Stable House Handbook Girls’ day and boarding house for Years 10-11, Pre A and Lower Sixth
The friendly and supportive atmosphere for the girls encourages them to seize every opportunity
Welcome to Stable House Houseparents Mr Simon Kinson and Mrs Marina Kinson Stable House is the 14-16 year-old (Year 10 and 11), some Pre A and Lower Sixth, girls’ boarding and day house. The friendly and supportive atmosphere for the girls encourages them to seize every opportunity that comes their way. Boarders have their own bedroom and each floor has a kitchen and bathroom. The older girls have their own lounge and all have access to a laundry room. The Common Room has a TV, Nintendo Wii and table tennis table and is designed to encourage the girls to socialise. There is also a Cinema Lounge with a wide choice of DVDs, Amazon Prime and Netflix in addition to an Xbox. Girls have access to a careers room, library, hobbies room and a gym. Evening and weekend activities include dance, yoga, Pilates, beauty treatments such as facials, sports hall challenges, cookery, trips to the cinema to watch the latest release and shopping. The girls love their Houseparents’ dogs; Tilly and Leo. Mrs Kinson (BA Hons, PGCE) has taught History at Rendcomb since 2007. Career history includes: Head of Sixth Form, Head of Department, Head of Careers, mentor and trainer. She is well placed to guide the girls through their GCSEs, as well as preparing them for the demands of Sixth Form. Mr Kinson runs his own gardening and pest control business, having previously worked as Horticultural Trainer at HMP Foston Hall. With experience of working in various educational establishments, Mr and Mrs Kinson aim to establish and maintain an environment where girls feel secure, are encouraged to talk, and are listened to.
Mr and Mrs Kinson value respect, encouraging girls to be compassionate, considerate, intellectually curious and prepared for academic challenges. Girls are supported in becoming self-motivated, self-disciplined and independent, whilst being able to take initiative and have fun!
Contact Numbers Houseparents Mr and Mrs Kinson 01285 832378 StableHouse@rendcombcollege.org.uk Main Reception 01285 831213 Accounts Department 01285 832305 Bursar’s Secretary 01285 832302 Head of College’s PA 01285 832320 Medical Centre 01285 832329 Science Block 01285 832377 Travel travel@rendcombcollege.org.uk You can contact your daughter on the House phone: 01285 832378 outside of lesson time, prep and bedtime. Wi-Fi is available throughout Stable House and we have a designated Skype computer for girls to keep in touch with family and friends. There is access to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Arrivals and Departures The school day starts at 8.15am Monday to Friday with Registration (known as Callover) taken by Tutors in their respective Tutor Rooms. Girls will move from their Tutor session to academic lessons, so should attend Callover with all necessary books and equipment for the lessons before break. Attendance at morning and afternoon Callover is mandatory and late arrival will be registered as such. The school day finishes at 5pm. Day girls should be collected by 5.15pm from Stable House. If catching the day bus, these leave promptly from Main College at 5.15pm. Each girl will receive a detailed, personalised timetable to enable her to navigate through lessons, venues and activities.
Absence In the event of absence of Day girls, parents should contact their relevant academic tutor and copy in their houseparent before 8am and email is the quickest way to do this.
Change of Correspondence Please notify the school of any changes to your contact details.
Exeats Exeats commence for Day pupils and Boarders at 5.15pm on Friday. Our Travel department will have made arrangements for pick-ups of Boarders if parents have requested this. Boarders return on the Sunday evening, unless by prior arrangement they wish to return for school on Monday morning. Registration on Monday morning is at 8.15am and all girls are required to be in school by then. The earliest return to house on Sunday for Boarders is 6pm and the latest 9pm. School tea is not provided on Exeat Sunday.
Holidays Please refer to the school Calendar for Term End times. Pre-arranged travel can be made through the school for Boarders. Where possible, girls should return between 6pm and 9pm on the evening before the new half term/term starts or by 8am on the first day of the new half term/term. Tea will be provided for those Boarders, who for reasons such as earlier flights, arrive back before 6pm. Please note that Half Term in the Summer Term begins after Founder’s Day Speeches. Families are warmly invited to join their daughters for Founder’s Day celebrations.
