In the later Swiss books there is at least one reference to Miss Annersley interviewing parents of prospective students. Would this have been normal for boarding schools in this period? Would it be normal for boarding schools nowadays? Would it be likely that British parents would have travelled to Switzerland for such an interview? I know that generally the parents of CS girls were well off but back then travelling abroad was much more expensive.

Would have been normal if school in same country, but wouldn't think UK parents would travel to Switzerland for interview. I think there are references to Hilda interviewing people in London.The ones Hilda interviewsin Switzerland may be Continental parents, or ultra-keen UK ones who want to see the school

If it were me, there's no way I'd send a kid to a school I hadn't even seen, hundreds of miles away, but I doubt people would have travelled from the UK to Switzerland because of the time and expense.

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ISTR in Richenda that Ms. Annersley was in London interviewing parents. And in New Mistress Kathie spoke of the Heads being in London doing interviews. So it seems that parents were happy to meet the Head before decanting their daughters onto the boat train to attend school in Switzerland

I agree with you but I suspect the norm at the time was to do just that. Still, at least everyone read the prospectus...

My granddaughter has just done the opposite. Aged 13, she chose in September to leave the international school she joined three years ago, when they moved to Switzerland, because she hated the atmosphere, and now attends a boarding school in Bromsgrove - where her dad went - and is loving every minute. She seems to have no qualms about being so far away from her family, and managed to get a place on the hockey team in her first week there - and in the school choir. She's very independent and very sporty, so, yes, I can see why CS girls went so far away to school.

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