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Lower School Organization Westwood Boarding House Organisation How to contact Westwood Pastoral Care Tutors Non-Resident House Matron The Matrons House Prefects Year 8 Leadership Lower School Pupils’ daily routine House routines and arrangements Registration Possessions Storage of Equipment Lost Property Damage to Property Use of the Boarders’ Rooms Use of rooms in Westwood House Events School Routines and Arrangements PE and Games Medical Centre Fire Safety Prep Arrangements Prep diaries and Firefly Worries, Concerns and Complaints Merits and Awards Music Practice Westwood Gold Activities Award Food Overnight Stays in Westwood and Boarders’ Sleep-overs with Day Pupils Kingswood Pupils’ and Parents’ Handbook Residential Trips Final Word
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Mr S Pentreath Head of Lower School
Mrs Curtis - Assistant Head of Lower School with specific responsibility for girls' pastoral care.
Mrs C Hollywell Non-resident senior matron
Year 7 and Year 8 Tutors
Matrons
Westwood Prefects
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Mr R Duke – Senior Boarding Housemaster with responsibility for all boarders. Mrs N Curtis - Senior Resident Assistant Head of Lower School with specific responsibility for girl boarders.
Visiting evening duty staff
Resident Assistant House Master Mr Thatcher
Non-Resident Westwood Prefects
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Matrons
By post:
Westwood House Fonthill Road Lansdown Bath BA1 5RQ
By telephone:
01225 734487 (Duty Telephone) 07436 152347 01225 734486
By email:
SPentreath@kingswood.bath.sch.uk Mr S Pentreath, Head of Lower School NCurtis@kingswood.bath.sch.uk Mrs N Curtis, Assistant Head of Lower School with specific responsibility for girls’ pastoral care
Answered by duty staff House Mobile Mr Pentreath’s and Mrs Curtis’ office
For parents the first point of contact will be your child’s tutor. You will be contacted by your child’s tutor in the first week of term.
Mrs N Curtis - Assistant Head of Lower School A high level of pastoral care is central to all that we do in the Lower School, and this ideal is shared by a well-motivated, committed and experienced team, who monitor all aspects of our pupils’ life in Westwood. In the Lower School you will meet the following staff. Mr S Pentreath – Head of Lower School After four years as Head of Lower School and twelve years as housemaster at my previous school in Surrey, I relocated to Kingswood in 2015 with my wife and two children, Ruth and Matthew, who are in the prep school. I am very keen on seeing our pupils take part in all that is on offer and am delighted to be taking over the running of the Lower School which occupies such a special place here at Kingswood. It is the environment within which you as new pupils will grow and thrive during your first two years at Kingswood Senior School and as such has a very unique role in ensuring our pupils are happy, healthy and developing well in all the spheres of our pastoral, academic and co-curricular life. As well as a great appreciation of music and drama I have a love of sport in all its forms as well as the great outdoors and am a passionate supporter of the Springbok rugby team (well someone has to be).
Mrs Curtis joined Kingswood School in 2016 following 12 years working at another independent school in Wiltshire. During this time, she was Head of Lower School (Years 7 -9) for 7 years and the Assistant Director of Sport for 12 years. Mrs Curtis moved onto our Kingswood School site in 2017 when she became the Senior Assistant Housemistress of Westwood, with particular responsibility for all Girl boarders. From September 2019 Mrs Curtis also assumed the role of Assistant Head of Lower School, where she helps to lead and support all pupils, but particularly the girls, in Westwood House. When not a bouncy and cheerful presence in Westwood, she can be found working wonders in the classroom teaching Academic PE or on the Sports field teaching Girl’s Games.
