Houses & Pastoral Care

The College’s Statement of Boarding Principles can be found in the Almanac.

Safeguarding and Child Protection

Marlborough College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils and expects all staff, volunteers and visitors to share in this commitment. We actively listen to all pupils and always take seriously what they tell us. Our aim is for all pupils to enjoy their time at the College and feel safe and secure.

Louise Moelwyn-Hughes Master

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is the responsibility of all members of the community. All pupils, staff, parents and visitors should raise safeguarding concerns with Christine Kane, Director of Safeguarding and Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), 07394 564897, ckane@marlbooughcollege.org or Ed Nightingale, Deputy Head (Pastoral) and (DDSL), 01672 892523, ecn@marlboroughcollge.org

Houses

The Housemaster or Housemistress (HM) is in overall charge of the House to which a pupil belongs. Contact details are included with this pack. The HM is in loco parentis and may have to take important decisions on your behalf (e.g. on medical matters) but will always try to contact you wherever possible. Please let your son/daughter’s HM know where to find you when you are away from home and ensure that he or she knows whom to contact in an emergency.

Staff with Special Pastoral Responsibility

Every House has at least one Resident House Tutor (RHT) who deputises for the HM on a regular basis and lives in his or her own accommodation in the House. Each House has a Dame (non-resident House manager), who is an important member of the pastoral team in the House as well as being responsible for pupils’ domestic arrangements, such as clothing and laundry.

In addition to the House-based staff, the Chaplain, the School Medical Officer, the Medical Centre Staff, and the College Counselling team are all available for pupils to consult when needed.

Tutors

Each House has a team of tutors and your son or daughter will have his or her own tutor who will make individual contact with them on a weekly basis. Tutors’ initials are listed in the Almanac, and your son or daughter’s HM will inform you of the name of their tutor.

The tutor is a guide, adviser and supporter for his or her tutees. Virtually all members of Common Room are tutors and, in addition, the College has a number of tutors who are not members of the teaching staff, which enables pupil-to-tutor ratios in the school of approximately 7:1. All non-teaching tutors have a close connection with the College, for example by being part of the school’s administrative staff or married to members of Common Room.

All tutors receive training, centrally, and as part of House Tutor teams. Their jobs combine pastoral care for pupils and academic monitoring. A pupil may talk to any member of the House tutor team and will thus benefit from the range of expertise tutors represent, in the academic field and beyond.

All tutors have a “duty night” in their House when they also see their tutees. They are responsible for academic monitoring through the College’s internal reporting system. They also assist the HM and the Guidance Department in:

• guiding their tutees through their (I)GCSE, GCSE, A level and university or career choices; • guiding their tutees in choosing curricular and co-curricular options; • advising their tutees through the acquisition of life skills and developing emotional and personal maturity.

Academic progress is recorded via Progress Indicator Reports (PIRs), which are reviewed by the tutor and HM. These act as a record and also enable pupils to review the past term and to set goals for the next.

Tutors are assigned to pupils from a particular year group, or “cycle” within the school, which enables them to build up experience and expertise in the particular needs of pupils at each distinct stage. All teachers and tutors receive regular in-service training and opportunities for professional development in order to maintain the College’s commitment to a high level of education and pastoral care.

Head of Shell

Pupils in their first year are supervised by the Head of Shell, who has overall responsibility for the Shell’s programme outside the classroom and who arranges their introduction into the College. The Head of Shell produces The Shell Handbook every year which is issued to pupils to guide them through their first weeks at Marlborough. A great deal of care is taken in the induction of new pupils to the College, and HMs, tutors and senior pupils all have their roles to play in the process. There are also Heads of Year for the Remove, Hundred, Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth, offering a vital whole-year group perspective and supporting the pastoral and academic development of pupils, as well as being a vital conduit for ‘pupil voice’.

Senior Pupils

All senior pupils but, especially, College prefects, heads of houses, house captains (house prefects) and sacristans (the Chaplain’s pupil assistants in the Houses) have a duty to care for the welfare of all the pupils in the school and in their Houses. They are also given responsibility for aspects of the running of the school and their Houses such as organising teams for inter-house competition. The two senior prefects, who are usually appointed for one term, are in charge of the routine organisation of the 20 or more school prefects.

Wellbeing Ambassadors (WBAs) are appointed and trained with the specific remit of supporting good mental health in the pupil body. Each year group is represented within the WBA group. WBAs exist as an additional first point of call for pupils seeking support.

Lower Sixth Induction

Pupils arriving in the Lower Sixth join the school, with senior pupils from the Upper Sixth including prefects and heads of houses, a day before the other pupils return. On that day, they will meet the house pastoral team, finalise their A level courses, hear a number of talks about aspects of school life and have a tour of the campus. Various social events are organised early in the term to ensure their smooth integration into College life.

House & School Events

Parents are always welcome to support their children and the College at school events and there are a number of occasions when we particularly value their presence. Parents will be most welcome at events such as school and House plays and concerts and Chapel on Sundays. More formal occasions are the Carol Services at the end of the Michaelmas term, Confirmation in the Summer term if their child is being confirmed and Prize Day in the Summer term. Tickets are required for school plays, some concerts and Carol Services.

Parents are also very welcome to watch sporting events, full details of which can be found in the Almanac and on the College’s sports website. In addition, for every year group there will be an annual opportunity to meet teachers.

Bullying

The College is committed to dealing firmly with any bullying which may occur and pursues an energetic policy to minimise its incidence, with the aim of creating an anti-bullying ethos at all levels in the school. Parents are encouraged to contact the HM immediately if they are concerned. The bullying statement (below) is posted on House notice boards, having been drafted by pupils, and a shortened version is included in the Almanac. It forms the basis of training in the topic for all new tutors and for members of the Upper School. The College’s Countering Bullying Policy can be found on the College website.

Shell pupils receive a presentation about bullying in their first term, as well as one on digital safety, online behaviour and social media. Both are followed-up in Houses. Pupils are then given every encouragement to talk about any concerns they may have with their HM, their tutor or a senior pupil. Pupils have the opportunity to report bullying by email (stopbullying@marlboroughcollege.org) and are encouraged on Firefly, the College’s VLE, to report inappropriate online behaviour, including cyber-bullying. The school annually surveys Shell pupils, via an anonymous questionnaire to identify any concerns pupils may have and to check they feel safe within the House and school environment.

Senior pupils holding posts of responsibility, including prefects and heads of houses, also have a training session organised for them in the first half of the Michaelmas term, at the same time as the Shell, to reinforce their role in deterring bullying.

Bullying Statement

Bullying is repeated, intentional, unprovoked, malicious actions or words which cause distress, making others feel unhappy and insecure.

All members of Marlborough College have the right to enjoy their lives free of bullying and harassment by whatever means, and are expected to treat others as they hope to be treated themselves in an atmosphere of mutual respect. They are expected to do all they can to prevent bullying.

An individual who feels bullied or intimidated has the right to expect any senior member of the College – pupil, captain, prefect or member of staff – to listen and to deal with a problem promptly and sensitively.