Researching schools, navigating scholarships, and letting go with love.
In this heartfelt episode of Letters from Home, Amanda sits down with Lisa – a single mum, teacher, and devoted advocate for her daughter Ellie – to explore what it truly looks like to research and choose boarding school as a single parent.
As this episode goes live, Lisa and Ellie are preparing to head to Frensham, where Ellie will begin Year 7 and her boarding journey this year in 2026. Their story captures that tender in-between space so many families know well: the excitement of new opportunity, the weight of financial realities, and the quiet grief that comes with letting go.
Lisa shares what gave her the courage to walk into a Boarding Schools Expo knowing that a bursary or scholarship was the only way boarding school could be possible. She speaks openly about co-parenting through major decisions, the support she received from Ellie’s dad – whose own boarding experience shaped his perspective – and how together they weighed fit, welfare, learning style and opportunity.
Despite living in a large regional centre with many schooling options, Lisa explains why boarding school felt like the right choice for Ellie – particularly as a creative, curious learner hungry for language, arts, independence and connection.
This episode is also a powerful reflection on values: where Lisa’s belief in education comes from, why she is unapologetically pro-girls, and how she hopes this experience will shape Ellie’s confidence and independence.
If this conversation resonates, we highly recommend listening to our much-loved episode The Grief of Dropping Your Child at Boarding School with Kirsty Wiggins – our most listened-to episode ever – which we’ve linked here.
We send our love to Lisa and Ellie as they begin this new chapter, and to all boarding families – especially those facing their very first drop-off.
Big steps. Big love.
