It’s pretty common for UK boarding schools to use the term exeat or exeat weekend. You may have seen it in a school’s brochure, specifically when listing out term dates during an academic calendar. But what does exeat weekend mean? How does it differ from half-term breaks and weekly boarding? And how do you even pronounce it? In this article, we’ll break down everything parents should know about exeat weekends in boarding schools, from exeat weekend meaning and its origins, to the benefits of enjoying exeat weekends and how it works at schools like Lord Wandsworth College.
Key Takeaways
- An exeat is permission to leave school for a short time, and an exeat weekend is a scheduled break during term when boarders go home or to their guardians.
- The word comes from Latin for “let them go out” and is pronounced ex-ee-at.
- Exeat weekends are shorter than half term and are set by each school within the term calendar.
- Exeats give boarders valuable rest and family time, which supports wellbeing and helps students stay close to home.
- At a weekly boarding school such as Lord Wandsworth College, students go home most weekends, offering the community of boarding with the closeness of home; visit to see boarding life for yourself.
Exeat Meaning: What Does Exeat Mean?
An exeat is permission to leave school for a short period, usually about two nights or a weekend. That’s the exeat definition, whilst exeat weekend is a scheduled break during term when boarders are allowed to temporarily leave school grounds and go home to their parents or guardians.
Where the Word Exeat Comes From (and How To Say It)
It comes from the Latin word exeat, which means “let them go out” or “they may leave”. It is pronounced ex-ee-at, and was first used as an official command permitting someone to exit a place. Over time, many schools and institutions began using the word exeat to reference a formal leave of absence.
What Is an Exeat Weekend and How Does It Work?
In boarding schools, an exeat weekend is a compulsory weekend break scheduled at set points during each term. Usually, there are one or two exeat weekends per term — if it’s the latter, there’ll be one before and one after the half-term break. During exeat weekends, all boarders and day students are officially permitted to leave campus and return home to their families (or guardians for international students). Exeat weekend dates may vary each term, so it’s best to refer to your school’s academic calendar to find out your exact school term dates.
Discover how many terms are in a school year so you can plan family time ahead.
What Parents Need To Do for an Exeat Weekend
Before an exeat weekend, parents must confirm their child’s travel and accommodation arrangements in line with the school’s procedures. This usually involves submitting an official exeat form with the address and contact details of where the student will be staying, as well as confirming collection and return times. For international students and parents who are away, you’ll need to notify the school in advance if your child will be staying with a guardian or host family instead of returning home. Schools will also communicate deadlines and requirements beforehand so you don’t have to worry about missing anything.
Exeat Weekend vs Half Term vs Weekly Boarding
Whilst all three involve time away from school, the main difference is how long students are away and how often these breaks happen. At weekly boarding schools like LWC, students don’t have to wait for scheduled exeat weekends or half-term breaks to return home and spend time with family.
The table below summarises weekly boarding, half term, and exeat meaning in school:
| Type of break | What it is | Typical length |
|---|---|---|
| Exeat weekend | A short, scheduled break during term when boarders go home or to guardians | A few days, set by the school within term |
| Half term | The longer break in the middle of each term | Around one week |
| Weekly boarding weekend | At a weekly boarding school, students go home most weekends as standard | Most weekends during term |
Why Exeat Weekends Matter for Boarders and Families
Exeat weekends give students a much-needed break to rest, recharge, and reconnect with family members. This is especially beneficial for full-time boarders who spend most of their time at campus throughout the term, thus helping them maintain a healthy balance between school and home. Meanwhile, weekly boarders get to continue developing their independence whilst being able to go home more often. As a result, both full and weekly boarders return to school feeling refreshed and ready to tackle new lessons.
Boarding and Time at Home at Lord Wandsworth College
At Lord Wandsworth College, student wellbeing is at the heart of everything that we do, which is why boarding here is designed to strike a balance between independence and consistency. From our strong pastoral network available round-the-clock, to our flexible boarding arrangements, our students enjoy a fulfilling experience whilst being able to spend regular, quality time with their families.
How Weekly Boarding Shapes the LWC Rhythm
Unlike many traditional full boarding schools where students primarily return home during exeat weekends, Lord Wandsworth College offers weekly boarding as one of our boarding options. It is a popular choice because students only board during the week — either from Sunday evening or Monday morning and return home on Saturday afternoon or Friday evening — thus allowing them to fully benefit from our robust co-curricular activities whilst having the choice to spend a shorter or fuller weekend at home.
Pastoral Care and Support for Boarders
During your child’s time on our school grounds, parents need not worry as our pastoral care network comprising Houseparents, Matrons, Tutors, and dedicated wellbeing staff are always on hand to offer guidance and advice when needed, including emotional, medical, or mental health support. To help them feel at home, all students (from full boarders to international and day students) belong to one of our eight Houses where they’ll form lasting friendships within a close-knit boarding community.
Come and See Boarding Life for Yourself
Want to catch a glimpse of our thriving boarding atmosphere? We welcome all families to come visit us in person to do so. You’ll get to explore all eight boarding Houses, meet Houseparents, and chat with fellow weekly boarders. Our Admissions Team are happy to show you around and answer any questions you have about boarding life at LWC.
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