Questions To Ask Teen Boarding Schools

You have decided that you can no longer control your defiant teen, and that sending them to boot camp or boarding school is the only option. Before choosing a residential center for your disruptive teenager, you need to think about the questions to ask them. As part of the process of selecting the right school, you will have a lot of questions, and not all of them will be covered by the school's brochure or website.

It is ideal if you are able to visit before sending your teen there, but the distance and cost may be prohibitive, so you may have to settle for a telephone call or video conference. If a school refers you back to their brochure or asks you to email the questions, scratch them off your list! If they cannot be bothered to talk to you, they will not give your teen the care they need.

Ask the following;

• How long has the camp been operating, and how many are in the company group?


• How many teens are at the facility, and what is the teen staff ratio, and age groups?


• What are the qualifications of the professionals treating your teenager?


• What do they think are the benefits of a single sex/mixed gender school?


• Do they follow any specific educational program?


• What qualifications do the teenagers get from the educational program?


• How do they "restrain" an aggressive student?


• What are the rules on parental and family contact and visits?


• Do they have family counselors for the rest of the family, and/or parent programs?


• How often will there be an update on the teens' progress?


• Do they have an accredited nutritionist?


• What health and safety qualifications do the personnel have?


• What is a typical day/weekly program of activities?


• If some activities involve canoeing/rock climbing/adventure sports etc what are the special qualifications of the personnel; to what level of insurance is the school covered?


• What qualified medical personnel do they have on site? How close is the nearest hospital?


• What is the level of camp security?


• How restricted are the students movements around the site?


• What are the rules about bed times?


• Have all personnel had background checks for suitability of working with children?


• If a teenager misbehaves what are the sanctions?


• If a teenager does well what are the reward programs?


• How much does it cost!

Do not be fobbed off by lack of answers, or dismissal of your concerns, a good teen boarding school should be able to answer all these questions.