WALLACE HOUSE 2025
Welcome
Welcome to Wallace House; your home for the next five years. You will have so many opportunities at Sherborne and you will be encouraged and supported to make the most of these. Being a part of House teams, supporting other boys and House staff and sharing in the successes of yourself and your peers is something Wallace House boys are proud of. We have a strong House community and whilst it might seem daunting at first, everyone was once a new boy and Wallace House will soon feel like home. Getting stuck into activities and School life as soon as you can will help you to form true bonds and friendships for life. We also have a strong community where older boys are always happy to help and our approachable House staff are on hand to support.
We hope that you will enjoy reading a little about Wallace House and the School and look forward to welcoming you on your arrival.
The Prefect Team
Top Tips
• Arrive promptly to all your commitments
• Check your email twice a day
• Keep valuable items locked away – this is a good habit to get into for later life
• Only enter another boy’s room when they are present and if they are happy for you to be there
• Go to all School meals – they have already been paid for
• Eat cooked food (including takeaways) in the communal kitchen areas – this is sociable and more hygienic
• Takeaways are only permitted on Saturdays and Sundays, or other special occasions when permission is granted
• When playing outside in the bargeyard or in the garden please be considerate to our neighbours with regard to the noise you make, the language you use and where you kick the balls
• When using kitchen areas, keep them clean and tidy so that they are ready for others
• Keep noise to a minimum in House after 10.00pm
• Keep your room tidy, do your bedding properly each week and stay on top of your laundry
• Dress smartly and appropriately during School hours and for School commitments
• Remember to phone home regularly, even just to say ‘hi’
• Treat others as you would like to be treated
Housemaster
Housemaster
Mr Hull
Mr Hull lives in the private side of Wallace House with his wife
Mrs Hull and their two children, Joshua and Katy. Mr Hull is DofE Coordinator and in charge of Educational Visits at School so he has a great deal of very useful experience with outdoor activities.
Mr Hull’s study door is always open and you’re always encouraged to go and find him if you have concerns or would just like a chat. You’ll see him frequently around the House and if you have any problems do go to him with them.
It is best to speak to Mr Hull in person but he can also be contacted via email: James.hull@sherborne.org or call his mobile: 07850 653 393 (you should add this to your contacts if you have a phone). The House office number is 01935 810 980.
House Staff
Matron
Mrs Min Walker
Min is on a duty timetable. Min will be here most days of the week and on Saturday afternoons. Min has been in Wallace for a little while now so she can help with all sorts of things (or just chat to you about Harry Potter).
Assistant Matron
Mrs Kerry Gosney
Kerry has a good deal of experience working in a number of Boarding Houses in the School. Kerry will normally be around when Min isn’t, including some evenings, and she will be more than happy to help with everything or just to have a chat.
Assistant Housemaster
Mr Donnelly
Mr Donnelly lives with Mrs Donnelly in the Resident Tutor’s Flat and you will see him regularly around the House.
Mr Donnelly will be on duty at various times throughout the week and at weekends. He also helps with morning routine on some days. Mr Donnelly has been at Sherborne for a very long time and used to be Senior Tutor in Wallace. He is also the School Theatre Manager.
Non-Resident Tutor
Mr Keen
Mr Keen will be on duty at various times throughout the week and at weekends. Mr Keen is Director of Tennis so is a fountain of knowledge for boys who wish to develop their sport at Sherborne.
Tutors
When you join the School you will be assigned a Personal Tutor who will be there to help and support you.
Domestic
Staff
You will learn to appreciate the role of the domestic staff who work hard to keep Wallace House looking immaculate. Not only do they do a superb job of cleaning the House but they are also on hand at House events such as the Christmas supper and the Commem lunch. Remember to respect the work that they do and that they are not there to clean up after you.
Prefects
Prefects
These are Upper Sixth Form boys who have years’ worth of experience behind them when it comes to living in Wallace House and who you will get to know well during your first year. Amongst their other duties in the House, Prefects have a responsibility for a particular year group.
Patrick Reynolds (Head of House)
Gerald Asafo-Adjei
William Bennett
Noah Dalrymple-Smith
William Horton
Edwin Langley
Andrés Ozonas Alcover
Harry Phillips
Samuel Rippon
Guillaume Sagnes
Upper Sixth House Ambassadors
In Wallace House boys have specific responsibilities within the House and will be on hand to help you settle in, as well as encouraging you to take part in various activities.
