The School Day
The day and boarding houses are all located in the Prep School grounds. There are three day houses and three boarding houses, including a junior boarding house dedicated to the needs of younger boarders.
All day children are members of a day house – it is their home within school, a place where they can relax amongst friends at the beginning and the end of the day. The three day houses are close together in the centre of the School. Children are allocated a day house when they join and it is their home for the remainder of their time at the Prep School. Each house has a mixture of boys and girls from Year 3 to 8. It encourages friendships across the years and enhances the sense of community. Siblings automatically join the same day house, unless parents request otherwise, which enables the pastoral team in each house to support each family fully.
Children join together in their houses before school starts in the morning and after school. Many children are keen to stay after school and play with their friends in the house if they are not participating in one of the many clubs that are on offer through the week. Each of the houses is equipped with a selection of games and toys, including table tennis and pool.
School meals are eaten in the Prep School Dining Hall. Day pupils are welcome to join the boarders for breakfast for a small additional charge. Lunch is provided for all pupils and supper is for boarders only.
Day pupils are able to stay for occasional nights in Hardy House, our dedicated flexi-boarding house.
Day pupils can arrive from 8.00am and stay until 6.00pm. The school day starts at 8.15am, and unless involved in activities, day pupils may leave at 4.15pm on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday the pick up time is 4.00pm for children who are not involved in matches. There is a supervised Independent Study Time (IST) session for all pupils in Years 6 to 8 on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday until 5.00pm for Year 6 and 5.15pm for Years 7 and 8. On Saturdays, children in Years 6, 7 and 8 attend 5 Time, our wide-ranging programme of stimulating skills-based activities designed to enrich the curriculum on offer. Years 3, 4 and 5 do not have lessons on a Saturday, but may be playing in sports matches.
There is a School bus service with a number of routes which arrives at Dean Close at 8.10am and departs at 6.00pm. Full details can be obtained from the Admissions department.