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All tutors meet with their tutees each morning at 8.20am in their tutor areas for registration and keep a close and personal interest in their tutees. Tutors are the first port of call if parents have any concerns. They write short reports, which accompany academic reports and monitor carefully their tutees’ progress, behaviour, attitudes and attendance. Tutors accompany their tutees to assemblies and services whenever possible. Tutors also keep an eye on the tidiness of their tutor rooms and the tidiness of their tutees’ lockers. Tutors also ensure that their tutees’ activity programme is balanced. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s tutor if you have any questions or concerns at all. They will be sending out an introductory email with their contact details in the first week of term. Non-Resident House Matron Mrs Ceri Hollywell is to be found in Westwood House during the days and helps with the supervision of our pupils and the care of their belongings. She can be contacted on 01225 734487 during the mornings.
The Matrons We have three lovely matrons who do a great job. Our Matrons play a vital role in the domestic side of the House, being responsible not only for the cleaning and the laundry, but they always keep a friendly and watchful eye on all the pupils. The Matrons may also field telephone calls during the morning if other members of Staff are not available in Westwood House. House Prefects The Lower School has (in addition to everyone above and the boarding team,) a number of prefects selected from the Lower VI who help to ensure everything runs smoothly and who act as role models for the pupils. Each prefect is allocated to a tutor group and supports the tutor during the week, and on a rota basis, provides weekend support for the boarders.
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Lower School Pupils’ daily routine The Lower School also gives opportunities for leadership through our House system to pupils in Year 8. These Houses are for the purposes of Inter – Westwood Competitions and are not related to Senior Houses. Lower School pupils and staff will elect Heads and Deputies of the four Houses (Posnett and Cusworth for Boys and Beckford and Hamilton for Girls) fairly early in the year. In addition to these positions of responsibility all of the children have the opportunity to represent their views of the Lower School through the school council which meets twice a term with the Deputy Head.
8.00am to 8.15am
Pupils arrive
8.20am
Registration with your tutors
8:25 to 9:00am
Assembly, chapel or tutor time dep. on the day of the week
9.00am – 10.55am
Periods 1 and 2
10.55am
Quarter break up at Westwood
11:20am to 1:15pm
Periods 3 and 4 (on certain days Period 4 is early lunch)
1:15pm to 2:10pm
Period 5 - Lunch & Activities
2.10pm
Tutor time and afternoon registration
2.25pm to 4:20pm
Periods 6 and 7
4.20pm
Tea in Westwood
4:30pm to 5:20pm
Activities
5.20pm
Children begin to sign out
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Registration
Possessions
A morning and an afternoon registration each day, except Saturday and Sunday, is a legal requirement. In the morning the registration is to be done as follows: Each pupil registers with his/her allocated tutor at 8.20am each morning. If your child has a doctor’s appointment out of School, then an e-mail/letter giving notice should be sent or handed to the tutor. If your child is off School sick, then parents should contact Mr Pentreath, the Head of Lower School, to let us know. If your child arrives late for School, they must sign in at the Main School Office before joining classes. For afternoon registration a bell is rung at 2.10pm that reminds pupils that they should get ready for afternoon registration, which currently takes place at 2:15pm in Westwood House with the Staff on duty. After this the pupils leave for lessons. The School day for day pupils ends at 5.30pm. All day pupils must sign out with the member of Staff on duty that day. If for any reason your child has to leave early (between 4.20 – 5.30pm) by prior arrangement, he/she must sign out in the signing out file in the lobby of Westwood House. If pupils leave the School for an appointment during the day they must sign out and on return in at the Main School Office.
Please ensure that all your possessions are named and kept in the correct places. This might be your school book locker or school bag. Mobile phones are allowed on site but should not need to be used during the school day, up to 5:15pm. The best place for them is safely locked in a pupil’s locker. If a pupil does need to use their phone for any reason they should ask a member of staff first. The School does not accept responsibility for mobile telephones and they should be insured by parents.
Use of the Boarders’ Rooms The boarders’ rooms are their home and as such are for their sole use. Day pupils are not allowed upstairs into these areas unless they are staying over in the boarding house. This is seldom a problem as during the day both boarders and day pupils remain in the general areas of the house. Use of rooms in Westwood Due to the number of pupils in the Lower School the rooms are always busy. We ask that the pupils respect the furniture and equipment in them and look after them as they would their furniture at home. The outdoor table tennis/patio area is always available if the weather is good. Two top quality pool tables are available use in free time. Pupils should ask the House Staff for equipment.