Families are Part of Rendcomb Too We encourage parents to support their daughter at school events such as matches, concerts and plays, most of which are in the school calendar. Teas after matches, drinks before and after concerts for instance are times when you can be with your daughter and meet with other parents. Joining Stable House as a Boarder for the first time, for Boarders (and for parents!) can naturally be an emotional time and girls may suffer varying degrees of homesickness. For our part, we are sympathetic and understanding and aim to keep girls busy and distracted until they settle in. It helps if parents can do their best to resist contact initially for the first few days to help the girls settle and find their feet. Parents of Boarders are welcome to visit their daughter at any time, but we would appreciate it if visits were restricted to non-school hours. Notice is required so that we can tell staff to expect you so please contact Mr and Mrs Kinson with the time and date of your visit and we will ensure your daughter is available at that time. If you wish your daughter to stay out with you for a night or weekend, please let us know in advance. Boarders and Flexi Boarders must lodge mobile phone numbers with Mr and Mrs Kinson; this helps for contact on house trips as well as contact across site. Inappropriate use of mobile phones will result in confiscation and a phone call home.
Personal Matters Being part of any school culture teaches children about relationships and integration. As Houseparents, our role is to ensure that these relationships are positive and that any occasional conflicts that might naturally arise are addressed and talked through in an open and trusting way. For Boarders, bedtime can be a reflective time for a student and staff members are aware that the need for a pre-sleep conversation is sometimes helpful.
In Times of Trouble Rendcomb is a community as well as a school. We are honoured to be involved with you in bringing up your daughter. We do this together: parents, house staff, tutors and prefects. Just as in any family, we are here to celebrate success and to support in times of need. Please talk to us about any concerns you may have. We will always involve you when there is a problem or unhappiness. Bullying in any form, physical or mental, is taken very seriously at Rendcomb. If it does occur, it is important that the girls feel they can talk: • to a friend • to an older member of the school (Sixth Form House Prefects/buddy) • to the house staff/tutor • to Sister in the Medical Centre • to our Independent School Listener, Mrs Sue Ellis • to our designated Safeguarding Officer, Mrs Michelle Lucas-Halliwell.
Health and Medical Arrangements We have three qualified Nurses, known as Sister, who are responsible for students’ health during term-time. Regular and emergency clinics are held in the Medical Centre. All Boarders register with a local GP and routine appointments are made by Sister. Boarders should be able to see a GP either in private or accompanied as they wish. Medicines are kept in a locked cabinet in the Medical Centre, or in the Stable House medical cabinet and distributed by a member of staff. All medicines are to be handed to Sister at the start of term or half term. Parents must inform the school of any changes to a student’s medication or if a student is subsequently put on medication. Appointments with the doctor, dentist, optician and orthodontist can be arranged but where possible, routine visits should be arranged during the holidays. In the event of a serious illness or accident, parents will be contacted and a student can return home if a prolonged period of absence from school is anticipated. Sister should be informed of any major medical treatments received by a Boarder during the holidays.
Weekends Life does not stop at Rendcomb at weekends! Social events for Boarders include cultural visits, cinema trips, go-karting and shopping trips. Saturday evening and Sunday is also a time for relaxing and recovering from the busy school week. We believe it is important for our girls to have some unstructured time, quiet reading, resting or watching TV/a movie. Just resting in one’s room with a good book or listening to music is considered a healthy pastime.
Boarders can visit friends or family over the weekend. However, we have a duty of care and therefore cannot allow a Boarder to go to someone’s home unless we have permission from both sets of parents. We would prefer at least two days’ notice via email to prevent confusion at the time of pick-up. As with an Exeat, returning to Rendcomb can be either on Sunday evening by 9pm or on Monday morning before registration at 8.15am.
