Every pupil, whether day or boarding, has a place in one of our eight single-sex houses – North, South, East, West, Cubitt, Loveday, Rhodes and Martlet.
The house system forms the foundation upon which our pupils’ wellbeing and sense of community is built.
All houses follow a similar structure, with both a Housemaster or Housemistress and a Deputy who live on site, often with their family, plus a Non-Resident Deputy with overall responsibility for the day pupils in the house. Each house also has two full-time Matrons who work in shifts, so that one of them is in the house from wake-up time to bedtime. Matrons look after all medical, laundry and general housekeeping issues, but they are also on hand to offer reassurance, advice and firm yet affectionate discipline. Matron’s room is often the social hub of the house, and particularly popular after prep time when hot chocolate and ‘treats’ are distributed.
Teams of Tutors play a vital role both in the smooth running of each house, and in the pastoral care given to the pupils. At least six members of Common Room are affiliated to each house as Tutors – a role that ranges from supervising a duty night one evening a week and looking after the academic and extra-curricular interests of a small group of Lower School tutees to participating in the more social side of house life, such as house music evenings and organised ‘nights in’. There are also two timetabled tutorial sessions each week, one group and one one-on-one, which together reinforce the strong Tutor/Tutee relationship. Communication is further enhanced by the tutee and Tutor together completing a Tutorial Record Card each week, which acts as a regular progress check, highlights any concerns or difficulties that a pupil may be encountering and helps pupils plan the forthcoming week.
All members of the Upper Sixth are House Prefects, and as such gain valuable leadership experience. They are led by a House Captain and Deputy House Captain and there are also designated Fourth Form Prefects who help look after the youngest pupils. A group of prefects are on duty each day, helping to supervise the running of the house, and in particular the evening routine of Prep and bedtimes. Two Tutors and either the Housemaster/Housemistress or Deputy are also on duty each evening.