Open Day Senior School Guide 2 October 2021
Welcome from the Headmaster On behalf of the students, staff and governors at Haberdashers’ Boys’ School, I would like to wish you the warmest of welcomes to our 2021 Open Day. We hope your visit will be both enjoyable and informative. By the end of your visit, we are confident that you will have picked up on our special atmosphere. Habs is a fantastic place. The beauty of the leafy, 100-acre Elstree site is tremendous and it truly is a delightful place to be. The quality of teaching and learning is unrivalled; our pastoral care is superb and we offer a breadth of character-building opportunities in our extensive and inclusive co-curricular programme. We help young adults develop into compassionate, confident and responsible leaders. Students leave Habs as well-rounded young adults, who will play a positive part in the world. Our Old Haberdashers are a testament to this. Please do feel free to ask as many questions as you like throughout your visit. Our students and staff will be more than happy to talk with you. I hope you have a lovely day at Habs.
Gus Lock MA (Oxon) Headmaster
Open Day Programme Headmaster’s Welcome Your visit will start in the Bourne Hall for a welcome from the Headmaster. The School Captain and a Year 8 pupil will also speak about life at Habs.
Tours Following the Headmaster’s welcome, you will have a tour of the senior school. This should take approximately one hour. Our students will act as guides on all routes and teaching staff will be available to answer any questions in each subject area. In order for us to manage numbers safely, your guide will start your tour in a designated area of the school after which you will move roughly in a clockwise direction. Please see the map at the back of the booklet for details of the route. You will be able to see every department but please ask your guide if there are any particular areas or departments you would like to see.
Music Highlights Our national award-winning Big Band will be performing in the Bourne Hall prior to the Headmaster’s Welcome. Music scholars will also perform around the school during the day.
Covid safety Visitors are encouraged to wear masks when indoors and in more crowded spaces.
Information Centres Admissions - Aske Hall The Aske Hall (Ref 8 on the map at the back of this booklet) acts as the focal point for the day for all aspects of admissions. You will be able to find out more about 11+, 13+ deferred entry, 13+ and 16+. The following staff will be available: •
11+ entry
Mr Tom Hardman, Head of Lower School Mr James Teague, Senior Tutor, Lower School
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13+ entry
Mr Adam Lawrence, Head of Middle School Dr Che Gannarelli, Senior Tutor, Middle School
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16+ entry
Miss Georgie Noble, Director of Sixth Form Mr Christoph Raatz, Senior Tutor, Sixth Form
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Admissions
Mrs Binnur Rogers, Admissions Registrar Mrs Georgina Lennon, Assistant Registrar Mrs Chantal Gilbert, Admissions Assistant
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Bursaries and scholarships information
Mr David Thompson, Chief Operating Officer Mrs Natalie Leon, Director of Finance and Resources will be available throughout the day
You can also find information about the following: • Catering • Coach Service • Careers
Pastoral Care - Olympian Suite, Medburn Centre The Olympian Suite (first floor, Medburn Centre) acts as the focal point for the day for all aspects of pastoral care and wellbeing.
Meet the Pastoral team The wellbeing of our pupils is central to everything we do at Habs. You will have the opportunity to meet some of our Heads of House and find out about how we support our pupils throughout their time at the school. Our pastoral system is designed to offer each individual the support they require through continuous membership of one of the six houses: Calverts, Hendersons, Joblings, Meadows, Russells and Strouts. Our House system is unique; it allows us to provide a comprehensive support structure to every pupil. Each house is staffed by a close-knit team of Head of House, Deputy Head of House and over 15 House Tutors. Three section Heads work alongside Head of House and Tutors. Mr Tom Hardman is Head of Lower School (Years 7 and 8), Mr Adam Lawrence is Head of Middle School (Years 9, 10 and 11) and Miss Georgie Noble is Director of Sixth Form (Years 12 and 13). Contact between school and home may involve any of the pastoral team, including: House Tutor, Head of House, Deputy Head of House or Section Head. They are always happy to respond to enquiries from parents.
Co-Curricular Co-curricular activities and displays can be seen around the school. At Habs, we firmly believe that all students should have the opportunity to find their forte outside the classroom; to have the chance to taste success; to work as part of a team, and have the opportunity to develop new skills and talents which continue to develop throughout their time with us and beyond. The three elements that best define our co-curricular programme are quality, inclusivity and variety. The quality of our programme is truly outstanding; we have over 60 clubs and over 70 sport co-curricular opportunities for students to become involved with. From the seven-time national champion Bridge team, through to the European Youth Parliament competitions and Habs Model United Nations - if pupils at Habs have a passion, there will be a forum for them to explore it.
Find out more on our website: www.habsboys.org.uk
Scholarship - Library Visit the library (Ref 4 on the map) to find out about academic excellence at Habs. You can also find information about the following: • Enhancement and Enrichment • Independent Learning Projects • Occasional Papers/Staff Publications • Outreach Programme • University Destinations The library also acts as a meeting point for Old Haberdashers’ with Mr Bill Friar, Director of Development, Mr Roger Llewellyn, Director of Foundation and the alumni team.