There are plenty of school events and opportunities to sign up for; academic evening trips, to take part or watch the School Play or Music performances
Evenings Girls have a choice of evening activities, which include: Dodge ball or badminton with Lawn House boys in the Sports Hall, and Barn socials up to three evenings per week. Girls can relax with their friends whilst listening to Music, they can use the in-house gym, watch a movie, play board games or table tennis, compete with other girls on the Wii, bake cakes, knit or crochet, or just relax in their rooms. There are also school events such as the Dance Challenge and School Disco and opportunities to sign up for academic evening trips, to take part or watch the School Play or Music performances. There is a spectacular Bonfire Night extravaganza every year supported by the Rendcomb College Parents’ Association and these are often occasions when whole families can come together.
Special Event Evenings and Flexi Boarding We try to be as flexible as possible for Flexi Boarding and there is a charge of £42 per night when day girls wish to stay over. We understand that family circumstances and commitments can rapidly change, but we prefer a few days’ notice if possible, to ensure we have time to accommodate requests and that a bed will be available. The same applies if your daughter requires tea before an evening event. If you book tea or Flexi Boarding and subsequently do not require it, please let Houseparents know as soon as possible.
Day girls’ parents will be notified of any special evenings such as themed Barn nights and will be offered the opportunity to collect their daughter at 9.45pm or book them in for the night. There are the occasional fun sleepovers offered for Year 10 and Year 11 too. As Stable House is a GCSE House, you may find social events for day girls in the evenings are not as often as in the Key Stage 3 House, Godman House. Any girl staying for the evening or overnight as a Flexi Boarder must adhere to the house rules; otherwise it may preclude them from further events/Flexi Boarding. This includes working quietly during house prep times. We have Prep Rooms on the ground floor for girls not staying overnight and Flexi Boarders will either have their own room or will share a double Flexi Room.
Special evenings such as themed Barn nights are often held, offering day girls the opportunity to Flexi Board
House Conventions Uniform The reason for having a dress code is to ensure that pupils are properly dressed for school and to help prepare them for what would be expected in a profession. All girls must conform to the regulations set out in the school’s Uniform Policy. Personal appearance is important as the girls represent their House. • skirts should be on the knee or longer • tights without holes • clean shoes, to regulation • shirts/blouses tucked into trousers/skirts • brushed hair and tied back if below shoulder length. Hair ties and grips should be of a simple design and black or navy • scarves, if worn, to be the school scarf.
Make-up and Jewellery
Day Girls’ Locker/Changing Room • Day girls are issued with a locker at the back of the House, to store their boots and equipment. Padlocks are required for lockers so that equipment can be kept safe – preferably a combination lock rather than a key. • Hang clothes up whilst doing Games/ PE. • After Games/PE girls should put their sports gear and bags back in their changing room locker – nothing should be left out around House. • Stud boots and dirty trainers to be put on the shelves in the boot room before going into the changing room/ entering the House. • Tracksuit bottoms must be worn with Games kit during academic lessons and around school, if girls have had to change at break or lunchtime.
Duties
Jewellery should be kept to a minimum: one set only of gold or silver stud earrings, and only a plain chain necklace. Girls may only wear subtle tones of mascara. No nail varnish, blusher, lip or other eye make-up is allowed.
A House Duty Rota consists of collecting the supper box provisions and newspapers from the village shop as well as washing up in the day kitchen. Boarders take responsibility for cleaning up after themselves in the evening and we expect all girls to tidy the common rooms after use.
Sitting Room
Bedrooms
• Sofas are to be sat on. • No moving of furniture unless permission granted by a member of staff and put back afterwards. • Cushions to remain on the sofas at all times. • Food or drink packaging to be put in the bin.
• Drawers and pegs to be used (overnight bags if Flexi Boarding) to keep rooms tidy. • Pillows to stay on the beds. • No moving furniture without permission. • No going into other peoples’ rooms without permission. • All suitcases and luggage to be stored in the luggage room and not in bedrooms. • Girls should keep their room tidy and clutter-free so that Housekeeping can clean without having to pick up personal belongings.
