Life in Your House

St. Thomas’ House is a boarding and day house for boys ages 13-18. It is a striking country house that has been converted into a boarding house by the addition of a modern extension. The house is located on the edge of the school site on the road from the school to the village of Oswaldkirk.

St. Thomas’ is blessed with the best view on the site where we sit high on a hill overlooking the Vale of Pickering. The view when the sun rises early in the morning is idyllic, particularly when it shines through the morning clouds to light up the Basil Hume Millennium Cross which is in front of our house.

St. Thomas’ has a reputation of being a house with many talents across a wide spectrum of activities and interests. This has resulted in us having a rich cultural house with boys having each of their unique abilities appreciated by all.

Life in the House is underpinned by the Catholic and Benedictine ethos of the school and serves to support the spiritual, moral and intellectual development of students as set out in the school’s mission statement. The Rule of St Benedict has provided the inspiration for many schools over the centuries and at Ampleforth we aim to share in that same tradition of, ‘establishing a school for the Lord’s Service’. (RSB Pro45)

Time Event

0720 Wake up call 0740 Morning Prayer

0750-0830 Breakfast in house. Day boys register with Housemaster 0840 Morning lessons (Periods 1 + 2) 1025 Morning breaktime 1050 Morning lessons resume (Periods 3 +4)

1235 House lunch

1315 Quiet time in House

1350 Afternoon lessons (period 5 + 6) 1535 Afternoon break

1600 Afternoon lessons resume (Period 7) 1655-1820 Activities and Supper 1830 Check-in and start of prep 2100 Evening prayer 2145 First year bedtime 2150 Second year bedtime 2200 Remove bedtime

2200 Light and TV off in communal rooms. All sixth form to own rooms

NOTES ON HOUSE ROUTINE

• Out of consideration for others’ sleep, those getting up before 7.00am must do without disturbing others in the House. The alarm for the front door is turned off at 6.40 am. • 0720 morning call is done by the Remove year group on a rotation. • 0740 morning prayer will also be the morning roll call and so is compulsory for boarders.

Day boys are, of course, welcome to morning prayers, but as this might not be possible they must register at Mr Lynch-Frahill’s study before 0830. Your parents should please contact by phone or e-mail if there is either a delay or absence that day. • Every morning before the start of lessons you will be expected to make your bed, put clothes away and ensure that your books are in good order and ready for the school day.

This is regularly checked by either Matron or the House monitor on duty that day.

• From 1830 (the start of prep) until 0700 the next morning you must sign out if you are leaving the House. Boys should never be out of the House without permission

after House prayers.

WEEKENDS

On Saturday afternoon after morning lessons and a cafeteria lunch you will be involved in sports, either training or representing the school in fixtures.

Saturday evening is the main social time of the week. There are regular social events, cinema trips, quiz nights and similar organised events within the House. As we are keeping the house as a bubble this term we will have extra social spaces and entertainment to ensure that the boys will have a good deal to do.

The Windmill social centre for the sixth

form is currently being assessed under the guidelines for COVID and a provision will be announced at the start of term for sixth form socialising.

Abbey Mass on Sunday will be at varied on different weeks due to restrictions

on the numbers of people in the building.

Sunday Lunch is a formal House lunch at 1.00 pm (although in the summer term we usually have a House barbeque) and you will then have the rest of the afternoon free until prep time from 5.00 until 7.00 pm. Unfortunately, we cannot run trips outside the school on Sundays for the first half of term at the earliest so we will make a provision for extra food and entertainment on Sundays for the boys.

GOING OUT WITH PARENTS

Due to the COVID guidelines, boys will only be allowed to leave school at the weekend with their own parents. The first few weekends of school up to Exeat are ‘closed weekends’ to enable the boys to settle. If you wish to take your son out of school, please email Mr Lynch-Frahill.