Storage of Equipment Each pupil has his/her own locker for storing books, usually in their tutor area. Games kit should be kept in a single named sports bag and stored on the games bag racks on the ground floor. All games equipment must be named. Musical instruments are stored in the music school. There are hooks for coats near the games storage areas. All books and equipment should be stored in the correct places. Anything left outside will be removed. Lost Property Lost property (if lost in Westwood House) can be found in the lost property box in the Year 7 common room. This should be checked first if property goes missing or is mislaid. Anything misplaced around school will hopefully find its way to the lost property room near the entrance to the main library. Please understand that if property is not named it is very difficult to reunite it with its owner. All pupils are discouraged from bringing in valuable items where possible. Please remember that all expensive equipment should be covered by parents’ insurance in case of loss or damage. Damage to Property We hope that all pupils will respect the building and facilities. In the event of something being broken or damaged it should be reported to the member of Staff on duty or to a Matron who will complete a maintenance form detailing the work to be done and, if necessary, naming the child to be charged. If appropriate, a sanction may also be applied.
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The following gives a brief outline of some of the main House events that take place each year Those highlighted in yellow are subject to confirmation due to the Covid restrictions:
September
Induction for all new Westwood pupils in preparation for the start of the new School year. Whole School Open Morning for prospective pupils and parents
Autumn Term
First Friday of the Autumn term at 4:30pm - Year 7 Parents’ tea with tutors Second Friday of Autumn Term at 4.30pm – Year 8 Parents’ tea with Lower School staff.
Summer Term
Year 7 Parents’ Cheese and Wine Social Evening Year 8 Parents’ Cheese and Wine Social Evening Westwood Open Morning for prospective pupils and parents Prospective Year 7 Induction evening for entry Sept 2021
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PE and Games We have a very robust approach to the weather and PE/Games and as such it is really important that pupils have the right kit. Various sports can be done either within the school curriculum or during the activity sessions. Some might even take place early in the morning or in the evening e.g. cricket coaching, hockey and swim training (these early and late sessions are entirely voluntary and in addition to usual training). It is very important that children take care of their equipment and kit and try not to leave their bags in the main school. There are sports fixtures every weekend and sometimes in the midweek too. All attempts are made to get as many children as possible playing for the school, however, we do select teams on merit. The team sheets are put up in Westwood House and along with the school calendar an updated fixture list is in the school newsletter with relevant phone numbers in case of emergencies. As we are a Senior School we do not hand out individual slips of paper, it is your child’s responsibility to remember where and when the fixtures are taking place. Please contact the PE staff if there are any problems with availability or general queries.
Medical Centre Lower School pupils should note the arrangements on the main Westwood notice board for visiting the Medical Centre. A list is posted on the white board in the entrance hall which lists the times that pupils (day and boarders) must visit the Medical Centre the next day if requested to do so. If day children are taken ill during the day they will be taken to the Medical Centre to be looked after. The Medical Centre will then contact home to arrange collection if necessary. Fire Safety All pupils take part in regular fire drills that take place both during the day and at night. Clear instructions are presented to all Lower School pupils and copies for reference are on the main notice board in Westwood.
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Prep Arrangements Prep is an important part of the day. Pupils are expected to do roughly an hour and 15 minutes of prep each day and this could be done during the lunch break, after lessons end at 4:30pm (activities permitting) or in the evenings. All pupils are expected to do their prep accurately and neatly and to hand it in on time. Day children may stay for supper and prep by arrangement and should usually be collected at 7.30pm. There is a charge for this. Prep diaries and Firefly We use Firefly, our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), for preps. All preps will be entered by teachers onto Firefly. Within the first few days pupils will be given log-in details and shown how to use Firefly which will allow them to access all their prep tasks from any computer, tablet, smart phone or laptop. In the first term of Year 7 we also give out small prep diaries for those who are not yet comfortable with Firefly to use while they find their feet. Worries, Concerns and Complaints Issues can be raised through the House representatives on the School Council as well as through Staff and Tutors. Experience has shown us that there are relatively few problems that cannot be fixed but the earlier we know about any potential issues the better. Merits and Awards We have a system of rewarding good academic work which is based around merits that your different subject teachers will give out. The various departments will explain how to go about earning these. If you accumulate ten merits you will receive a merit certificate and once you have five merit certificates you will earn a book token.