Girls have fun socialising in the Common Room, playing board games, table tennis or competing on the Nintendo Wii
Useful Information for Boarders Electrical Items PSPs, sound systems, torches, iPods, DVD players, hair dryers and other electrical gadgets are permitted, but abuse of these items may lead to confiscation after lights out or during prep time. Any domestic appliances such as kettles are not permitted in bedrooms. We supply kettles and toasters in kitchens for communal use. Rice cookers may be stored and used in the designated kitchen areas with permission. All electrical equipment will be checked for fire regulations. We do not supply adaptors or chargers so please supply your own but please check that they will pass UK safety checks.
Laundry Although Boarders have the opportunity to do their own washing, we do have a Housekeeping team who will look after Boarders’ laundry. Day families should encourage their daughters to take all Games kit home at the end of every week at least. Please ensure that Games kit is clean for all matches during the term.
Please Name Everything Name tapes should be attached to all school and home clothes at the back of blouses, jumpers and at the back of waistbands on skirts and underwear. Please sew name tapes vertically up the ribs of socks and remember to label shoes and boots and any new clothes as you acquire them. Either a sewn name tape, a marker pen or biro will do.
Day girls who Flexi Board should be aware that Boarders change into their home clothes at 5pm. For Weekly/Full Boarders, it is a good idea to have one change of smart home clothes as well as casual clothes. Casual footwear for after school and weekends is essential. Trainers and wellington boots are useful to have for the colder seasons. Wellington boots can be purchased locally.
Money Matters and Valuables Fees and end-of-term accounts are payable in advance of each new term. If there are any problems at all, please make a phone call to the Bursar’s Office to make an appointment to see her: 01285 832302. Please give fee payments direct to the Accounts Office or College Reception. Girls should not bring large amounts of cash to College. Day girls may bring a little change each day if they want to visit the Post Office/Tuck Shop. It is the responsibility of Boarders to deposit large amounts of money with the Houseparents. We operate an in-house banking system and money can be banked in a named folder in the safe drawer, which is kept locked at all times. Girls can sign money out as and when they need it. No more than £10 should be kept in their room. Please do not send girls in with £50 notes as these are not accepted at most outlets.
What is Not Allowed Aerosols, glass bottles, knives or other weapons are not allowed. Very valuable items such as laptops should be properly insured.
Fire Alarms On discovering a fire, girls should shout ‘FIRE’ and operate a fire alarm if one is nearby, unless a member of staff is located first. Evacuate the building, closing doors, alerting as many residents as possible. Girls should leave the building immediately by the quickest escape route and report to the assembly area outside Barn. Girls should remain silent for a roll call and any further instructions. Girls cannot re-enter the building until permission has been given. There will be a fire practice each term for Boarders.
Other Information • As well as other indoor and outdoor home clothes, a dressing gown would be useful for evenings in front of the TV and sleepovers. Slippers or slip-on shoes are also useful in case of a fire drill. • Toiletries (deodorant should be roll-on or cream and not an aerosol) • During the Michaelmas and Lent Term it is useful to be prepared and bring some suitable clothing for cold, wet or snowy weather. • Bed linen is provided by the school, but you are more than welcome to provide your own personal single duvet covers, fitted sheets and pillowcase - these should be named and two sets available to enable them to be washed and changed. • Towels need to be supplied and should also be named clearly. At least two large towels are required.
There are opportunities for girls to take on responsibilities both within the House and the College as a whole
Your adventure starts here
Rendcomb College, Rendcomb, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 7HA • 01285 832 378 Stablehouse@rendcombcollege.org.uk • www.rendcombcollege.org.uk Member of the Headmasters’ and Headmistress’ Conference and the Independent Association of Prep Schools. Rendcomb College, Company Limited by Guarantee 05891198 Charity Number 1115884