St Thomas' House Handbook 2022-23

St Thomas’ House Handbook

Contents Table of Contents Contents................................................................................................................................................. 2 Welcome from the Housemaster ............................................................................................................ 3 Welcome from Head of House ................................................................................................................ 4 St. Thomas Becket .................................................................................................................................. 5 Packing List and Uniform ........................................................................................................................ 5 Laundry .................................................................................................................................................. 7 Money and Valuables ............................................................................................................................. 7 Cooking and Ordering Food .................................................................................................................... 8 Contacting Home .................................................................................................................................... 9 Homesickness ........................................................................................................................................ 10 Start of Term Arrangements .................................................................................................................. 11 Life in Your House .................................................................................................................................. 11 Typical Daily Routine of the House ................................................................................................................. 12 Notes on House routine ................................................................................................................................. 12 Weekends...................................................................................................................................................... 13 Going out with parents .................................................................................................................................. 14 Religious Life in the House ............................................................................................................................. 15 Academic Life in House .................................................................................................................................. 16 Activities and Sport ........................................................................................................................................ 17 House Competition and House Colours ........................................................................................................... 17

The House Team .................................................................................................................................... 19 House Monitors ............................................................................................................................................. 20

Safeguarding ......................................................................................................................................... 21 Medical Care in School........................................................................................................................... 21 Health and Safety in the House .............................................................................................................. 21 List of Important Contacts ..................................................................................................................... 22 Tutor Contact email addresses ....................................................................................................................... 23

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Welcome from the Housemaster Welcome to St Thomas’ House, I look forward to welcoming new students and returning ones alike in September. I am excited about the forthcoming year and the new rewarding challenge that is running a boarding house. I am pleased that the house team in St. Thomas’ remains pretty consistent and we are all lucky to have such a well settled and skilled set of tutors. Whilst I have met many of the new students, I will continue to be in contact with parents and look forward to building a productive, open and above all supportive relationship with all parents and students as the year progresses.

This booklet has been designed to give you an idea about what life is like in the house and hopefully answer some of the questions you may have. You should read this with your parents and use it to supplement the information you have been sent by the admissions office.

St Thomas’ aims to be a home more than just a House – providing a secure, happy and caring environment for each boy to develop and maximise their potential, whatever their talents and interests. St. Thomas’ is a ‘home away from home’.

The qualities that you will develop living in this House will be every bit as important as the information that you learn every day in the classroom. With tolerance and respect for those around you, you will develop strong friendships that will endure long after you have left Ampleforth College. St Thomas’ has a reputation for being a House where boys form close bonds with one another, look out for each other and always give of their best in all that they do.

My main goal for this year, as your Housemaster, is to support and challenge you. I will work to create a stable, supportive environment to help you to grow academically and socially. The Rule of St. Benedict states that “idleness is the enemy of the soul (RSB pro48)” and in this spirit I wish to challenge you to commit wholeheartedly to College life. This is about so much more than the classroom, you should be curious, inquisitive and committed to your own personal growth.

Best Wishes Mr Simon Rudsdale 3

Welcome from Head of House Hi, I’m Arthur, or “Kav” to any of the students at Ampleforth, and I’m going to be the head of house in St. Thomas’ next year. This goes to those of you going into Year 9 especially, but apprehension about moving into a new school and a new lifestyle in the boarding house is perfectly understandable, my best advice for this is to use your first year to do as much as possible and make as many friends as you can.

Year 9 is definitely the best time to get out and try everything, get a feeling for what you want to do. Take advantage of all the great opportunities you have available to you while you have time. Personally, I had at least four extracurricular activities at all times in Year 9 and as a result I felt really comfortable and happy in the school very quickly. I’m sure you’ll all have a great time here and the most important thing to remember is that you need not worry: you’ll all do great thanks to your brilliant choice of house!

I’m sure many of the parents will be like mine; wanting to buy out the entire stock of M&S/comparative stores in preparation for the school year! I would very much advise against this! You will only need fresh clothes for 10 days because of the school wash and this time will allow you to get used to the Ampleforth sense of “style”, and I use this in the broadest sense of the word. There is definitely a uniqueness to how students dress and I found that it is easier to get some of the clothes after you have been there for a few weeks.

