House Sanctions

All of the usual school sanctions apply in the House but, in addition, a number of House sanctions are applied if the House rules are broken.

• Pupils may be asked to pay for any damage to the House if they have behaved irresponsibly. Any such request for payment will involve direct contact between the Houseparent and parents.

• Pupils may be banned from certain House areas if their behaviour falls below expected standards. The length of this ban will depend on the seriousness of the offence.

• Pupils will be asked to clean up if they leave a mess in their rooms or the House common room.

• Misbehaviour in prep may result in individuals having to do their prep in another room as determined by the member of staff on duty.

• A student’s right to visit Bath may be withdrawn if there is any inappropriate behaviour in the town. This privilege might also be withdrawn if a student’s academic work and effort is below an acceptable standard.

• Any discourtesy shown to the Housekeepers will be reported to the Houseparent and dealt with very seriously.

• Pupils can expect to be asked to sign in to breakfast early at 7.30am if they are late twice in a fortnightly period and report to the SHM at 7.10am for a week if late three times. Breakfast times are given above in routines and are in bold.

• Missing registration times or being late will result in a community punishment.

• Both day pupils and boarders can be given a house detention between 4.30pm – 5.30pm for persistent untidy uniform, missing or being late to registration.

Sanctions given out by House staff will be recorded, as appropriate, on the student’s file in the study. There is also a sanctions book, which is kept on the study desk and monitored by the Head of Boarding (SMT).

Of course we reward students for exemplary behaviour or where they have been particularly helpful. Examples of such behaviour may include consistently tidy room throughout the week resulting in a Housekeeper’s prize or willingness to cover a duty at the last minute etc.

Valuables and Electrical Items

Personal monies and articles of considerable value pose security problems. Members of the House are free to bring in electrical items such as kindles, laptops and tablets etc. but they must take full responsibility for looking after them properly. The use of such items is very closely monitored and students must not use these excessively for activities such as gaming (we do not allow games consoles in rooms). Indeed as a house we encourage reading and board games as alternative to device use in free time.

Boarders must notify house staff when any new electrical items are brought into the house, as they will need to be PAT tested by school electricians. It is advisable for students to only buy authentic items, for example genuine Apple chargers with UK plugs, rather than cheaper alternatives with adaptors. These are more likely to pass PAT testing and be allowed within the boarding house.

Every pupil is provided with a lockable space and is expected to use it for the storage of valuables any authorised medication (the medical centre will need to be notified about any prescriptions and will notify me if a student is self-medicating). Sixth Formers will need a padlock to ensure that they can lock one of their draws. Please also make sure that expensive items are suitably insured.

The House Fund

The House facilities include satellite television, a Blue Ray player, a PS4, table tennis table and supplies for the House kitchen. A number of House social events take place during the year, including theatre and cinema trips, weekend meals and end of term events. The school provides each House with a small allowance to help towards the cost of these, but each House also applies a House levy of £5 for day boys and £10 for boarders per term, which is added to the school account.

Personal Property

It is advisable to limit the amount of personal property brought into the house, particularly clothing. It is also imperative that all clothing is marked clearly with name tags (some spares are also useful for clothing that is bought during term time). Items that go astray will be returned to the House if this is the case. Please ensure that your son has a sports bag for kit and a laundry bag to store dirty clothing before it is transferred into the house laundry bags. Sixth Form students will also need a padlock to place on their lockable drawers.

Middle House Aims

In addition to the general aims of the school, Middle House have their own specific aims.

• to encourage pupils to achieve their potential, academically, and to participate positively in the wider aspects of school life

• to provide a secure, supportive and friendly environment in which the pupils can develophome from home

• to foster a sense of personal and corporate responsibility and a willingness to serve others

• to help individuals acquire the skills needed for working and living with others

• to give pupils the opportunity to develop leadership skills

• to encourage values such as sensitivity, honesty, courtesy and reliability

Domestic Arrangements

• Boarder’s laundry is washed twice a week (on a Monday and a Wednesday) and returned to the House two days later. All clothing, including casual clothes, may be sent to the laundry and so it is essential that everything be named.

• Bed sheets are changed every fortnight and the boys will be told which night to strip their bedding. They will be responsible for putting clean sheets on. They therefore need two sets of sheets.

• The Housekeepers can also arrange for items to be dry-cleaned and this will involve an additional charge.

• Any queries about domestic arrangements should be addressed to Mr Smyth in the first instance.

• Sixth form students must bring a padlock or combination for their lockable space.

Middle prides itself on the good relationships that develop between boys of all ages within the House. These give support to the younger ones and they help the older boys appreciate that they are role models, with a pastoral part to play in the welfare of others. Middle also prides itself on the positive relationships that exist between the House staff and the pupils. As a House we also have a strong sense of fun and know how to enjoy ourselves – wherever possible outdoors and for free! Our end of term activities include ‘Wide Games’ on the Upper, an Easter egg hunt and the water slide and BBQ in the House garden at the end of the Summer term.