Hermione's Parents

[welshdevondragon]

I don't think so. You'd have to be upper-middle class to upper class to go and Hermione has always struck me as pretty middle- middle class. I've never heard of someone going to the same boarding school as their parents - I think that was the norm in the first half of the 20th century but isn't any more. I think chances are Hermionie would have gone to the local private school (I'm not sure where she lives) but if the local one wasn't very good she may have gone to boarding school, as they do tend to be very, very academic. Hope that helps.

[Justice]

Boarding school is pretty accessable if you can afford it, but they also have scholarships like universities (at least in the US). I think Hermione's parents could probably afford it. It is actually more common in the US than people think, espicially for really smart students who want to go to the top Universities. Boarding schools are usually alot more challenging than the public schools, and even harder then some universities. But, if there is a good public school or a good private school that you don't have to board at, it's probably a more common choice. But I see Hermione going to boarding school, if there isn't a school in her area to challege her. If her mom went to one she might encourage Hermione to go too because she could have some loyality to it, but they aren't exclusively a legacy thing.

As for Hermione's parents reaction to Ron, I think they would accept him after 7 years of her going to Hogwarts. I think they'd be more skeptical about letting her go to Hogwarts to study magic over a sensible Muggle school.

[Sapphire at Dawn]

I have to say that I don't think they'd have sent Hermione to a boarding school. It may be more common over here than in the US, but it's still a rare thing. Hermione would most likely have had her name down for a private school in the area, and may have gone to the prep (private primary school) affilliated with that school.

Both my secondary school and sixth form offered boarding. The sixth form was rare due to the fact that it's a state school which offers boarding. In fact, you have to board there unless you live within a mile radius. It was different for sixth formers; we didn't have to board, but there was still a third of the sixth form students who did. I think there's only three or four schools like this in the UK. The main reason why people went to that school was because their parents were in the forces, and it was they who paid the boarding fees.

With my secondary school, it was mostly foreign students who boarded, or children whose parents spent a lot of time moving around the country/Europe.

The children of the doctors and dentists that I know do go to private schools, but because they're fairly local, there's no need to board, and I think it would be the same with Hermione. The Lexicon makes a case for her coming from Winchester, and there's also ideas that she's from Bath or Oxford, and all these places have prestigeous private schools. She would live close enough so that boarding wouldn't be necessary.

You'd have to be upper-middle class to upper class to go and Hermione has always struck me as pretty middle- middle class. I've never heard of someone going to the same boarding school as their parents - I think that was the norm in the first half of the 20th century but isn't any more.

I have to disagree with both counts here. Both the boarding schools I went to were pretty middle-middle class, rather than upper-middle class. Boarding schools can cover all ranges of society. In my sixth form there was a broad range of people from different backgrounds and 'social classes'; it doens't just have to be the upper classes who go. I have also heard of people going to their parents schools, especially within the local families.

Sarah x

[Equinox Chick]

Regarding children going to their parents school's. I didn't attend a boarding school, or private school but I did live opposite one for my formative years. Quite a few of the boys that attended the school (as boarders or day pupils) went to the school because it was where there dad had gone. I think it's far more likely you'd attend one of your parent's boarding schools than you would their state school, simply because you don't have to be local to attend a boarding school.

I wouldn't have thought Hermione would have had her name down for a boarding school, but I can see her attending private school as a day pupil. You don't have to be wildly rich, and she's an only child so they'd have some money to spare. Also, Hermione is so bright, she;d have got a scholarship somewhere.

Well, what sort of kids normally go to boarding school?

Children whose parents are in the forces (as Sarah said), or in the foreign embassy perhaps. The boys I knew were at a boarding school for a variety of reasons. Some because their parents genuinely thought it was the best school option for them, and others because the parents had split up and boarding school provided a more stable environment than joint custody arrangements.
I've always thought it strange that Dudley went to boarding school because I can't work out why Petunia would want him out of the house, but I can see Vernon forcing the issue because of the 'connections' Dudley would make.

~Carole~