Boarding Houses
I think the best thing about living in the dormitories is that it’s a small group…
The House
The House is situated on the first and second floors of the main 72-74 Banbury Road building. The boys boarding is located on the first floor and the girls boarding is on the second floor.
There is a resident houseparent in The House and two assistant houseparents on the main school site. This means that there is always a resident member of staff on duty, whom the pupils know well, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. who are in charge of the boarding routines.
…so it’s very homely and you can get to know people from all year groups.
When pupils join us as boarders, they are given a day pupil in the same year as a mentor who is charged with settling the new pupil into the school and also given a mentor in the boarding house to support them in the evenings and at the weekends. Table plans are established for supper time in the dining room during the week which will mix ages, nationalities and houses up and so preventing cliques being established.
The senior boarders are encouraged to get to know the junior boarders at the beginning of each year and will organise bonding games and activities after supper. Every term, each year group takes it in turn to organise an after-supper activity for all the boarders to participate in and enjoy. Within our small community, the pupils quickly gain a sense that they have a choice of someone to turn to when they need to talk or share a problem, especially those who may be new to the experience of boarding and living away from home.