Welcome to Dun Holme (2023)

WELCOME TO DUN HOLME

A ver y warm welcome to Dun

Holme

It is often overwhelming when you arrive somewhere new. There is a lot of information to take in and it is easy to end up feeling overloaded.

This handbook gives you some key information about living in Dun Holme, which you can read in your own time and refer back to if you need to I hope you find it helpful and feel reassured that everything will be fine If you have any questions when you get here just ask an older girl or a member of the Dun Holme team. If you have any questions before you arrive, do not hesitate to email us.

W ith best wishes

Mr Gent Housemaster

‘Busy with sense and idle with honour’

House Motto

Impor t ant cont act det ails

House

Mr Gent (Housemaster)

r gent@sherborne com

House email: dunholme@sherborne.com

House landline: 01935 818251

School

Mrs Briggs (Deputy Head, Pastoral & Designated Safeguarding Lead)

01935 818338

General SG Emergency Number 01935 818333

Please add these details to your phone It is important that you can get in touch with the House at all times The House phone is answered by the Matron during the day, and the Tutor on duty in the evening.

House ethos

• Dun Holme is a community. We are one big family: a home away from home

• We give each other mutual respect without exception, treating others how we would want to be treated ourselves

• We respect each person ’ s property, space, feelings and views

• There is no hierarchy – we set a good example for others and look after each other, particularly when others feel unhappy, homesick or lonely

• Dun Holme is our home, so we treat it with respect and look after it

• Everyone in Dun Holme has the right to enjoy living and working in our community

• We understand that Dun Holme is part of the larger School and local community

• We strive to be the best version of ourselves. Everyone should be a proud and active member of the House

• We want to have fun!

Family

In Dun Holme we place being a family at the very heart of what we do. Everyone in House looks out for each other. Older girls are always available and more than willing to support younger girls in the House. We eat every meal together and twice a week in family groups, which change on a half-termly basis. These are made up of a group of seven or eight girls from various year groups. The idea is that you get to know all the other girls in the House really well over the course of the year and become a tight-knit support unit for each other.

Everyone’s opinion is important and so House and Year group meetings take place regularly and are a great way of everyone having the opportunity to feed back their opinions W ith your help, we can ensure that the House culture and ethos works for every resident. That’s the Dun Holme way

The House st af f

There are several members of staff in Dun Holme. From our matrons to resident staff, the duty tutors to the Assistant House Parent. You will get to know us all very well.

Mrs Blocke and Mrs Wharfe are our Day Matrons. They are available in House every day from 8am to 6pm.

The Matrons’ job is to look after the practical aspects of you living here. For example, they will make you appointments at the Health Centre They organise train tickets and taxis when you need them and liaise with your parents about your travel arrangements for exeats and the end of term. Matrons also check that your rooms are tidy and will help you with laundry if need be.

The HM is supported by a residential Assistant who runs the boarding house during the HM’s time off in the week. The wider house pastoral team includes day matrons who are in the house from 8am-6pm and a team of residential staff who perform evening and weekend duties. All the pastoral staff work tirelessly to support the girls in making the house feel like a home from home and they are all looking forward to meeting you in September.

Everyone is allocated a Tutor Your Tutor will see you once a week and can come into the Boarding House and have lunch with you. They will help you organise your school work and answer any academic queries

They meet regularly with Mr Gent to discuss your performance and progress.

Suppor t in House and in the School

There are many people you can talk to. All of the House staff are here for you and if you need any help at all, please just ask.

New girls to the House are allocated a buddy Please use your buddy as a useful source of information

In addition, the L6 are here to help you The Head and Vice Head of House have been appointed to these important roles as they really do care about the House and the girls who live here They have been where you are and know how you feel. They are great listeners and will always be available to help you.

We also have a team of L6 Supporters and Listeners. These girls have been trained by our School Counsellor and will offer a listening ear if you are worried about anything and you would prefer to speak to someone nearer your own

age Look on the noticeboards for information about our Supporters and Listeners. They all have a sign on their bedroom door that says ‘Supporter and Listener’ Just knock on their door if you need a chat or to see a friendly face We also have our L6 academic mentors who are available to help you if you need a hand in any subject area

We have three School Counsellors (Heddy, Lauenna and Veronica), who come into School to talk to girls You can also speak to the Chaplain if you want a chat. The Chaplain can often be found in the Ark in Main School

If you would like to speak to someone independent from School then do look at the noticeboards You’ll find lots of telephone numbers there for a variety of support services.