I look forward to seeing you all in September and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email me (a.kavanagh@ampleforth.org.uk).

All the best, Arthur

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St. Thomas Becket “Ave Mater Angha” the motto of St. Thomas Becket and the City of Canterbury. It translates as “Hail, Mother of England.”

From this we take inspiration from St. Thomas’ life and martyrdom to guide us in our development.

St. Thomas Becket as the Archbishop of Canterbury clashed with King Henry II over the right of the church being infringed upon by the crown. St Thomas was martyred by knights of the king whilst praying in the cathedral. The site of this martyrdom has become an important shrine for pilgrims from across the globe. This pilgrimage was

immortalised

in

Geoffrey

Chaucer’s

Canterbury Tales.

From St. Thomas’ sacrifice, we in the house take leave by his example, where we all strive to be integral and endeavour for what is right and just in all of our actions in life, in spite of fear and The Site of St. Thomas' Martyrdom in Canterbury Cathedral

consequence.

Our house crest is the coat of arms of the city of Canterbury, often used to represent St. Thomas.

Packing List and Uniform All parents are sent a list of clothes that are needed for school during the summer. All clothes must have name tapes (these are much more obvious than simply writing the name on in biro or marker pen) so that they do not get lost in the school laundry. It is also a good idea to have a set of name tapes to give to Matron so that when you get new clothes during term, often new games 5

kit, the clothes can be labelled by her. You should also ensure that all of your clothes are washable at 40 degrees Celsius and above.

You can wear your own clothes in the House and around school outside of the school day. With limited wardrobe storage space, you should not bring too many of your own clothes though – it is very easy for rooms to become untidy if boys have too many clothes.

You should have a mouth guard for rugby and hockey; if you go to a games session without one you will not be allowed to participate. A basic mouth guard is available at the school shop for a few pounds. The Games department also organises a dentist to visit the school in the second week of term to fit students with professional mouth guards. There is no pressure from the Games department to upgrade to these, however.

Everyday School Dress during the Autumn and Spring Term: Jackets – Must be worn at all times and not carried. They can be removed in lessons. Formal, smart suit style jacket, dark in colour. Tweed jacket.

Shoes – Smart, formal, black or navy, leather or suede shoes, loafers or flat shoes only. No ‘Superga’ style shoes, no thick soled shoes, no trainers, no canvas, no boots, pumps or casual shoes. Brown shoes allowed in 6th form only.

Trousers – Dark, formal, tailored, trousers, chinos or cords. Must be ankle length. Cannot be jeans or ‘jeancut’ trousers with external rear pockets or studs.

Shirts – Shirts must be worn at all times. Smart, fitted, formal, pale colour or discretely striped, tucked in.

Jumpers – Dark, formal, fitted, plain, smart V-neck jumper. No sports brands, stripes. No fleece material.

Quarter zip – Dark, formal, fitted, plain, smart. No fleece material or sports brands.

Gilet - dark, formal, fitted, plain, smart. No sleeves, no sports brands.

Tie – Must be black. Sports team, club, house or society tie can be worn. Black tie on a Monday. You cannot wear your own tie. This is done to encourage you to join a sports team, club or society.

Outer coat – Must be smart, plain, formal. No ‘Puffa’ style padded coats, no sports branded coats.

Hair – Sensible hair styles of natural colour. Boys should be clean shaven.

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Sunday Mass ·

Dark suit for boys and girls. Full tweed suit is acceptable

·

Plain, white shirts for boys and girls, tucked in.

·

Black school ties or house ties only are to be worn by all boys except for School Monitors who may wear a Monitor tie No other ties are acceptable.

·

Black, leather shoes only. Brown shoes may only be worn with a tweed suit.

Summer term – In the summer months, when announced by the Deputy Head, the following changes to the dress code apply. Jackets are optional. Ties are optional. Pale/light/natural coloured, tailored trousers are allowed. Shirts must always still be tucked in. Top buttons can be undone.

Laundry Dirty washing must be placed in the laundry bins outside the Laundry room. Laundry is taken to be cleaned on Tuesday morning each week so you must ensure that all of your clothes are in the laundry before check-in on Tuesday. It comes back on Thursday morning. We do have emergency washers in the House which are sometimes used to clean dirty sports kit.