School Timetable
School periods Monday to Friday (Third Form)
Period 1 8.30 – 9.15am
Period 2 9.20 – 10.05am
Period 3 10.10 – 10.55am
Break 10.55 – 11.25am
Period 4 11.25 – 12.10pm
Period 5 12.15 – 1.00pm
Lunch 1.00 – 1.30pm
Q Time (Period 6) 1.35 – 2.30pm
Period 7 2.35 – 3.20pm (Tues & Fri only)
Period 8 3.25 – 4.10pm (Tues & Fri only)
Period 9 4.15 – 5.00pm (Tues & Fri only)
Games 2.35 – 5.00pm (Mon & Thurs)
Abbey Services
Wednesday 6.30 – 7.00pm
Sunday 7.45 – 8.30pm
Saturday
Period 1 8.30 – 9.15am
Period 2 9.20 – 10.05am
Period 3 10.10 – 10.55am
Break 10.55 – 11.25am
Lunch 12.15 – 1.20pm
Games/matches 1.45 – 5.00pm
Assemblies (8.10 – 8.25am)
Monday Whole School Assembly (BSR)
Tuesday Lower School Assembly (Powell Theatre)
Thursday Sixth Form Assembly (Powell Theatre)
Friday Junior Chapel (Chapel)
Meal Times
Breakfast 7.30 – 8.25am
Lunch 1.00 – 1.30pm
Senior Supper 6.00 – 6.25pm
Junior Boys Supper 6.30 – 6.55pm
Your
Day
Monday to Friday
7.00am Wake up bell and getting ready for School begins
7.35am Roll Call in the House Common Room – all up and dressed for School
7.50am Breakfast
10.55am – 11.25am Break – snack by Matron’s office
6.00pm – 6.25pm Senior supper
6.30pm – 6.55pm Junior supper
7.00pm Roll Call in the Common Room
7.05pm – 8.45pm Hall
9.00pm
Phones in for Third, Fourth and Fifth Forms
9.30pm Third Form up to dormitory and lights out at 10.00pm
10.15pm Fourth Form lights out
10.30pm Fifth Form lights out
10.30pm Sixth Form in their studies.
Additional times
Wednesdays: 6.30pm – Abbey Service (Supper from 5.30pm)
Saturdays: 5.50pm – Roll Call and Assembly
Sundays: 10.00am Everyone up; 11.00am – 12noon Hall
5.50pm Roll Call and Assembly; 7.00pm – 8.00pm Hall
Careers Department 01935 810545
Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England 0800 528 0731
www.childrenscomissioner.gov.uk
Learning Support 01935 810528
Designated Safeguarding Officers
Lead - Mr Sheffield - 01935 810427
Deputies - Mrs Bowerman - 01935 810432
Mrs Spencer - 01935 810476
Mrs Hutchings - 01935 810539
Mr Boyd-Williams - 01935 810544
Mr Sunderland - 01935 810427
DSL@sherborne.org
Mrs Kershaw - 01935 81 co
Independent person
re willing to help you. l boys can use these services, but, in some cases, eople to check on availability.
Matron master n 14525
Teachers and other staff
Health Centre 01935 810539
School Doctors
Drs Nickinson, Nickinson and Armitage 01935 872530
Chaplain Revd Campbell - 01935 810498
School Counsellor ounsellor@sherborne.org
House Activities
We regularly use the main common room to show sports matches or films on the big screen and for the past couple of years this space has been dressed by the boys to be the venue for their Upper Sixth Supper which has been very successful.
We have run pool competitions, table tennis competitions, FIFA competitions and quizzes in recent years and there is always scope for new initiatives, often instigated by the House Council.
If the weather is good, we have an excellent BBQ to the side of the Housemaster’s garden and this is often the site for the whole House to enjoy a burger, some ice cream and a bit of relaxation.
As you might imagine food plays an important part in the boys’ lives and so we provide a snack every break time and on some evenings there is also a filled roll for particular year groups. Pizza from the takeaway around the corner is often used as the reward for particularly outstanding contributions from boys to House or School events.
The House performs very well in inter-House competitions and we are the reigning champions in basketball, junior squash, fives and junior indoor football.
Many Wallace boys regularly participate in the wide array of music that happens within the School. This talent can sometimes be on display at the post-Christmas supper karaoke which takes place in the common room.
House Charity
Our House Charity is the Sherborne Voluntary Ambulance. The Sherborne Voluntary Ambulance is a 17seater bus, adapted with a hoist, for disabled and wheelchair access. It is used by many local organisations in our community.
This is a new partnership and we hope to support in a number of ways including designing a logo, website design & maintenance, maintain and update the SVA’s social media, offer fund raising activities and other activities. This support will be pupil led and we hope to make a great start to this venture over this year.
House Socials and Trips
In Wallace we aim to run about three non-compulsory Sunday House trips per term. These might include things such as paint balling, beach visits or a shopping trip to Bath Christmas market which has proved very popular in recent years. We also look at the possibility of attending professional sports fixtures when the fixtures fit into the School calendar.
On various Saturday nights there are House year group socials with Sherborne Girls, in addition to whole School socials which take place throughout the year. We also have occasional year group suppers on the private
side or with the Resident Tutors and these can sometimes have a theme, providing the opportunity for a bit of fun.