Dealing with homesickness

For some of you this may be your first time away from home, so you may not find the first few days easy. That’s okay and it is perfectly nor mal to feel like this It can be tricky getting used to different routines and getting to know new people. The important thing to remember is that if you are feeling homesick you are not alone, and these feelings will quickly pass

We are here to help and reassure.

Everyone has experienced homesickness and understands what you ’ re going through But you can make things a little easier if you follow these tips:

• Make sure you are not on your own If you feel sad, it will make things worse to isolate yourself from others

• You will not be the only person struggling – lots of other girls will be too. Look at the other girls around you and think, ‘if they can do it, so can I’ Keep yourself busy – don’t give yourself time to think about missing home

• Try not to make contact with home unless you feel strong enough to handle it. Hearing Mum or Dad’s voice may set you off, so don’t phone unless you feel up to it

• Don’t phone home just before bedtime It’s the worst time of day to speak to parents as you are likely to be feeling most wobbly just before bed

• When you do speak to your parents at home, talk about everything you have been doing. Avoid talking about how you are feeling as this is likely to make you feel more emotional

• Don’t encourage your parents to ‘ pop in’ to see you. It just makes it harder in the long run

• Don’t encourage your parents to keep texting you to ask how you are. Again, it just reminds you that you aren’t at home and this may upset you

• Come and get a hug from one of the members of staff on duty We love hugs! Normally big groups of girls congregate in the HM’s office during tech hand-in time – come and join us for a chat!

• Remember: you will get over your homesickness. In no time at all, Dun Holme will feel like your second home

The Health Centre and medicine

Dr Middle and Dr Thomas are our School Doctors. All boarders are registered with them. One of them comes to the Health Centre from Monday to Friday at 8am and you can easily get an appointment to see them if you need to. You can either make one yourself by going to the Health Centre, or ask Matron and she will organise an appointment for you.

If you feel unwell, the House staff may suggest that you go to the Health Centre to see a nurse for advice (or we will phone from Dun Holme to get advice) There is always a nurse on duty in the Health Centre

If you want to see someone in the Health Centre but do not want to let anyone know that you are going, either Teams message ‘Health Care Reception’ or email health@sherborne com to arrange an appointment.

You are not allowed to keep any medicine or tablets in your room All medicines are kept in the medicine cabinet in the House office If you need to take medicine regularly then usually this is done at 8am. The Matron on duty will dispense your medicines and you will sign for them

Who can I t alk to?

Everybody has worries or problems at some time in their lives. Although there may be times when you do not want to talk about worries, it is usually sensible and helpful to talk to someone else about them and to try to help sort them out. You could talk to one of the other girls in your year group or the older girls in House – your Head of House or a Prefect. However, there are occasions when an adult may be a more appropriate person to talk to and there are a very large number to choose from at school, as well as your parents and relations.

Safeguarding Hotline

01935 818324

Safeguarding Leads

Lead: Mrs Briggs 01935 818342 07711 002937

Teachers

Childline* 0800 1111

Tutors

Matrons

Children’s Commissioner for England 0800 528 0731

www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk

Counsellors

Deputies: Mrs Miller, Mr McClary Mrs Orton, Mrs Beard Chaplain Revd

Mrs Heddy Smith 07970 843359 h.smith@sherborne.com

Ms Lauenna Luddington

Mrs Veronica Rosello

Aroundthe-clock suppor t

All members of staff would be pleased to talk to you and try to help. This includes Dr Sullivan and Mrs Briggs. If you need to see the Head quickly, see her Personal Assistant, Mrs Horton They will listen to you in confidence, but there may be times when they have to ask your permission to tell someone what you have told them, if they think you or others are at serious risk of harm.

Meals

All meals in House are compulsory. We always take a register, and we use this as a roll call. Please be prompt to mealtimes. If you have specific dietary requirements, please let the House staff know as soon as possible, so that arrangements can be made with our Chef.

