Welcome from Mr Duke - Boarding Housemaster, Westwood House

I am delighted you have chosen to send your child to join the Westwood House boarding community at Kingswood School. As Housemaster I look forward to getting to know your child with my wife, Satoko and my excellent team of assistants, Mrs Nicola Curtis (responsible for girls) and Mr Matthew Thatcher.

We are committed and determined to providing the very best pastoral care for your child as they board. We have really enjoyed our first 4 years in post and we hope your child will also thrive at Kingswood School and see Westwood as their home in term time. There is a real focus on family with two resident staff living in the house with their respective families, and another close by, and all boarders will have plenty of interaction with these families.

These staff will keep a very close eye on your child and they should feel able to approach any of these staff day or night. They will also liaise effectively and frequently with your child’s tutor. There are also a number of non-resident teaching staff who take evening duties and Westwood is staffed during the day by Mrs Hollywell (previously the resident Housemistress) and the two Westwood matrons: Jodi Francis and Rebecca Harrington-Wills. 2021-22 marks an exciting new cross-Foundation venture with our prep school boarders joining us in Westwood. We very much hope our boarders in Year 7 and 8 will be good role models for our younger boarders; some will be siblings! I hope this handbook will answer many of questions you will have and serve to reassure you and your child(ren).