The House Council, made up of at least one representative from each year group, plays an important part in coming up with ideas for House trips and other aspects of how the House is run so that the boys have a significant input.
We also like to make sure that the boys have got some downtime at weekends because they are invariably very busy throughout the rest of the week.
Sherborne Terminology
Many abbreviations and acronyms are used within the School community. You will find the below useful:
• Hall – Homework and prep time. Hall time is between 7.05 – 8.45pm
• Blues – The uniform worn by the Lower School (Third, Fourth and Fifth Form)
• Blue Book – Useful information including list of Boys and staff
• Lists – Whole School presentation of prizes and awards at the end of each term
• Carey’s – The sports fields south of Horsecastles Road
• The Upper – 1st XV Rugby and 1st XI Cricket pitch
• The Lower – 2nd XV Rugby pitch below the Upper
• Upper Astro – Astroturf next to the Upper
• Carrington Building – Geography, Economics and Business Studies
• Hughie Holmes – Astroturf across the road from the Upper and Lower and next to Carey’s
• The Grove – Modern Foreign Languages block and computer rooms (G9 and G11)
• Pilkington Labs – Chemistry and Physics Laboratories
• Turing Block – Biology department
• The San (Health Centre) – School medical centre, with full time nurses and visiting doctors
• BSR – Big School Room; function room for whole School assemblies, lectures, lists and musical and drama productions
• OSR – Old School Room; the School’s original school room adjacent to School House
• Courts – The central courtyard of the School containing the English, Classics, Maths and History classrooms as well as the Library and Custos.
• Custos – School Security team based in The Lodge at the main gate to the Courts
• Bow House – Staff Room
• JCR / The Stick – Bar and function area for use by the Sixth Form on Saturday nights
• Abbots Acre – External Relations department and conference room
• Powell Theatre – The majority of School and House plays take place here, also some lectures and year group meetings
• SG – Sherborne Girls
• The Carmen – The School song
• VES – Values, Expectations and Standards: a document that details how we should conduct ourselves
a School House
b Abbey House
c The Green
d Harper House
e Wallace House
f Abbeylands
g Lyon House
m The Digby
Frequently Asked Questions
How much homework will I be set in the Third Form?
Usually in the Third Form you will be set one Hall per subject per week. There is a timetable that tells you when Hall should be completed by. It is definitely a good idea to try and complete your Hall on the night they were set in order to avoid getting a backlog of Hall.
What can I do if I am struggling with my Hall or can’t hand it in on time?
If you are having difficulty with your Hall, rather than giving up on it you should contact your subject teacher a couple of days before the Hall is due in and organise a time to meet up and help you through it. Alternatively, you could ask one of the Prefects or Tutors on duty in House in the evenings. Academic Support is the ideal time of day for this.
How much money do I need in Third Form?
Generally speaking in Third Form you don’t need that much money at all. You should have a bank account with a debit card attached to it and about £10 will be sufficient as an allowance each week. You shouldn’t have large amounts of money simply in your wallet or in an unsecure place.
Is it useful to have a mobile phone?
Yes, however it is not compulsory. Third Formers do not normally have permission to carry mobile phones with them during the day but have access to them in the evenings before handing them in 45 minutes before bed times. On weekends boys are allowed more time with their mobile phones.
When can I meet my friends in other Houses?
You can visit your friends in other Houses in any of your free time. Boys from other Houses are also more than welcome. Visitors must sign in and sign out on arrival and departure and make themselves known to the Matron or Housemaster. The same applies for you when you are visiting a friend’s House. You are expected to display the highest level of conduct when visiting other Houses.
When can I meet my friends at the girls’ school?
You may have friends from prep school who are now at Sherborne Girls and you will get to know more of the girls over the course of the year through socials. You can go to visit the girls in their Boarding House Common Room in your free time outside of the normal working day. You are also expected to display the highest level of conduct when visiting the girls’ Houses.
When do I get to go home?
Generally there is an Exeat either side of half term in each of the three School terms, the dates of these are published on the School website. For an Exeat boys are free to go home after their last school commitment on a Friday afternoon and return to the House by 9.00pm on Sunday night. Boys can also be granted leave to go home on a weekend if they have an important commitment to make or family occasions e.g. birthdays and weddings.
What do I do if I don’t feel well?
If you don’t feel well at any time of day you should first go and see Matron. They will give you the necessary medical attention or send you to the Health Centre where they will be able to help you further. If necessary you can be seen by a doctor who visits every weekday morning.
What do I do if I feel homesick?
If you are feeling homesick it’s very important you don’t bottle it up, there are plenty of people you can go to who will make you feel better and help you get through it. You can speak to your Housemaster, Matron, your Tutor, one of the Prefects or often the best person to speak to is just a friend. Homesickness is nothing to be embarrassed about and happens to many more boys than you think, there are plenty of people in the same position as you.