Mealtimes are as follows:

Breakfast

Monday – Friday 7 30am/7 45am

Saturday – 7.30am

Sunday – 9 30am (if there is a morning service) 11am brunch (if there is an evening service)

Lunch

Monday – Friday 1pm

Saturday – A rolling lunch to make sure you can eat before or after your sport

Sunday 1pm (unless there has been brunch at 11am, in which case there is no lunch)

Supper

Monday – Friday 6 15pm

Saturday 6pm

Sunday 6pm (unless there is an evening Abbey Service, in which case it is at 5 30pm)

When arriving for meals, please queue up in the corridor until the member of staff on duty says you can come through. You must wear something on your feet. At breakfast and supper, girls tend to sit with their year groups Supper times (and all meals on Sundays) tend to be very relaxed – PJs are perfectly acceptable!

On Mondays you will sit in family groups across the year groups so you get to know the whole House really quickly.

Please remember table manners in the dining room. For example, no elbows on tables, don’t talk with your mouth full, etc. If your Tutor is in for lunch,

remember to be a good host: please chat to them – they have made an effort to come and spend lunch with you.

The dining room is a mobile-free zone. Please do not take your phone out in the dining room –expect it to be confiscated if it is seen!

Takeaways

You may order takeaways on Saturday evenings. However, you need to get permission from the member of staff on duty beforehand. You must also wait downstairs so that you can watch for the delivery driver and your takeaway must arrive before 9pm.

House routines

Signing in and out

There is no need to sign in and out during the day if you are out of the House for lessons. If you return to House for whatever reason, you must inform Matron that you are back in House This applies to all Year groups. After lessons at 5pm, you must sign in and out of the House on the sheets provided in the entrance hall It is vital that we have an accurate picture of who is in the House at all times; this helps us to keep you safe. We can show you exactly how this works once you are in House

House and year meetings

We have House and year meetings regularly in the dining room. All girls in House are required to attend Often we will meet in Year groups in the lounge

We use the white board in the entrance to the dining room to convey information and messages. Please get into the habit of checking this every time you go into the dining room

On Mondays, there is usually an assembly in The Merritt Centre, and on Wednesdays and Fridays School Prayers or Hymn Practice take place in the School Hall or The Meritt Centre at 8.10am. We sit together as a House.

From Monday to Saturday lessons starts at 8 30am and break is from 10.55am11.25am. You will come back to House for this and will need to

get changed out of PE/games kit/drama blacks if you have had one of those lessons during Periods 1, 2 or 3. You may need to get changed out of uniform into PE kit/drama blacks if you have PE/Games or Drama during Periods 4 or 5.

During the week, lessons finish at 1pm 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. On Saturdays, lunch is from 11 45am to 12 45pm, followed by Saturday Sport for L5 and M5 from 1pm to 2pm or matches if you are chosen for a team. Team sheets are posted on the sports noticeboards as soon as we know them

During the week, lessons restart in the afternoon at 2.35pm, so you need to leave the House in good time. Apart from Wednesdays when lessons start again at 1 45pm, so you need to

leave house by 1.35pm. Period 8 finishes at 5pm.

There are lots of opportunities to get involved in activities after school These usually run from 5 15pm to 6 15pm Please make the most of all the opportunities on offer but, at the same time, don’t overload yourself. Your Tutor will help you choose activities and you can also talk things through with House staff if you are unsure what to do. The Activities Fair in September will enable you to select your activities

Unless you have an activity in the evening (for example a tennis lesson, Leiths cookery, ballet, choir, etc.), you must be back in House by 6pm ready for supper at 6 15pm

Daily routines

8am Medication is given out by Matron

8 10-8 25am Monday: Assembly Wednesday: Prayers

Friday: Hymn Practice

8.30-9.15am Period 1

9.20-10.05am Period 2

10 10-10 55am Period 3

10 55-11 25am Break – in House *

11 25-12 10pm Period 4

12 15-1pm Period 5

1-1.45pm Lunch – in House

1.45-2.30pm Downtime / choir / activities / music lessons

2.35-3.20pm Period 6

3.25-4.10pm Period 7

4 15-5pm Period 8

5 10-6 10pm Activities / free time

6 15-7pm Supper and Roll Call – in House

7-8 45pm Prep – in house (varies for each year group):

L5 work the dining room

9.30-10pm Bedtime (varies for each year group)

*There are only three lessons on a Saturday

Other prep points to consider…

• L5 must do prep in the dining room

• There will be at least one L6 girl to supervise prep

• The whole House must be silent during prep time and be actively engaged in prep, revision or reading

