Year 6 Boys Boarding. Year 6 Boys Boarding. Dragon School

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1 Year 6 Boys Boarding Year 6 Boys Boarding Dragon School

2 Charlbury and Strad s the Year 6 boys Boarding Houses There are two Year 6 boarding houses for boys Strad s and Charlbury. These Houses are homes for around 40 ten and eleven year old boys in Year 6. The Houses themselves are North Oxford family houses, and the Houseparents and their families live in and amongst a maximum of twenty-five Dragon boys each. There is also a resident matron who lives in and supports the running of the House and the pastoral care of the children. Unlike many schools, our Boarding Houses are not just used at night time. The boys are in and out of them throughout the day, and the Houseparents get to know them extremely well and very quickly. The boys return to the Houses after breakfast, for tutor meetings, at mid-morning, lunchtime and at tea-time. They are often around the house and garden in their free-time. Enjoying the sunshine in the garden Playing games at bunbreak After school At 4.15 pm when the school day ends, the boys return to their houses for afternoon tea. After this they may have a club, organised termly (see Activities & Clubs leaflet) or free time. Following supper, they attend a staff-supervised prep on Monday Thursday. On Friday evening the boys have Spectrum a programme of lectures, music or drama. Both Strads and Charlbury have a team of teachers attached to them as Dorms takers. They usually have supper with the boarders before taking prep. This is followed by an activity: perhaps a swim, into the gym, or maybe board games, a quiz or story back at house.

3 Weekends On Saturday there is normal school in the morning until lunchtime. In the afternoon there are activities (eg judo, art, swimming, climbing & cooking). After this the boys are free to organise their own time. Alternatively, unless they are involved in matches against other schools, they are also free to go out with their parents. Boys are free to go out after the School Service (c am) on Sundays. Some go out most Sundays, some every two or three weeks and some only at exeats. Whilst some of boys go out with parents or their friends parents, we always have at least boys staying in who take part in the weekends activities programme (see Boarders Weekends leaflet). Keeping in touch The boys have an expedition, or activity in school, arranged especially for them every Sunday afternoon. Generally, Sundays are a mixture of relaxed time in the house, plus an activity. There are only six weekends in the whole year when boys have to be at school three of these are the first weekends of term (three days after the start of term). Inflatables at the weekend......or a quieter evening in house

4 Charlbury boys Strad s boys

5 Birthdays Birthdays are special times and we like to celebrate them in House. Boys whose birthday falls during the termtime are offered a special birthday tea. Keeping in touch All the boys have their own addresses and can send or receive s on any of the computers around the school. The computers in the house are the ones they will probably use the most. The computers also have Skype facilities, which is particularly useful for boarders who normally live overseas. In addition, each of the houses has separate telephone lines for boys to use and for parents to reach them. No money or cards are needed; each child has a PIN. Mobiles phones, tablet and other screens can be handed to Houseparents for safe storage. Who Are The Boarders? Boarders are very much the heart of the Dragon School, and they benefit from being with children from a wider range of backgrounds than is present in more traditional boarding schools. We have children from local, national and international backgrounds. About 25% of our boarders are Londonbased and 25% are from Oxford and surrounding counties. The remainder come from further afield and include 20% who are from British families living overseas. Often we find that it is at about this age that boys are beginning to grow out of smaller schools (particularly if they are in cities). They are ready for new challenges and a wider range of sport and activities. Three years at the Dragon allow boys to take two smaller steps into a large senior school, rather than one large one. The boys that board in Charlbury and Strad come from the two Junior boarding houses consist of some day boys changing over to boarding and includes some boys who are totally new to the school. The new boys fit in extremely well and this is helped by the fact that all the other boys are at least new to the house, if not the school.

6 Charlbury (3 Charlbury Road) Houseparents: Kingsley & Jessie Went Kingsley teaches PE and is involved in the coaching of Games from Year 4 to 1st team level, his specialities being Hockey and Cricket. Jessie was formerly a teacher in Year 3 and is now a full-time Houseparent to the boys. They have one son, Rhodes (1). With the supervision of meals in the dining hall as well, the Houseparents will see the boys every couple of hours. In addition to looking after the social and emotional welfare of the boarders in his care, the Housemaster also acts as academic tutor. There is a constant flow of information between the Houseparents and the academic staff, both informally and via progress reports.

7 Strad s (1 Charlbury Road) Houseparents: Angus & Becky Nicholson Angus is Head of Design & Technology and is also in charge of sailing. Becky is a qualified K22 teacher but is now a full-time Houseparent. They have four boys, Freddie (12) and Rory (9), Louis (6) and Flora (3). Houseparents go through these reports with the boys and parents, and follow up on them as necessary. With some senior schools requiring pre-assessments to be done in Year 6, the Houseparents will be keeping a close eye on academic progress. The Headmaster will help to advise the parents of boarders about senior schools.

8 Is Boarding for you? Coming to see round the Dragon is obviously the first step. Boys usually make their first visit about months before they come. If children are going to come to school far from home and thrive, it is important they are enthusiastic about the idea and that we can see that they will be happy boarders. As well as enjoying their learning, children who embrace boarding life will form firm friendships among their peers, and will be able to take advantage of the wider curriculum of activities and clubs we offer here at the Dragon. Those that do go ahead are invited back for an academic assessment during the year prior to entry. In the Summer Term we invite the boys to come for an overnight stay in one of the Junior Houses with their own peer group. For further information about Boarding at the Dragon, please contact: Kate Heath Telephone: Dragon School, Bardwell Road, Oxford OX2 6SS The Dragon School Trust Ltd is registered as a charity, no , and as a limited company, no , at the above address