like to go down to Street. Some people might go to get a haircut, get something to eat, or go shopping. For the rest of the afternoon, most people like to relax for the rest of the day. 

Find out more about boarding life at Millfield, including what the food is like (very important!), room allocations and the boys top tips for boarding at Millfield by listening to their recent podcast here: https://bit.ly/409jNmi