Friendly boarding at Newington College

BOARDING is different at Newington College in Sydney's inner west.

The Edmund Webb Boarding House is small - 50 students make their home there each year, coming from regional and rural NSW, greater Sydney and overseas.

Only boys in Years 9 to 12 are accepted, creating an atmosphere where teens flourish among their peers and form lifelong friendships.

Several of the college's exceptional teaching staff and their families also call Edmund Webb home, giving boys immediate access to advice - academic or otherwise.

And come the weekend, activities for boarders include everything from a day at the beach to rock climbing to catch-ups with friends from other schools.

In other words, boarding at Newington is an enviable combination of academic opportunity, fun and a genuine home away from home.

Head of Boarding Nathanael Coull lives at the boarding house with his young family, and says it's a "friendly, supportive and pretty busy" place.

"One of the biggest benefits is that boys live separate to the main campus so they can relax and have time to themselves, but it's just a five-minute walk to all Newington's fantastic facilities," he said.

"Watching them discover their potential in all kinds of areas is a real privilege."

Newington offers generous bursaries for boarders, and students whose families live in rural or regional areas may be eligible for boarding fee assistance that can reduce the cost of boarding by 50 per cent over four years. Applications for 2020 bursaries and scholarships open in November.

Newington is one of NSW's most highly regarded boys' schools, offering the HSC, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and VET pathways for senior students.

Its vast academic and co-curricular choices cover everything from traditional academic subjects to F1 in Schools, Engineering, Software Design and Development, Media Production, Business Studies and more.

In recent years, Newington boys have received offers to study at prestigious seats of learning overseas, including Oxford and Brown universities, and several have won sport scholarships to study in the US.

The boarding house is close to public transport and Newington's secondary campus with its pool, gym, library and other facilities. It has 34 air-conditioned rooms: younger students are in twin-share rooms, while Year 11 students have either single or twin share rooms with ensuites. Year 12s have a single room with ensuite.