Music Practice Pupils who receive individual music tuition will go the Music Centre on the allocated days. These lessons may or may not be scheduled during class time. If any class time is missed due to a lesson please make sure you find out what work you have missed and complete it. There is also a room in Westwood that pupils may use for music. Westwood Gold Activities Award We have an overarching award which encourages our pupils to firstly, get involved in as much on offer as possible and secondly, aim for as broad an activity experience as possible. The seven areas to complete are: community service, academic physical and creative extension, public speaking/performance, collaborative efforts and outdoor pursuits. Pupils should be able to complete the award in a year and when they have achieved it they will receive a Westwood Gold blazer badge and can be known as a ‘Westwood Gold’.
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Food Kingswood provides regular, balanced lunches for all pupils. Meals are eaten in the School Dining Hall. The weekly menu’s do go home in the weekly Headmaster’s newsletter and there is a wide range of options to suit all tastes. All day pupils are expected to attend lunch. If pupils would like to bring in a snack for quarter that might be a good idea. Please be mindful of nut allergies and so avoid nut-containing snacks. Please do make every effort to send in healthy snacks. Our boarders, for example, receive a piece of fruit at breaktime.
Overnight Stays in Westwood and Boarders’ Sleepovers with Day Pupils As we are a boarding school it is possible as a day pupil to book yourself in for occasional boarding sleep overs or more regular flexi-style boarding. This might be something you would wish to do if your parents are going away for a few days or have a regular weekly commitment that keeps you late at school. To enquire about availability and cost your parents should contact Mr Duke, the Housemaster of Westwood House. It is also great when day pupils can invite Westwood boarders to parties and sleepovers at the weekends. Westwood staff are eager to help facilitate this. If you would like to invite a boarder out please email Mr Duke (rduke@kingswood.bath.sch.uk) with details of the proposal so that consent can then be sought from the boarder’s parents/guardians.
Kingswood Pupils’ and Parents’ Handbook All new parents should receive a copy of the Kingwood Pupils’ and Parents’ Handbook, which contains essential information on all aspects of School organisation, rules, dress codes, etc. If you have not received a copy by the end of the Summer holidays please contact the Registrar’s Office on 01225 734210 to have one sent to you. A number of other booklets are issued to parents in the course of their child’s time at the School (e.g. curriculum booklets for Years 7 to 9, GCSE (Years 10- 11), and ‘A’ level (Years 12-13 traditionally known as ‘the Sixth Form’). 13 | Westwood House
Residential Trips There are a selection of residential trips that are available to different year groups as one moves through Kingswood Senior School. You will receive information about these from Mr Davies, our Deputy Head Co-curricular, in due course. From a financial planning perspective there are no compulsory residential trips in Year 7 or Year 8.
Moving to Senior School is a very exciting time both for your child and for yourselves as parents. Kingswood is considerably larger than most prep or primary schools but experience has shown us that your child will soon feel as if they have always been here. Your child will have to take in a vast amount of information over their first few days and weeks. Please be prepared for a wide range of emotions including great excitement, nervous anticipation, possible confusion, great feelings of accomplishment, pride, happiness and the occasional time when things might seem a little overwhelming. Our tutors, prefects, teachers and house staff understand these perfectly normal feelings and are handpicked for their ability to help your child as they start their journey at Kingswood within the caring environment of the Lower School and Westwood House. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, concerns or observations about anything at all up to and including the state of British Sport. Steve Pentreath Head of Lower School SPentreath@kingswood.bath.sch.uk
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