APPOINTMENTS 2010/11 Head Boy Head Girl Deputy Head Boy Deputy Head Girl
Hugh Stubbins Miranda Bond Michael McKinstry Tanya Rose
Heads of House (boarding) Dolman Charles Jude Faircote Emily Peters Fenwick-Smith Rob Honeyman
Dolman Gruggen Hutton Wilberforce
Heads of House (day) Joe Knight, Lucy Rymer Dan Atkinson, Claire Stowell Phoebe Cowley Tom Hall, Mary Wilson
School Prefects Eamonn Bedford Charles Jude Abbie Brant Jessy Pang Milly Brice Emily Peters Hannah Crompton Adam Richardson Lorrain Fisher Aimee Schofield James Flint Jenny Sedcole Edward Hetherington Harriet Slater Chris Iyer Lisa Stillie
THE DAY HOUSE SYSTEM
F
ollowing the end of the First World War, in the Lent Term of 1919 the then Headmaster, P C Sands, introduced the House System more or less as we know it now. Four day houses were created: Dolman, Gruggen, Hutton and Wilberforce. They were named after John Dolman (or Dowman) founder of the School; Rev Frederick James Gruggen, Headmaster 1848-1872; Rev Charles F Hutton, Headmaster 1889-1910; and WilliamWilberforce, OP, Member of Parliament and campaigner for the abolition of slavery. Until 1919, School House, Dolman House and Wilberforce Lodge had been separate from the Day Boys. One of the reasons behind the change was to try and break down the very real sense of division between the boarders and day boys. There was also a sense of social division – hard for us to understand now – between boarders whose parents were financially able to send them to school and boys from the local area who were awarded free places (a requirement of the local authority at that time). According to A History of Pocklington School (1988) it was felt that a day house system would enable the ‘sons of the labourer’ to mix more easily with the ‘sons of better placed parents’!
STAFF NEWS In boarding, Tom Taylor steps down from his position as Housemaster of Dolman after a full nine years at the helm. Andy Towner leaves St John’s – read what his boys have to say about junior boarding in this magazine. Over the crossing, Faircotians bid farewell to Anna Hallam after her three outstanding years as Housemistress. All have given so very much to their respective houses and the boarders under their care. Happily, they remain in school so that we can pester them with extra work (they’ll need something to fill their time!). We welcome Wendy and Ian Wright to Dolman and Helen and Tristan Alexander-Hymers to Faircote and wish them all the very best for the new academic year.
Tom Taylor
Andy Towner
Emma Cunningham returned from maternity leave following the birth of Harry before Christmas. We are delighted to see her back in the Drama department. Sarah Wass left at Christmas to prepare for the birth of her first child, Isaac Henry, who was born on 20 February.
Sarah Wass
Catherine Postlethwaite also left at Christmas – for Australia! She embarked on an exchange with Barbara Neish, who took over her French and German classes for a time this year. You can read more about both members of staff and their experiences later in this magazine. Upon her return from Australia, Catherine and Martin Davies announced their engagement. Congratulations to you both!
Catherine Postlethwaite
Congratulations to Nikki Scott-Somers (née Whatford), who married Alastair over the summer. By the time you read this, Nikki and Hannah McNelly will have climbed Kilimanjaro in a superb fund-raising challenge (photograph below). In the romantic coup of the year, Hannah was proposed to by Mark at the top of mountain! Luckily, she said yes…
Nikki Scott-Somers
Immediately after the introduction of the new system, inter-house rivalry became very keen. It continues to this day in sport, drama and music. In the 1980s and 90s the day houses were again pitted against boarders on occasion. This led to much disgruntlement in competitions such as House Music, where the day houses complained that the boarders had an unfair advantage in their ability to get together and practise after school. This particular element of the system has changed within the last ten years. Hannah McNelly, Jo Denison and Nikki Scott-Somers get ready for action
In our more recent past, various amendments have been made to the system in order to reinforce it. Students now have registration in houses at the beginning of each day, and this has, indeed, strengthened the system. All boarders are allocated to a day house. This does mean, for example, that Dolman boarders are spread amongst all four day houses, but pupils now have a strong sense of belonging to their own house, as well as a feeling of kinship with others both older and younger than themselves. Families join the same day houses; and we have students now whose parents and possibly even grandparents share this affinity with them. AJE
More wedding bells in the history department…Ed Long will marry his fiancée in August 2012. Kirsten Clow will begin her maternity leave at the end of term. Finally, hot off the press: news of a baby Hughes! Congratulations to Gareth and Rachel.
THE POCKLINGTONIAN
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