Life in the House is underpinned by the Catholic and Benedictine ethos of the school and serves to support the spiritual, moral and intellectual development of students as set out in the school’s mission statement. The Rule of St Benedict has provided the inspiration for many schools over the centuries and at Ampleforth we aim to share in that same tradition of, ‘establishing a school for the Lord’s Service’. (RSB Pro45) 15

The Rule and the Gospel guide and inform life in the House and key parts of this involvement with the Catholic Benedictine tradition are our daily Morning and Evening Prayer, as well as Mass in-House for different year groups. There is also Sunday Mass in the Abbey, participation in reconciliation services, and the annual House retreat. Our House chaplain, Fr Alexander, is in the House almost every evening and is always available for boys who want to have a chat. He also runs the Philosophy Society where the boys discuss a huge array of topics. Boys can be involved in the religious life of the House either as readers and as Eucharistic ministers in the 6th form. One of the

House monitors each year is also the House catechist who, along with Fr Alexander, prepares boys (most often Second years) for confirmation.

The Arrival of Basil Hume Millennium Cross

Boys are also very welcome to attend any of the monastic offices in the Monks’ Choir in the Abbey church. The Schola Mass is at 8.30 pm on Fridays and Compline is at 8.15 pm every day.

As a House we also support the school’s charity, FACE-FAW, and students are invited to be involved in other pastoral activities, most notably the Friendship Holiday and the Lourdes Pilgrimage, both at the end of the summer term.

Ampleforth College is first and foremost an academic institution. Having been founded as a place for young Catholics to receive an education that can see them take a leading place in society, good academic performance is at the heart of what the school is trying to achieve.

Prep is done in the House after school every day and the staff and duty monitors ensure that prep time is a quiet time around the House, particularly in terms of playing music in rooms. You must stay in your own room unless you have arranged to go and work in the library. Any boy leaving the House must ask permission from the tutor on duty and sign out.

Mr Lynch-Frahill and the tutor on duty check the rest of the House to ensure that boys are working.

It is vital that all boys remember that if they are having difficulty with their prep they should talk to somebody about it as soon as possible. There are a number of sixth form mentors who will be happy to help with specific subject issues, as well as members of staff around who can also help. At the very least giving prep a go and agreeing with your teacher to see them in a support class or individually to go through the work is vastly preferable (and less liable to get a detention!) than just not doing work set.

Sixth formers have a number of study periods each week, during which they can either return to their rooms to work or go to the school library.

For many, particularly in the top three years, they will want to work before or after prep time in their rooms and it should be remembered that many students in day schools in their public exam year will be working more than two hours an evening.

prized and encouraged. Boys who win Headmaster’s commendations (awarded for good effort every half term) get a special celebration meal cooked by Matron. Winning Headmaster’s commendations also reflects well on the House, and as such will be an important factor in whether a boy wins his House colours.

You can also get practical help for your studies in the House. Our duty tutors can help with a range of different subjects, and individual learning support lessons can be arranged with Mr LynchFrahill which will be held either during study periods or during prep time.

ACTIVITIES AND SPORT

In the evening each day, on Friday afternoon and sometimes at other times during the week, there are a large number of activities on offer to everyone in the school. These are often based on sports, music, drama, CCF or academic extension, but the range is even wider than that. It is expected that every boy will be a member of at least two different activities each week. Many will do much more! With training on Monday and Wednesday, team run (preparation for the weekend fixture) on Thursday evenings, and school fixtures for most on Saturday, sport is a very big part of life here at Ampleforth.

HOUSE COMPETITION AND HOUSE COLOURS

Almost every single activity, from music to rugby to debating is also run as a House competition sometime during the year. These friendly but fiercely-fought competitions are invaluable for building up House spirit as they bring all the boys together as a real team. The breadth of different competitions, and the full participation required by many (such as cross country and the rowathon) means that everyone will have a role in representing the House at some stage of the year. Every year there is a presentation of House colours to reward those who have put in a really noteworthy effort for the House. There are junior colours for those in the First and Second year and senior half colours and colours that can be won by those in the top three years.

A good way for parents to keep up with life in the house on a regular basis is the house newsletter that we will send and our house facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/stthomas.ampleforth