House routines

Signing in and out If you are in L5 – U5, there is no need to sign in and out during the day as you are all out of the House at lessons. However, when you come back after lessons at 5.00pm, you must sign in.After that, every time you leave the House you must sign in and out. This is really important.

L6 have a signing-out board. As you are allowed to stay in House during study periods, you must use the board every time you come in and out during the school day. After lessons you must use the paper signing-in and -out system so that we know where you are. It is our job to keep you safe, so it is very important that you use this system properly. House meetings These are either House briefings in the mornings, as previously mentioned, House prayers for the whole House in the common room, or year group meetings.

On Mondays there is an assembly in The Merritt Centre, and on Wednesdays and Fridays there is prayers or hymn practice at 8.10am in the School Hall or The Merritt Centre. We sit together as a House.

Monday to Saturday, lessons start at 8.30am. Break is from 10.55am to 11.25am. You come back to House for this, and will need to get changed out of PE kit if you have had PE or Games during periods 1, 2 and 3. You may need to get changed out of uniform into PE kit if you have a PE or Games lesson during Periods 4 or 5.

During the week, lessons finish at 1.00pm and you need to come back to House promptly for lunch. After lunch you may have a tutorial, an activity such as choir or sport, or you may get a bit of ‘downtime’. L6 are sometimes invited to have coffee in the drawing room with Mrs Barnes and any other Tutors who are in House. On Saturdays, lunch is from 11.00am, followed by Saturday Sport for L5 and M5, or matches if you are chosen for a team. Team sheets are posted on the sports noticeboards as soon as we know them.

On weekdays, lessons start again at 2.35pm so you need to leave House by 2.25pm. Lessons finish at 5.00pm. At this time most girls come back to House for tea. There are lots of opportunities to get involved in activities after school. These usually run from 5.10pm to 6.10pm. Please make the most of all the opportunities you have but, at the same time, don’t overload yourself. Your Tutor will help you to choose activities and you can also talk things through with House staff if you are unsure what to do. There is an activities fair in September to enable you to select your activites.

Unless you have an activity after 6.00pm (e.g. a tennis lesson, Leiths cookery, ballet, choir, etc.), you must be back in House by 6.10pm for supper.

Prep starts at 7.00pm. L5 must do prep in the dining room, supervised by at least one L6 girl. The whole House must be silent for prep. room or other space that will not disturb anyone else in House. Any girl who is found to be disruptive, noisy or not working will be asked to join L5 for supervised prep in the dining room.

Pantry opens up at 8.45pm, and unless there is a House meeting, you have free time.

For collaborative work, you must use the drawing room, common

Bedtime routine Bedtimes are staggered, depending on your year group. All girls must hand in mobile phones and any other electronic devices (e.g. tablets and laptops) 45 minutes before bedtime. You need to take these downstairs to the drawing room where a member of staff or Sixth Former will be on duty to receive them. Each girl has a labelled slot in a cupboard where they put their devices. This cupboard is locked every evening. If you are late bymore than five minutes when handing in your phone and device, these will be confiscated for 24 hours. Essentially, this means that if, for example, you are late on a Monday evening, you will not be allowed your items back until Wednesday morning.

If you are in U5 or L6 you must hand in your phone 45 minutes before bedtime but you may keep other devices (e.g. laptops) until 10.00pm, as we appreciate that sometimes you are still completing work.

The bedtime routine is as follows:

L5 M5/U5 L6

17:10-18:10 Activities

18:15-19:00 Supper 19:00-20:00 Prep Prep Prep 1 hour 1 ½ hours 1 ¾ hours

20:30-20:45 20:45-21:15 House meeting/drawing room/downtime Hand in tech 20:45 Hand in tech M5 21:00 Hand in tech 21:30 Hand in tech U5 21:15

21:15 Downtime

21:15-21.30 Reading (protected)

21:30 Lights out

21:45 M5 Lights out

22:00 U5 Lights out

22:15 Lights out

The routine is different on a Saturday evening. Supper is at 6.00pm, followed by a social. This could be a disco, a social with one of the Sherborne School Houses, a movie night in House, or a supper evening. However, all girls need to be in their rooms by 10.30pm and the House needs to be dark and quiet by 11.00pm at the very latest –for the benefit of those who would like to go to sleep.

Sunday nights are the same as a weekday night but without official prep time.

House duties Please check your year group duty rota. Unless you are a day girl, expect to have a duty evening once a week.

It is the responsibility of L5 to make sure that the computer room is tidy, all computers shut down, all windows closed and any work left placed in the lost property locker or on the shelf for the relevant girl. You should also tidy the common room: plump cushions and take mugs to the kitchen. This duty needs to be completed by 9.15pm.

M5 should tidy the hallway, putting all belongings in the pigeonholes. They should also tidy the drawing room, rearranging the cushions and taking any crockery back to the kitchen. U5 have pantry duty. This involves sweeping the floor, wiping down the work benches and tables, and placing rubbish in the relevant bins. Once the pantry is cleaned, please ask a duty member of staff to lock it. This duty needs to be started at 9.30pm and completed by 9.45pm.

L6 supervise prep, collect mobile phones and other devices and do bedtime duties. Please report for prep supervision a couple of minutes before the start of prep. Please report for phone duty by 8.55pm or bedtime duty by 9.10pm.