Habs Confirmed as Global Leader in Education – PISA Report
A little bit about Habs Life at Habs is varied, challenging and fun. The combination of bright pupils, marvellous facilities, first-class teaching and our commitment to excellence creates a stimulating school life experience bursting with opportunities.
The School Day The day starts with registration at 8.40am, followed by assembly. We have seven lessons, each lasting 45 minutes, finishing at 4pm. Pupils often stay for after-school activities until 5.15pm.
Lunches Morning lessons finish at 12.35pm and afternoon lessons start at 1.45pm. An extensive daily menu, including vegetarian options and sandwiches, is available from our dining room. Sample menus are available to view in the Aske Hall.
Languages In Year 7, pupils spend half a year studying French, German, Latin and Spanish before choosing two of these for Year 8.
Music Over 600 pupils take instrumental lessons using facilities in the purpose-built Music School. There are also numerous opportunities at all levels for pupils to play and sing together in groups. There are 18 evening concerts and some informal lunchtime concerts each year.
Popular University Destinations 2021 University Cornell University (US) Durham University Imperial College London King's College London, University of London London School of Economics and Political Sciences University of Bath University of Birmingham University of Bristol University of Cambridge University of Edinburgh University of Exeter University of Leeds University College London University of Nottingham University of Oxford University of Warwick
The vast majority of our pupils go on to their first choice university, and over the last few years, we have seen an increased number of students enrolling in American universities, including Harvard, Colombia, Stanford and Berkeley.
Coaches The coach service, which is shared between both the Boys’ and the Girls’ Schools, offers a comprehensive transport network covering before- and after-school activities every day. There are over 150 pick-up points. Morning pick-up times vary but regular return services operate daily at 4.15pm for end of the normal school day and 5.30pm for after school activities. We have over 150 stops, including:
Bursaries (Senior School Only) The governors make means-tested bursaries available each year for new entrants to the Senior School, including those from the Preparatory School. Candidates need to qualify for a place at the school as a result of their performance in the 11+, 13+ or 16+ Senior School entrance examinations and interviews. Financial need must be established by completion of a confidential statement of financial circumstances. As a guide, free places may be awarded where total assessable household gross income is below £38,000. Where an offer of a free place is made, lunch, academic trips and one musical instrument are also covered. The ceiling for eligibility for financial support is approximately £80,000 gross. Between these two figures contributions towards fees will be on a sliding scale. At 11+, awards may also take account of academic merit, and can be offered in conjunction with a scholarship. Bursaries are available throughout the period of a pupil’s attendance at the school, subject to satisfactory conduct and progress, and to the continuation of the financial need.
Further information regarding our bursaries can be found on our website: www.habsboys.org.uk
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I was awarded a bursary and benefited greatly from the very best, all-round education at Habs. I went on to study Medicine at the University of Oxford.
Scholarships (Senior School Only) Habs is delighted to welcome applications from candidates who, in addition to their academic potential, are able to offer their talents to enrich our school community. Scholars will be able to take full advantage of the outstanding facilities and opportunities available at Habs. Along with academic scholarships, we also offer sports and creative scholarships in art, design and technology, drama and music. At 11+, Habs offers academic, art, drama and music scholarships. At 13+, Habs offers academic, art, design and technology, drama, music and sports scholarships. At 16+, Habs offers academic, art, design and technology, drama, music and sports scholarships.
Further information regarding our scholarships can be found on our website: www.habsboys.org.uk
Entry Procedure for Senior School 11+ entry - assessment dates for 2022 entry are Thursday 16 December and Friday 17 December 2021. We are predominantly an 11+ school. Approximately 50 pupils come up from our Prep School and are joined by a further 100 pupils from state and independent schools. The entrance examination consists of a 90-minute, bespoke examination on a computer. This includes verbal and non-verbal reasoning, English and Maths questions. A number of candidates are called forward for interview on the basis of their performance in this test.
13+ deferred entry - assessment dates for 2022 entry are Thursday 16 December and Friday 17 December 2021. Candidates will take the 11+ exam along with the 11+ candidates. If offered a place, candidates may choose to defer to Year 9.
13+ entry - assessment dates for 2022 entry are on Friday 7 January 2022. Approximately 20 to 25 pupils join in Year 9. The entrance exam consists of written papers in English, Maths, Science (Chemistry, Physics and Biology), General Humanities (this is a sourcebased not a syllabus-based paper). A number of candidates are called forward for interview on the basis of their performance in the examinations.
16+ entry - assessment dates for 2022 entry are Tuesday 23 November and Wednesday 24 November 2021. Applicants will require, as a minimum, six 8 or 9 grades at GCSE plus four 7s grades. They must have an 8 or 9 in any subject they wish to take for A level.
The closing date for 11+ and 13+ 2022 applications is Friday 19 November 2021 The closing date for 16+ 2022 applications is Monday 1 November 2021
Stay connected to Habs www.habsboys.org.uk /habsboysschool @habsboysschool @habsboysschool Haberdashers’ Boys’ School