• If you need to work collaboratively with another girl, then this must be arranged with a member of staff on duty (or the L6 who is supervising prep). For collaborative work, you can use the games room next to the drawing room

• Any girl who is found to be disruptive, noisy or not working will be asked to join L5 for supervised prep

Bedtime routine

All girls must hand in mobile phones and any other electronic devices (e.g. tablets, watches and laptops) one hour before bedtime (see above) You need to take these downstairs to Mr Gent’s office where a member of staff or sixth former will be on duty ready to receive them Each girl has a labelled slot in a cupboard where they put their devices. The office is locked every evening. If you are late by more than five minutes when handing in your phone and devices, you may have a sanction

The routine is different on a Saturday evening. Supper is at 6.15pm and then you will have a social This could be a disco, a social with one of the Houses

from Sherborne School, a movie night in House, a supper evening or something else thought up by you or your House team!

There are two phone free days a week for L5 and M5 and one for U5 This does not mean that you can’t phone home on those days.

L5 need to hand in their phones on a Saturday night by 10.30pm.

That said, all girls need to be in their rooms by 10 30pm and the House needs to be dark and quiet by 11pm.

Sunday nights are treated the same as a weekday night (but there is no official prep time).

House duties

All girls in the House are expected, just as they would at home, to contribute to helping keep the House tidy and a pleasant place to be We believe in everyone ‘doing their bit’, from cleaning tables after supper to bringing mugs down from upstairs.

Different year groups will have different levels of responsibility

The L6, as leaders of the house, take responsibility for

supporting the younger pupils during supervised prep, collecting devices at bedtime and wishing the girls

goodnight In addition to this our house prefects are responsible for a number different areas, including House Spirit, Wellbeing , Sport, Music and Food (to name but a few!) and lead important initiatives in these areas.

Going out and welcoming visitors to the House

Going out

After lessons, and if you do not have an activity, you are allowed to go to Budgens You must sign in and out and you must be back in House by 6pm. You must either be in full uniform, or in smart casual clothes (check the dress code for more details on this) You should never be ‘partly’ in uniform, by mixing it with your casual clothes.

L5 and M5 are allowed into town on Saturday afternoons after either match commitments or Saturday Sport, and on Sundays when other commitments allow

U5 and L6 can go into town after lessons and on Saturday afternoons. You must be back in House by 6pm.

Going outside Sherborne M5 upwards may go to Yeovil at the weekend but permission must be sought from the Housemaster or the member of staff on duty. A taxi must be ordered by the person on duty and you must be in a group of at least three (L6 can go in pairs)

L6 can go to Bath, Salisbury or Bristol by prior arrangement with the Housemaster

If it is your birthday or a special occasion, your parents may take you out for supper. However, unless this is a weekend, you may not invite any friends This is because going out midweek is disruptive to prep routines

This is a School rule (not just a House rule). If you would like to celebrate your birthday with friends, it is best to wait until Saturday evening or Sunday lunch

L6 can go out to a restaurant for supper on Saturday or lunch on Sunday in groups of no more than six. Such trips need to be arranged in advance with the Housemaster

Please be aware that even if you do not have a match on a Saturday and you are in L5 or M5, you still have a commitment to Saturday Sport from 1pm to 2pm. You are therefore not available to meet with parents until after this time

Your behaviour and dress when out and about must be exemplary, as you are representing the House and the School. Please create a good impression. The School boundaries are published on the Boarding House noticeboards – you must be aware of where you are and are not allowed to go.

Exeats/weekends out

There are usually two exeats every term These start at 1pm on a Friday You may not leave School before this time

The School train to Waterloo normally leaves at 1 35pm and gets to Waterloo at 3.47pm. It usually leaves Waterloo at 5.15pm on a Sunday afternoon to come back It is an escorted service and you will be given the phone number and name of the member of staff on the train before you leave. All girls need to leave promptly for exeat, after which time Dun Holme will be locked It will not reopen again until 6pm on the Sunday evening, so please do not return before this time as you will not be able to get into the House.

However, if you do need to arrive back to School earlier than 6pm, a selected House is open and a Matron will be on duty there All girls must return by 9pm after an exeat weekend.

