Our girls work really hard all week so it is really important that over the weekend our boarders feel they can relax completely and enjoy themselves as part of their Royal High Bath boarding experience.

Saturday’s Karaoke night was a great example of a really fun activity that enables our boarders to really let their hair down and enjoy each other's company. The Rebecca Barrell Room at school was transformed from a dining and meeting room into a pop-up karaoke complete with a huge screen and a DJ, thanks to local company, Karaoke Nites. Our boarders had a thoroughly fantastic time working their way through the extensive list of songs on offer; most enjoyed singing in groups while a couple more confident singers wowed us with solo performances.

Our boarders' song selections varied hugely from 1970s disco classics like Abba’s 'Dancing Queen' sung by the Year 8s to contemporary hits like 'Vampire' by Olivia Rodrigo performed by our Year 11s. The Year 9s sang 'Let it go' from 'Frozen' complete with some dramatic actions, there was a lovely duet by two Year 10s of 'Love is an Open Door' also from Frozen while Celine Dion’s 'My Heart Will Go On' from the film 'Titanic' was also a favourite, and was accompanied by lots of swaying. We were even treated to some K-Pop, a rendition of 'Queen Card' by South Korean girl group (G)I-dle.

The Karaoke night ended on a high with our boarding assistants joining in; Miss Chapman and Miss Roberts singing 'Murder on the Dance Floor' with the Year 10s and 'I’m just Ken' with the Year 9s, while Miss Lambe and the Year 8s sang Taylor Swift’s 'You belong with me'.

To counter balance a very lively and energetic Karaoke session, Sunday’s activity was somewhat more relaxed, something the girls could enjoy at their own pace - a shopping trip in the beautiful historic city of Oxford. The journey did not take long at all, just over 1.5 hours from Bath. Our boarders, accompanied by our team of boarding assistants, travelled by a private coach and in total spent around three hours in Oxford.

They were immensely lucky with the weather. It was a glorious sunny day and they enjoyed walking around the city and looking around all the different shops, a number of which cannot be found in Bath.

The girls were given a degree of independence and were trusted to explore the city’s shops in small groups, with many popping into coffee shops for a drink and cake, and enjoying lunch at cafes rather than taking a packed lunch.

When the boarders returned on Sunday evening, all the girls from Austen, from Year 7 through to Year 13, sat together in the Rebecca Barrell Room for a communal dinner of their choice: hot dogs with onions and chips, and an ice cream bar (ice cream with sauces and sprinkles) for dessert. Bronte, Du Pre, and Wollstonecraft to follow in the coming weeks with the suppers of their choice.

We put our boarders’ needs at the heart of everything, our hope is that by offering a variety of specially curated weekend activities, every boarder is able to find something they will enjoy. At the same time, we are constantly encouraging them to try something new, and in our experience, our girls often surprise themselves when trying something new or something that is out of their usual comfort zone. Our team of caring and friendly boarding staff are always on hand to support them, while also allowing them to enjoy the freedom of independence as they grow in confidence, develop new interests and friendships while experiencing boarding at Royal High Bath.