Introduction

Boarding schools have been integral to the British education system for centuries, but recent scrutiny sheds light on their profound psychological impacts. The pioneering work of Nick Duffell and Joy Schaverien brought attention to the long-term negative effects of early boarding, highlighting emotional distress stemming from severed attachment bonds and unacknowledged grief. Survivors often develop a ‘strategic survival personality’, masking vulnerability, to navigate institutional rigours. Women's accounts of boarding, although less in the spotlight, reveal pervasive themes of shame, humiliation, and limiting gendered expectations. Women may be trained in selflessness and subservience and endure body shaming. Third culture kids (TCKs) – children raised abroad due to parental work – who attend boarding schools may arrive with high levels of childhood adversity and experience a struggle for belonging. Gaps in scholarship on the long-term effects of growing up in a school remain. There is now a need for nuanced understandings and tailored support for diverse cohorts. This book provides deeper insights into the experiences of women and TCKs which will foster therapeutic interventions and holistic healing. Through personal testimonies and scholarly analysis, the book advances the understanding of boarding school trauma, offering hope for healing and resilience.