There is a school dry-cleaning service that is run by the school shop. Any minor repairs to clothes that are needed can be taken to Matron.

Money and Valuables You need pocket money at school as there is both a school and a House tuck shop. This really is only pocket money though as any larger purchases like games kit or books can be paid for with a chit – a special slip signed by Mr Rudsdale or Matron that can then be taken to the shop and is charged to the termly account. As a rough guide £10 a week should certainly be enough, particularly for junior boys.

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All money should be left with Mr Rudsdale in the House bank for safekeeping. This can then be taken out after morning prayers. Above all, however, amounts of money over £10 should not be carried around or kept in your dormitory.

It is recommended that a minimum amount of expensive electrical items are brought into school.

Games consoles and handheld equivalents should be left at home. There are consoles, games and plenty to do supplied by the house. Laptops and mobile phones should be insured through personal plans or included in home insurance policies as valuables are not covered by the school insurance. All computers and phones left unattended should be kept locked with a password. It is also sensible to avoid leaving expensive items and money lying around in communal areas.

Each boy does have a lockable cupboard that will fit a padlock and so that would be a sensible thing to bring at the start of term. It would be a good idea to bring a few coat hangers too.

Passports and tickets for travel should also be given to Mr Rudsdale upon arrival at Ampleforth for safekeeping.

Cooking and Ordering Food

In addition to the main school meals there are kitchens in St Thomas’ where the boys can make hot drinks, toast and sandwiches. Bread is always available along with milk, coffee/tea, squash, various spreads and fresh fruit. Matron often leaves lots of lovely food in here around morning and afternoon break times too. She can also order food for you; it is better to do this through her as she will regularly do food shopping.

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Contacting Home While boys these days rarely write home they often need things to be sent to them. The House postal address is: St Thomas’ House Ampleforth College Ampleforth York Y062 4EU

If you are sending anything particularly important, please do drop the house team an email and we can look out for it as it is brought from the central deliveries department.

You will be provided with a school e-mail address which can be accessed from any of the student computers in the school, including those in the House. Laptops brought from home can also be logged into the school wireless internet which covers most of the campus once they have been registered with the school’s IT department. iPads are now common place in the classroom for all students in St. Thomas’. Once you can access the school internet you will also be able to keep in touch with home through video calling. These days most people tend to use facetime, skype, zoom, WhatsApp and other apps to video call so there is no shortage of ways to keep in contact with home. Other access to the internet through the school wireless network is protected by a school firewall, as well as restrictions on access during school time, prep and in the evenings.

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The vast majority of boys have mobile phones. If you have one, the number for this should be registered with Mr Rudsdale and updated when a new phone is bought so that you can always be contacted in an emergency. Reception is often poor in the valley but the best signal currently available is from EE. We remove mobile phones and other gadgets from the First and Second year’s dorm from bed time until morning prayers.

Good times for you to speak to your parents are between 5.00 and 6.30 pm on weekdays, after 3.30 pm on Saturday and anytime on Sunday except during Mass and prep time.

Mobile phone top-ups are available from the Abbey Shop. If at any time the boys break or lose their communication devices the school will give them access to contact home if needed.

Homesickness While it is very easy to stay in touch with home while boarding it is still common to feel homesick, particularly in the first few days and weeks of term. Everyone experiences this to a greater or lesser degree at some point and it is better to admit it than to try and cope with it on your own.

Remember that there is plenty of sympathetic support available in the House from any of the House staff, the tutor team, our chaplain Fr Alexander, or another student. Outside St Thomas’ if boys want to talk about this or any other issues there is the school counsellors Mr Allisstone and Ms Brown. I always find that homesickness is perpetuated by lack of activity. As mentioned by Arthur earlier in this handbook, the best way to adapt and get used to being away from home is to throw yourself fully into the life of the school. Do as much as you can in the co-curricular and activities slots, then you will find that you will make a wide circle of friends and settle very quickly.

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Start of Term Arrangements New starters should arrive at the House at 3pm on Monday 5 September. Full details about the start of term arrangements can be found in the Introduction to Ampleforth College booklet, which has been sent to you along with this handbook.

