Frensham Heights Information Booklet - Boarding

A PROGRESSIVE DAY & BOARDING SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS FROM THE AGE OF 3 TO 18

BOARDING

YEARS 7 TO 13

OUR HOUSES

HAMILTON HOUSE

Hamilton House is home to our youngest boarders in Years 7 to 9. Students and residential staff live, study, socialise and relax together in what feels far more like a family home than a boarding house. Coeducational, in keeping with our ethos and like all our boarding houses, boys and girls sleep on separate floors – both alarmed to make sure there is no confusion over which students should be where and at what time. They share common areas for a wide variety of boarding activities - movie and games nights, cookery, yoga and more - not to mention coming together each evening to get their prep done.

Hamilton House is a technology free house at night time. Everyone must be in by 8:30pm, with all tech handed in and lights out by 9:30pm.

It is a home – as close to a family home as we can make it – not a hotel and as such all boarders are expected to make their beds each day, open curtains, air the room, keep the floor reasonably clear and turn off the lights and all electrical chargers on exit. Housekeeping come in regularly to empty bins and change linen and just to help boarders keep their rooms clean and tidy.

Boarders have their breakfast, lunch and dinner in the dining hall with the rest of the school community. Hamilton House is open at lunchtimes, but boarders are asked to only pop in to pick things up to encourage them to be out and about with friends as much as possible.

MAIN HOUSE

Main House is our coeducational boarding house for students in Years 10 and 11, with girls on one side, boys on the other and common rooms in between. It is a welcoming house where teenagers can live, study, socialise and relax together. Students are given a bit more freedom and with that more responsibility. There are clear expectations about behaviour and respect in a shared living environment. All our boarding houses rely on this strong basis of mutual respect.

Main House is also technology free overnight. Boarders must hand mobile phones and devices in before lights out at 10.45pm. Boarders have all their meals in the dining hall although they can access stores in the evening. They are still responsible for a level of upkeep of their rooms and common spaces and are all placed on a kitchen cleaning rota.

Boarders can access the house at lunch time and after school, but they are encouraged to be out socialising with day students and taking part in clubs and fixtures. There is allocated quiet time for prep and often house activities or inter-house activities are organised such as football, cooking or a movie night.

ROBERTS HOUSE

Roberts House is our Sixth Form hub. It is much more than a boarding house as Sixth Form day students also have studies here. Sixth Form notices, social events, study sessions and some classes also take place here. It is somewhere students can go during free periods to study and find a bit of peace and quiet. Male and female students have single rooms on separate sides with common rooms in between. Central to Roberts House is Sarah, the matron, who offers a friendly ear, a comforting hug or just a cup of tea when the students need a bit of emotional support.

One of Frensham’s strengths is the value we place on tolerance and living together harmoniously. Having coeducational boarding houses does require a sensible respect for the basic rules of Roberts House. Students are allowed to visit each others’ rooms until 10.30pm, when they are expected to return to their own wing, or common areas.

Sixth Form boarders can take all their meals in the dining hall, but there are also two kitchens in Roberts House which they can use. Sixth Formers have more freedom than the other boarders - which comes with more responsibility. As long as they are in for prep time from 7.15pm to 8.30pm, they are free to go into Farnham or to friends until last sign-in at 10.30pm.

COEDUCATIONAL

Boarding life begins when the school day ends. It obviously can’t be fun and games all the time, but evenings and weekends are all about striking the right balance between structured activities, homework and relaxation. Working around prep time and quiet time, evenings and weekends can see boarders really taking advantage of the school site and its facilities.

COMMON EVENING ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:

• Basketball and swimming

• Group walks and bike rides

• Cooking and arts and crafts

• Movie and quiz nights

We also sometimes go off site for dinner, bowling or the cinema. We don’t have Saturday school, so there is time for a broad range of activities and trips.

