Girls’ Boarding

A warm welcome: Head's House

All new junior girl boarders join Head's House, which is located in the heart of the school's campus in what used to be the Head Master's house. It is a wonderful building with a large, welcoming common room - much loved and used by the girls - and all the bedrooms have a character of their own. Head's House is home to 43 girls during the term time.  Mrs Jenny Scopes is the Housemistress of Head's House, and she is assisted by a Deputy Housemistress and a team of four tutors. Together, they are responsible for the induction of all new girl boarders in Year 9, and for their on-going pastoral and academic welfare. These girls remain in Head's House for the first two years, before progressing on to the senior girls' boarding house - Fenwick House - in Year 11.

Fenwick House

The Housemistress of Fenwick House is Mrs Michelle Murphy; she has overall responsibility for the pastoral and academic welfare of her 73 girls (some of whom join in the sixth form). Fenwick House also benefits from a team of experienced tutors, each of whom supervises a group of 10-15 girls. Miss Clair Linzey is Mrs Murphy's Deputy; she lives on site and is a tutor, too.

Pupil responsibility

In both Head's House and Fenwick House, there is a strong ethos of the senior pupils mentoring those who are new. Sixth form prefects in both houses help the tutors and Housemistresses to ensure that all the girls are happy as well as fully involved and supported. Other responsibilities taken on by girls from all year groups include: running in-house competitions; presenting house assemblies; meeting and greeting visitors; and ensuring communal areas (and their own rooms!) are tidy.

Accommodation

Fenwick House and Head's House both provide a high standard of accommodation, and each has benefited from substantial refurbishment over the past few years. Junior girls (in Head's House) can expect to be in a small dormitory in their first year before moving into a double room in their second year; all girls have single rooms in their final year (Year 13). Both girls' houses have lovely common rooms as well as modern, communal kitchens for snacks/drinks/tea/coffee etc during break times. All the girls appreciate the location of their houses, both of which are set in the heart of the campus with all facilities close at hand.

Competitions & Events

Both Head's House and Fenwick House have a proud history of full involvement in the school's inter-house competitions, which include sports (netball, swimming, athletics, to name a few), debating, house singing and general knowledge. There are also regular evening events held with the boys' boarding houses: these include 'Mastermind' and 'Weakest Link' contests, social events such as combined dinners and music evenings, house debates and lectures from guest speakers.