As a full boarding school the weekends are just as important and busy as the weekdays All boarders remain in school at weekends and there is a wideranging activity programme on offer.

Queenie’s Café and The Coffee Pod

The Coffee Pod is a café in the reception area of the Oxley Sports Centre, which you may also use after school and at weekends. There is also a café in the Upper Foyer of The Merritt Centre, called Queenie’s Café

This is open after lunch and after school These are good places to meet up with your friends.

Visitors

Girls from other Houses and boys from Sherborne School are very welcome to visit us here in the House There is a visitor signing-in book that everyone must sign Please let the member of staff on duty know that a visitor has arrived. It is very important that they are introduced to the member of staff on duty If a friend, or family member from Sherborne School is visiting, you must stay in the dining room or the lounge. Family members are always welcome to the House but no one is allowed upstairs, including parents (unless it is the start or end of term) If you have friends from outside the School visiting, please let the duty member of staff know when they arrive, and introduce them. Sleepovers with friends from other house are allowed – either in DH or in other Houses Speak to Mr Gent if you’d like to arrange one

Keeping personal items safe

All rooms and ‘cubies’ are equipped with a lockable drawer. You are advised to keep any precious items and money locked away. All girls will be responsible for their own key every term. Please be aware that you need to return the key at the end of term. If you lose it, you will be charged £15 for a replacement.

Money and passports

Passports must be handed in If you require a Visa to study in England, your passport is kept in the safe in the office in Main School. Anyone who has a large amount of cash is advised to hand this in to us for safekeeping You may use us as a House bank, and sign out money as you wish to use it.

Day boarders House and School facilities

You have set nights that you stay and you need to let your HM know which nights these are. You must give 48 hours’ notice if you would like to stay on any other nights (or go home when you would normally sleep over).

If you stay at school on a Saturday evening and there is an Abbey Service the next morning, you are expected to attend.

Laundry

We have a laundry room on the ground floor in Dun Holme. We have three washing machines and three dryers Girls do their own general laundry, but bedding and towels can be collected and taken off site to be washed and returned weekly if you so choose. When your bedding and towels need washing, put them in the large washing trolleys on the second floor by Sunday evening.

Each girl has a labelled shelf in the linen room on the first floor. The cleaners will put your clean bedding and towels onto your shelf when they are returned You can of course choose to wash your own bedding and towels if you’d prefer.

When you take your laundry, check how the rest of the washing is doing in there. If you pop someone ’ s washing in a dryer and put the next load

on, it helps everyone ’ s washing to get done more quickly. The system only works if everyone uses it, so it is important to stick to The machines are really straightforward to use They also automatically dispense washing powder. Just get someone to show you the first time you use one if you are unsure Matron will show you when you first arrive

If you do not name your clothes, they are likely to get lost or mixed up with someone else’s laundry, and it can be difficult to identify whose washing is whose If you buy new clothes during the course of the term, borrow a Sharpie from Matron’s office to label them. It will save Matron a lot of time trying to sort through unclaimed, unlabelled washing

The Lounge

The lounge is available for all girls to use at any time in House (apart from during prep) In the lounge you will find a smart TV and DVD player, a Nintendo Switch, lots of DVDs, books and lots of very comfy chairs and sofas.

The Games Room

This is located on the first floor Here we have a TV, piano, a multi-purpose games table, table football and lots of board games. This is also a good space to work and again some very comfy furniture to relax can be found here

The Snug

This room is on the first floor and is a really useful space for online and face to face appointments like your tutorials It’s also a really private space to call home for example.

Reporting faults

Like all buildings, the Boarding House will sometimes require repair and upkeep Our Facilities Department come to the House most days to carry out routine repairs such as replacing light bulbs and fixing dripping taps You need to report any faults or repairs to Matron as soon as you notice them. If the repair is urgent, we

will get someone over as soon as possible to fix it At each exeat and at the end of each half term we ask you to let us know if anything needs repairing in your area of the House

Oxley Sports Centre

All girls are automatically members of the Oxley Sports Centre. Many make use of its well-equipped gym In order to use this, you need to go to the front desk and register The staff will organise an induction session with one of the Personal Trainers, following which you are free to use the facilities If you are under 16, you may sign up for the Junior Gym activity that happens on several days each week from 5pm to 6pm. If you are 16 or over, then you are able to use the gym whenever it is convenient, but you must check with Mr Gent first

School Shop Hygiene

The school shop is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday during term time (closed at 12.30 – 1pm for lunch).