COMMON WEEKEND ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:

• Shopping trips to London and Guildford

• Trips to leisure centres and water parks

• Supermarket runs to stock up on tuck

• Trips to restaurants and cinemas

• Photography and art workshops

• Sports workshops

• High ropes and mountain biking

• Movie nights and discos

We have been a coeducational school since our founding in 1925. It’s not unusual to find coeducational independent schools nowadays, but it’s perhaps less common to find one with mixed boarding houses. As with our lack of uniform and first name basis, it is something we do a bit differently, but as with both of those, it’s not really that unusual in modern society. It is natural for boys and girls to share homes and grow up together and it can be a really beneficial experience, particularly for those without siblings of the opposite sex, towards understanding and respecting all genders. Parents can rest assured that in all three houses, boys and girls have separate alarmed residential areas and eagle-eyed residential staff on duty!

HOUSE STAFF

Each of our boarding houses has a dedicated team of residential staff living in the house supported by an extended team of staff living on site. It is a tightly knit team who offer not only evening and weekend activities, but also consistent pastoral care and support.

As we aim to have our boarding life mirror family life as much as possible, we tend to have a fairly busy Saturday followed by a quieter Sunday.

BOARDERS WEEKENDAt the beginning of every school year, we hold a Boarders Weekend when all boarders, full and weekly, stay for an activity packed weekend designed so that everyone - boarders and staff - can get to know one another. It is always a really wonderful introduction to the school and our boarding community.

COMMUNITY

DISCIPLINEOurs is an ethos based on mutual respect, tolerance and kindness. With our small, tightly knit boarding community, behavioural issues are rare and tend to be handled before they can become a problem. If problems do arise, they are handled through calm discussion with each student being given the chance to listen, talk and learn. These discussions will begin with the student’s boarding team and escalate upwards if necessary. All discussions are clearly communicated to and discussed with parents. We have boundaries, but not rules for rules sake allowing students to question, develop selfawareness, awareness of others and take responsibility for their actions. Although we recognise that everyone makes mistakes, we have a very firm stance on alcohol and drug use – this is part of our school rules which are agreed by all students and are available on our website.PASTORALIn all our boarding houses, great emphasis is placed on the creation of a caring community which shares a philosophy based on mutual respect, enthusiasm and enjoyment of each other’s company and achievements. We aim to develop tolerant, friendly attitudes and good personal relationships. Frensham in its very nature is an informal and personal environment and our non-hierarchical structure and first name basis lead to strong, genuine relationships between staff and students. This is even more so for boarders who will get to know their house staff and fellow boarders really well. Our aim is to create an environment as close to a family home as possible.

OPTIONS

As with most things at Frensham, we understand that one size never fits all so we have a few different boarding options to cover whatever works for your family:

FULL BOARDING Full boarding is what it says on the tin - 7 days a week.WEEKLY BOARDING Weekly boarding is Sunday pm to Thursday pm.FLEXI BOARDING Flexi boarding is the same three days every week.OCCASIONAL BOARDING Occasional boarding is adhoc on a first come, first serve basis - 2 days equivalent per week/per term for Years 7-9 and 1 day for Years 10 and up.Boarding houses are open during term time, excluding bank holiday weekends and half-term breaks.

HEALTH

NUTRITIONStudents can pick up a snack in the lunch hall at break and after school. A buffet style breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided in the dining hall where we all eat together as a community. Everyone has different preferences and our catering team provides a wide range of options to cater to all tastes and allergies and to help develop healthy eating habits. Students serve themselves and can sit where they choose. Boarding houses also have kitchen facilities which can be used to make snacks and cups of tea.

HEALTH CENTREWe have an onsite Health Centre, staffed by qualified nurses. We offer 24/7 medical cover, so if a boarder is unwell out of school hours, there will be a nurse on duty. If a boarder is too unwell to return to class or the boarding house, they will be kept in the Health Centre under the care of the duty nurse. If they have a highly contagious disease, they will need to remain with a parent or guardian during the relevant quarantine period.

KEY BOARDING CONTACTS:

Head of Hamilton House: Sian Owens Head of Main House: Will Paskell Head of Sixth Form: Richard Arthur Head of Boarding/Deputy Head: Becks Scullion hello@frensham.org admissions@frensham.org

Visit our website or call 01252 792561 to arrange a tour. Frensham Heights Rd, Rowledge, Farnham GU10 4EA.

WWW.FRENSHAM.ORG