Will my daughter settle & make friends at boarding school?

Q. My daughter has just started boarding school and is in year 9. We have been planning this for some time and she understands why we have made this decision and was fine about it . The education she will receive is outstanding and she agrees. However, we are worried that we may have left it too late to have made this decision. It is not about the academic side but about forming friendships. Will she end up not thanking us for what we have done? Will she eventually settle and make friends?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated

A. I would say that it is not too late to have made the decision. The fact that your daughter is in Year 9, may mean that it takes her a little longer to settle in and make firm friendships. Year 9 is right in the middle of adolescence for girls and can be a particularly difficult time as they are developing rapidly. It can be a turbulent time for well-established friendships too. Once in Year 10, your daughter is likely to find that being in class with groups of girls who have chosen the same subjects as her, will put a different slant on friendships and relationships with her peers. Girls often say that they make a new set of friends once they begin their GCSE courses. As she is nearing the end of Year 9, I would suggest that she perseveres with the rest of this term and goes back to school after the summer with a positive approach towards Year 10 – it really will feel very different to Year 9.

It is good to hear that she feels that the education she is receiving is a good one; the school clearly suits her and she understands that you only want the best for her. I am sure that given you and your daughter feel very positively about the school, she will get there in the end and be very happy as she moves through her GCSEs and on into Sixth Form.