On a recent trip to see Premiership Rugby

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)

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A Typical Daily Routine 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

2130

First year bedtime

2145

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, but can be earlier on request.

•

0720 morning call is done by the Remove year group on a rotation.

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•

0740 morning prayer will also be the morning roll call and so is compulsory for boarders.

Day

boys

are,

of

course,

encouraged to attend morning prayers. If this is not possible for good reason, they must register at Mr Rudsdale’s study before 0830, after this signing-in with the attendance officer. 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.

•

If in doubt, just ask! There are no silly questions when it comes to getting used to the routines of house life.

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 either within the House or visiting other Houses.

The opportunity to host is a key part of social development and is taken seriously in St. Thomas’.

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The Windmill social centre for the sixth form is back up and running and events will be held there for either Year 12, Year 13 or both. It is a privilege for the older students, but is also the opposite end of the school campus from house so a timely return is key.

There is usually a Whole-School Mass in the Abbey Church on a Sunday morning, followed by 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. There will be ample opportunity to attend trips and details of these are circulated at the start of each term, you should, as always, commit to as many of these as possible as they very much enrich your boarding experience.

Going out with parents In your first term it is important to get the right balance between parental visits and settling into the House and School. I would be delighted if your parents were to visit, though sometimes I will advise them not to take you out if there is a social event or other commitment. You will, of course, have games or activities on a Saturday afternoon, but you may go out with your parents after these and you may stay out overnight provided you are back for Mass on Sunday morning.

Your parents should email/ring me to say that they are coming, and this is especially important if you are asking

to

take other boys out over the course of the weekend.

We

allow you to invite up to three other students out, though I will need to get permission from their own parents.

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Religious Life in the House 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.

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.

The Arrival of Basil Hume Millennium Cross

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Academic Life in House 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 Rudsdale 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.

In a wider sense the House is one in which academic interests, effort and achievement are both 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.

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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 Rudsdale 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 at some point 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.

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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

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The House Team Role Housemaster Assistant Houseparent House Matron House Chaplain Tutors

Name Mr Simon Rudsdale Miss Hattie Duree Mrs Penny Graham Fr Alexander Mr Tom Stone – Year 9 Mr Will James – Year 10 TBC – Y11 Mr Daniel Davison – Y12 Mr Jeremy Mitson – Y12/Y13 Mr Billy Townend – Y13

Mr Rudsdale - Housemaster Mr Rudsdale enters his third year at Ampleforth College by taking over St Thomas’ House. After over a decade in finance, he retrained as a teacher and has previously taught at Giggleswick School and Queen Mary’s School. Previous experience as a Housemaster, Head of Department and Assistant Housemaster will all come in very handy! Along with being Housemaster, Mr Rudsdale is also Deputy Head of Mathematics, so a good source of help with Mathematics prep. He attended Imperial College and did teacher training in Leeds, through Leeds Trinity. He has a wide range of interests including various sports, in particular rugby.

Mrs Penny Graham - Matron Penny has been Matron at St Thomas’s House since November 2021. A Mum of two grown up boys, both of whom went to boarding school in Kent, she has had plenty of experience of life in a boys boarding house. As Penny says “there is not much I haven’t seen or heard before”. Penny believes in creating a friendly, relaxed atmosphere whereby the boys feel at home and are able to talk to her about any issues no matter how trivial. Penny’s door is always open and she thoroughly enjoys chatting with the boys either collectively or individually usually with a plate of cookies to hand.

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Fr Alexander- House Chaplain Fr Alexander has been chaplain to St Thomas’ since 2008. He says House prayers each evening, celebrates Mass in the House every Thursday and runs the St Thomas’ Philosophy Club on a Friday evening, involving members of the Sixth Form.

He organizes the House Retreat in October each year which includes a House service activity (e.g. picking apples in the Orchard) and concludes with Mass in the crypt or Village church. He also teaches an Elective Course on Spirituality to the Sixth Form each year. A former teacher of foreign languages (Spanish and Italian), he puts on a Russian Orthodox Liturgy in Russian and English twice a year in the abbey church.