You will find school uniform in the shop, along with a range of stationery items, as well as toiletries and tuck. Your access card doubles as a shop card and is needed when you pop in to make purchases. Parents will have authorised a termly allowance for you which enables purchases to be made without using cash or debit cards. However, cash and debit cards are also accepted. You can also order items to be delivered to the House.

Uniform items to the value of £30 may be purchased when replacements are required. The shop staff will require parental permission for any item you wish to purchase above this amount. This can be shown as a text message, completion of a uniform chit signed by House Matron, or an email from parents to schoolshop@sherborne.com. Parents can also order uniform direct via phone, email or website.

This is really important, especially living as communally as we do. Please make time to shower every day. Get yourself into a good routine. Use shower gel and deodorant. It is equally important that you wash your clothes regularly, as it is pointless washing your body and then putting dirty clothes back on. The sports tops get smelly really quickly, so you need to make sure you wash them regularly.

It is a good idea to organise your clothes in your room or ‘cue/cubie’ A small ‘ pop-up ’ laundry basket is a really good idea If you put dirty laundry into one of these, it is less likely to get muddled up with clean clothes If you put your clothes away (instead of using your floor as a ‘floordrobe’), you will be able to separate clean from dirty clothes more easily.

Uniform expect ations/dress

All girls are required to uphold the uniform expectations as listed in the School Dress Code at all times during the school day, including time spent moving between lessons. When in academic lessons, Sixth Form pupils should wear their jackets at all times unless permission to remove them is requested and granted. Any pupils who have been given permission to visit Sherborne during lesson times should be in school uniform. School trips will require either full uniform (or suits for Sixth Form), or smart casual.

Appearance during lesson times (8.30am-5pm)

You must look clean, neat and tidy at all times. Hair should be neatly tied back if it is below the shoulders and jewellery should be limited to one pair of stud earrings Piercings halfway up the ears are not allowed, nor are nose piercings. Bracelets are not allowed and just one simple necklace is permitted.

L5 – U5 must wear their uniform (kilt/trousers, blouse, jumper, black tights, black shoes) for all lessons. If you have PE or games, for example, during Period 3, then you are allowed to wear sports kit during Periods 1 and 2 You must, however, get changed into uniform at break time. In the same way, if you have games after break, then you must wear uniform until break and then get changed into sports kit You only need to wear your blazer on formal occasions, such as Abbey Services or when showing visitors around School. You do not need to wear uniform for School Services on Sundays –jeans are fine for these

L6 wear a School suit. You can wear your own collared shirt and jumper but this must not have a logo on the front, nor can it be hooded You need to look smart and businesslike.

Appearance out of School hours

Outside of the school day (i.e. after timetabled lessons, or during evenings and weekends), pupils may wear casual clothes on the School site but they are still expected to look tidy and presentable. Casual clothes may be worn at the weekends from midday on Saturdays (if not involved in sport) and Sundays (except for official School activities such as Tour Mornings and Abbey Services). Casual clothes may sometimes be worn

on trips out of School (e.g. to the theatre). Pupils should dress appropriately for the destination of the trip and respect the instructions given by the supervising staff.

Labelling

Everything brought to School must be clearly marked with name tapes, with at least the pupil’s surname in full followed by House initials.

Use of mobiles and other personal electronic devices

Mobile phones are extremely useful, but please use yours with care. There are two mobile free days in the week for L5-M5 and one mobile free day for U5 You are not allowed to take your phones over to Main School during the normal school day and they will be

confiscated if seen The House dining rooms are also mobile free zones. Please do not use anyone else’s mobile phone. You must give the HM your number so that we can contact you if we need to

Sherborne Girls terminology

Year-groups

L4 – Year 7

U4 – Year 8

L5 – Year 9

M5 – Year 10

U5 – Year 11

L6 – Year 12

U6 – Year 13

The Houses and their colours

Aldhelmsted East – Purple

Aldhelmsted West – Pink

Dun Holme – Light Blue

Kenelm – Red

Mulliner – Black

Reader Harris – Green

W ingfield Digby – Yellow

General

Ark – the Ark is a quiet space where the Chaplain is based It is in the Main School building and all pupils may use it as a space for quiet reflection

