Introduction to boarding

The question in most parents' minds when they are considering sending their son or daughter to boarding school is 'Who will be looking after them?' or 'Who will be looking out for them?'

The answer to that question is 'all of the staff here will be, whether they be the academic teaching staff, the matrons, the cleaning staff, the office staff or the grounds staff as well as specially designated pupils.'

The boarding house forms the family unit of which your son or daughter will be part.

Each boarding house has a Housemaster or Housemistress who has overall responsibility for the pupils in their house. They live in accommodation which is attached to their boarding house and they are assisted by an Assistant Housemaster or Housemistress and a team of three other tutors who, in most cases, will be a member of the teaching staff. In addition, each boarding house has a resident matron.

There is always a member of staff on duty in each boarding house who is clearly visible and easily accessible to the pupils.

Our boarding houses contain pupils from the ages of 11 to 17 years (our final year pupils live in separate boarding houses called Grecians houses) and the older pupils are constantly looking out for and looking after and supervising the younger pupils. They have shared the same experiences when they were younger and they understand what it is like to be new here. In particular, we have three sets of pupils who have special responsibility for pupils new to the school: each new pupil is assigned a nursemaid who is a pupil in the year above and is therefore very close in experience; during the first few weeks the nursemaid takes the new pupil to each lesson, meal, sporting or other activity until they know their way around the site. Also, each new pupil is assigned a BFD, big, friendly Dep, a sixth former at the top of the house, who will see them and talk to them on a regular basis. In addition, each of our School Monitors is assigned to a boarding house with particular responsibility for the new pupils. We also have a member of staff who is Head of Second Form (i.e. Year 7) and therefore has particular responsibility for the 11 year olds.

The role of the matron is a multi-task one: she looks after the laundry and cleanliness of pupils, she is someone the pupils can go to talk to and seek advice from and she deals with the day to day medical issues of a pupil feeling unwell and is supported by our Health Centre which is staffed 24 hours a day with trained nurses. Doctors from a local practice hold surgeries at the school 5 mornings a week and regular surgeries are held at the school by a local dentist and orthodontist.

Many of the staff working here have families of their own. They understand what new boarding pupils away from home will be going through and indeed what their parents with children away from home will be going through. Whether it be through housed duties or tutorials or during meals in Dining Hall they include pupils in their family activities. The staff are very dedicated. They work long hours and genuinely care about the pupils in their care.

Because we take the responsibility of looking after our pupils very seriously as we are 'in loco parentis' we believe that regular liaison and communication with parents is very important.

Parents are sent information about pupils' academic progress regularly. There is an annual parents&' meeting for each year group and parents are consulted when decisions need to be made about choice of subjects. Boarding houses send home a termly newsletter informing parents of events and successes and they can often provide parents with photographs of their child on the sports field or in a concert. House staff contact parents if they have any worries about a pupil's health or behaviour and in turn welcome any relevant information about the home situation.

We are a seven day a week boarding school but there are opportunities for parents to see their children at Leave Weekends every third weekend and during our generous Half Terms and holidays. Parents are welcome to attend the weekly Family Communion Service in the school Chapel and to come to watch sporting fixtures, concerts and plays which are listed in our school calendar published every term.

Staff are very accessible to pupils, supervising their prep, eating meals with them and socialising in the boarding house. This helps to build up the respect and trust of pupils so that they feel able to consult and confide in staff. This helps the staff get to know pupils and pick up very quickly when something is worrying a pupil.

House events are an important aspect of boarding life. House parents take pupils out on trips to the theatre, cinema and bowling, and give them chocolate bars and pizza as treats, just as a parent would. House-based activities take place every Wednesday evening and most Saturday evenings and staff support pupils when they are performing in concerts or plays or in sporting events.

The house structure provides pupils with long term stability. There are usually seven 11 year olds allocated to each boarding house and they stay with this group of pupils throughout their school career. These small numbers make it easier for staff to get to know the pupils and for the pupils to get to know each other.