The Tutors assist the Housemaster and Assistant Housemaster in caring for the House. Each tutor is assigned a year group in the House and will monitor their academic work. They will be the person to whom you should go directly if you have any problems concerning your studies.

As well as having a duty day in the House, each tutor meets with their tutor group every week and reports back to the Housemaster. They are happy to meet with your parents when they visit and will update them on your progress.

House Monitors Alongside the House staff the House monitors in the Upper 6th, led by the Head and Deputy Head of House, help to run the House on a day-to-day level.

Monitors help with the practical running of the House; supervising prep, organising teams for House competitions, helping to run House socials etc. Just as importantly they are also there more generally as boys to whom other members of the House, particularly juniors, feel they can turn if they have any problems. Their rule is crucial in setting the tone for the rest of the House and they are very important in the influence that they have over the rest of the House. It is expected that they set a good example in their approach in all aspects of life at Ampleforth – academic, sporting, spiritual and social.

Monitors are given training and guidance in their roles, and are rewarded for their extra responsibility with, among other things, a special dinner each term.

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Safeguarding Your safety and happiness are very important to us. You will get to know a broad range of staff who you will form positive relationships with and who you should feel comfortable talking to if you have a problem or a concern. Usually this will be members of your House Team such as your Housemistress or Housemaster, your Assistant Houseparent, your Matron, your Tutor or your House Chaplain. There is also a central designated safeguarding team who you are always welcome to speak to also. Posters with their names and faces on will be put up on your boarding house noticeboard along with their contact details also.

Dr Dunn is the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).

Medical Care in School Matron is normally in the House between 8.00 am and 5.00 pm on weekdays. All medication is to be kept with her for safe keeping and she will accompany boys to medical appointments if possible.

The school infirmary is just down the hill from St Thomas’ if boys are feeling unwell or are injured, although boys should always talk to Matron or Mr Rudsdale or the tutor on duty before going to the infirmary.

In the event of illness either Mr Rudsdale or Matron will make the necessary provision via the infirmary, including a doctor’s appointment if necessary. Parents are informed by either e-mail or phone if boys are kept in the infirmary overnight for any reason.

Health and Safety in the House You must keep your room / part of the dormitory tidy and free of litter. Furniture should not be moved in the rooms as everything has been placed carefully where it should be.

You must not fix anything to the walls except on the pin boards provided in each room. Modest posters (that you would not mind elderly relatives seeing for example!) can be put up but must be taken down at the end of each term as this is part of the letting arrangement for the holidays.

Every boy is also expected to take responsibility for the public spaces in the House, helping to 21

create a tidy and homely environment. In addition, Matron regularly comes round and checks each room in the House.

As part of this a weekly fire check is also carried out. All electrical appliances must be PAT tested before arrival, or this will be undertaken once you arrive at school. Every study desk has power points and these can be used only for personal computers, lights and stereos. Under no circumstances should students use or bring in other electrical items such as televisions, toasters and kettles. Students have access to toasters, kettles, microwaves, cookers, refrigerators and televisions in the House.

You should familiarise yourself with the escape routes and fire procedure for the House. Regular fire drills are carried out each term where we congregate on the football pitch (Wembley).

List of Important Contacts Mr Simon Rudsdale Housemaster St Thomas’s House Ampleforth College York YO62 4EU 01439 766702 sfr@ampleforth.org.uk

Mrs Penny Graham Matron St Thomas’s House Ampleforth College York YO62 4EU 01439 766706 pgra@ampleforth.org.uk

Other Useful Contacts Key School Numbers School Office School Infirmary

01439 766 800 01439 766 760

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Tutor Contact email addresses First Year (Year 9)

Mr Stone

tls@ampleforth.org.uk

2nd Year (Year 10)

Mr James

will.james@ampleforth.org.uk ,

Remove (Year 11)

Ms Tomasi

emily.tomasi@ampleforth.org.uk

Middle VIth (Year

Mr Davison

daniel.davison@ampleforth.org.uk ,

Mr Mitson

jsjm@ampleforth.org.uk

Mr Miton

jsjm@ampleforth.org.uk

Mr Townend

billy.townend@ampleforth.org.uk

12) (vertical tutors) Upper VIth (Year 13) (vertical tutors)

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