Boarding News Our Best Term Yet! Dear Parents and Carers, Firstly, I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas. It has been a long and busy term, and I firmly believe that it has been the best term yet for our boarders. Over the past twelve months, the housemasters have thought long and hard about the environment we want to provide for our boarders. We firmly believe that Holyport College is more than just a school and that boarding life should replicate the family atmosphere of a home without trying to replace it. Ultimately, our aim is to create a caring and nurturing environment where our boarders feel safe, happy and relaxed. Yet as educators, we want to achieve much more than simply providing a stable living environment. We want to boarding to build a confidence in our boarders that encourages them to develop new skills and to go outside their comfort zones. We want to provide opportunities and experiences that will open doors for them, turn interests into passions and set their futures in motion. When I reflect upon this term, I am confident that we are meeting our aims. We have significantly increased the social opportunities for our boarders this term, allowing greater freedom for our Sixth Formers and organising planned social events for younger students to have a night off. Our boarders are hugely appreciative and I firmly believe that they are happier than ever. At the same time, we are continuing to set the high academic expectations for all of our students. Outside the classroom, boarding staff are going beyond the call of duty to support the school work and enrich their minds beyond the curriculum. Weekly Scholars lectures have welcomed a host of impressive speakers to meet with Holyportians to discuss their careers and areas of expertise. We are continuing to take students to Eton for their society events and the lower school Aspirations Programme has had another successful term. A team of ten senior Etonians have led some incredibly challenging lessons for our most gifted mathematicians and will be returning next term with a course on critical thinking. Our Sixth Form tutors hold small study groups every evening and have supported our Year 13s through their UCAS process. Meanwhile, we remain committed to supporting the emotional needs and mental health of our boarders. Yoga sessions and midweek mindfulness have proven extremely popular in both houses and will be a regular part of our activity programme in the future.
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