BLT – Beddington Lecture

Theatre, a room in the Beddington Building

Budgens – Budgens Store in the BP Garage

Cubie – Cubicle (bedroom)

Drawing room – a second social space that is also used for more formal gatherings

Exeat – when School closes for the weekend (usually from Friday lunchtime)

Family dining – when year groups are mixed up to sit together for lunch

Granny Patch – Richmond Green

Main School – the Main School building, containing the School Hall

Oxley – the Oxley Sports Centre

Prayers – services that take place in the School Hall or Gransden Hall before school on certain days

Prep – homework (also sometimes means private study period during the day)

Queenie’s – the café in The Merritt Centre

Socials – Saturday night social events

SS – Sherborne School/the Boys’ School

Aldhelmsted East (AE)

Aldhelmsted West (AW)

Dun Holme (DH)

Development and Old Girls Office

The Hive

School Shop and Blair

Performance Gym and Dance Studio

Kenelm (K)

Wingfield Digby (WD)

(M)

RH Courts

RH Courts

Lower Playing Fields

School Shop and (M)

Packing list

Avoid bringing everything you own, as space is limited! Apart from uniform and PE kit (see the Dress Code on the School website: Sherborne.com/uniformshop), you only need a few casual clothes: jogging bottoms, jeans, t-shirts and hoodies for after school. You will need a smarter outfit for more formal occasions and something for end-ofterm parties. You may like to wear something a bit more ‘dressy’ for a weekend social event, but jeans and a nice top are usually fine. The School Dress Code lists the various occasions that require different types of outfits.

Don’t forget an alarm clock (as mobile phones are collected at bedtime) and you must bring your own bedding. You may like to bring posters, photos and small personal items to decorate your room, and your favourite teddy.

Coat hangers and a laundry bag are a must, as is a bank card or access to electronic funds. £10 cash is needed each term for use at charity events.

FAQ

Is it useful to have a mobile phone?

Mobile phones are useful but not compulsory. Mobile phones are not permitted in the Main School during the school day

Remember, you can phone home at any time you are in House, even if you do not have your mobile with you. Just ask the member of staff on duty, and they will let you use the House phone in a private space. We also have phone free days which help us to have a digital detox and focus on time with our friends rather than time on a screen

Is there anywhere I can keep my things safe?

We recommend that you hand in anything of value, including money, to be safely locked away All rooms and ‘ cues ’ have a lockable drawer that you can also keep precious items in. Matron will give you a key, but please be aware that, if you lose it, you will be charged £15 for a replacement Passports and other legal documentation must be handed in and signed for in the School Office.

What do I do if I don’t feel well?

Firstly, tell the House staff. If you need to go to the Health Centre, they will call ahead. If you feel unwell in a lesson, your teacher will let the House or Health Centre know If you want to see a nurse but don’t want to tell anyone, then you can ‘drop in’ to the Health Centre any weekday after School

Fire safety

It is very important that you know where ALL the fire exits are in House. Please walk around and work out where your escape routes are so you know how to get out in the event of a fire. If the alarm sounds, you must make your way out of the House as quickly and quietly as possible. We assemble in the garden area at the bottom of the steps from the courtyard. You must line up silently in year groups in alphabetical order. A member of each year group will be given a clipboard containing a register in order to tick off each girl. This is the quickest way that we, as House staff, can work out if everyone is present. We will then double check. We do run regular practice fire alarms.

The optimum time for us to evacuate and account for everyone is two and a half minutes. This isn’t a long time, so everyone must be sensible and quiet to enable this to happen efficiently If the alarm goes off, look very quickly at your nearest fire sensor. If it is flashing red, please let a member of staff know when you get outside This will help us locate the problem more quickly It is possible that, once assembled, we will be notified that the School is having a full evacuation. If this is the case, we will all have to make our way to the pitches where we will reassemble alongside the rest of the School in front of the Pavilion. When we line up on the pitches, we stay in House groups. We will periodically practise fire drills, so do not worry about this

We look forward to welcoming you to Dun Holme. If you have any questions, just ask!

House contact details:

Mr Gent: 01935 818250

Matrons: 01935 818251

House landline: 01935 818251

E: r.gent@sherborne.com

E: dunholme@sherborne.com

www.sherborne.com