I never considered sending my daughter to boarding school – until the pandemic hit

Last summer, we joined the sharp-elbowed ‘exodus’ that saw demand for places at independent schools increase by up to 30 per cent. We were guilty, according to the Observer, of creating ‘an even larger divide between affluent and disadvantaged pupils’. Not to be out (middle) classed, we went one better, enrolling our 15-year-old daughter as a boarder. Home for the holidays, she so animatedly regaled us with her experiences that we might have smugly congratulated ourselves on our selfless financial sacrifice were it not for one qualification: ‘But I’d rather be here, with you.’

We’d never countenanced boarding. The derisory online provision of her state grammar throughout lockdown was a frustration, but while I railed at the shortcomings I clung to the hope that any adverse impact would be short-lived. The disadvantage to a bright, motivated child with a supportive home environment would probably be minimal and easily compensated for when she returned.