From Bobs to Beaks: Boarding School Lingo So British It Deserves a Knighthood

Thinking of sending your child to one of the UK’s top boarding schools?

Brace yourself…not just for the entrance exams, chapel services and compulsory Latin, but for a whole new language!

Welcome to the world of British independent schools, where pupils go to lessons and head off to Hash, Preps or Toy Time. Teachers aren’t teachers, they’re Beaks, Dames or Fathers. And snacks? Please, darling, those are called Grots.

If you’re confused, don’t worry, even the King would need a glossary.

But here at UKGuardianship, we live and breathe these traditions. We know the quirks, the lingo, the house hierarchies and how to decode a school prospectus that says absolutely nothing in 40 pages of gilded prose.

Let’s get you fluent.

Beaks, Dames, and Shepherds: Staff with Serious Titles

• Beak - A teacher at Eton, Harrow or Charterhouse. Sounds soft. It isn’t.

• Dame - No, not Judi Dench. This is the housemistress at Eton. Keeps the peace, the laundry and the boys in check.

• Fathers and Shepherds - Senior pupils at Charterhouse and Harrow who mentor the juniors. Think big sibling energy, in blazers.

College Men vs. Commoners

Both study at Winchester. Both are brainy. One’s on scholarship (College Man), one pays full fees (Commoner). One wears a slightly different gown. British hierarchy, alive and well.

Lessons, But Make It Eccentric

• Hash (Charterhouse) = a lesson

• Div (Eton) = also a lesson

• Hour (Winchester) = yep, still a lesson

Why use “class” when you can sound like you’re in the 16th century?

At Sherborne, homework is called Hall, while Evening School means extra prep. At Harrow, if you’re doing homework after lights out, you’ll need a Tolley Up - official permission to work late.

Prizes That Sound Like Currency

• At Eton: 12 Send-Ups = 1 Copy

• 8 Copies = 1 Prize

By the time you win something, you’ll need a spreadsheet and a tutor in Etonian maths.

Bobs and Colts: The Sporting Crowd

• Wet Bobs - Rowers

• Dry Bobs - Cricketers

• Lazy Bobs - Everyone else. The ones we secretly admire.

At Stowe, sporty types are Colts. At Bradfield, they casually head to the Rux, an informal pitch for a “ruxing” session (a kickabout, to the rest of us).

Tuck Shops, Grots and Stidge

Craving snacks? Find the Crown, aka the school tuck shop.

• Grots = sweets (Eton slang)

• Stidge = snacks (Giggleswick)

• Brewers = kitchenettes in boarding houses (Bradfield)

• Chags = changing rooms (Aldenham)

Nothing’s ever called what you’d expect. That’s the charm.

Homework, But Cuter

• Prep - the standard name for homework

• Extra Work - Eton’s version (sounds terrifying)

• Toy Time - Winchester’s delightfully misleading name. No toys involved. Just more essays.

Uniforms and Non-Uniforms

• Mufti - Casual dress day. (Not a religious figure.)

• Collect Dress - Formal schoolwear

• Collect - Assembly (bonus confusion)

• Election - Westminster’s summer term. Don’t ask us why.

Tosh, Yarder and the Ducker

At Harrow, language is its own subject:

• Tosh - Shower or bath

• Yarder - Common room

• Ducker - Swimming pool

• Trials - Exams. Obviously.

Shells, Removes and Figures, Oh My!

Year groups aren’t Year 9, 10, or 11. That would be too easy.

Try this:

• Shell, Remove, Fifth, Lower Sixth, Upper Sixth - at most historical schools

• Figures, Rudiments, Lower Grammar, Grammar, Syntax, Poetry, Rhetoric - at Stonyhurst

• Fryers - Year 7 & 8 at Leighton Park

• Yearlings - new joiners at Harrow and Roedean

• Benes - prizes for good behaviour at Stowe

• Congers - singing practice at Aldenham, Hazelegrove, and Roedean

No two schools use the same terms. It’s like Hogwarts, minus the wands.

And Finally, The Best Rooms in the House

At Roedean, Heaven is the top floor (great views, apparently), while Bunny Runs are the corridors linking boarding houses at ground level. Cute. Efficient. Totally surreal.

Only in Britain…

…could boarding school slang sound like it was created over port and Latin declensions.

Boarding School Lingo, here's the thing...

Beneath all this old-school charm lies a serious education and a culture you’ll want to get right. 

Knowing the difference between a Yarder and a Rux might seem minor, but understanding school culture deeply? That’s how your child thrives, not just survives.

Want to Speak Fluent Boarding School?

We can help.

At UKGuardianship, we know these schools inside out - quirks, traditions, slang and all.

More importantly, we know how to guide ambitious international families toward the right school and the right fit.

Reach out. Let’s get your child ready to thrive in a world where homework is Toy Time, teachers are Beaks and success smells faintly of Chapel and cut grass.

Get In Touch With Us