BOARDING AT HOLYPORT COLLEGE Co-educational day and boarding school for pupils aged 11 19 years, providing an outstanding, all-round education
INTRODUCTION Boarding is either a personal choice or a necessity. Parents whose employment takes them overseas or those who work long hours often find that a boarding education provides the stability that their child needs. Holyport College is also an ideal choice for service children, given that the Head Master has worked in a Service Children s boarding school in Germany and fully understands the pressures service families face. However, the decision to board is also taken by families who see the benefits that boarding clearly affords community spirit, lifelong friendships, the opportunity to try out many new and fun activities and a growing sense of independence. We will have 225 boarding places when the school is full. On opening in 2014, we expect to have around 50 boarders. Daily life at Holyport College for both our day pupils and boarders will be busy, lively and purposeful. Boarders will develop confidence, independence, mutual respect and an ability to live with others in a community. We will encourage good manners, self-discipline and personal organisation. Boarding Houses will have House Captains and Monitors, giving pupils opportunities for leadership and teamwork. A House Principal, supported by a Matron and other dedicated boarding staff, will oversee the running of each Boarding House and will be responsible for pastoral and academic matters and the general welfare of their pupils. They will also be available to provide support and guidance to all pupils at the school. House Principals and their assistants will set clear and consistent guidelines to ensure that boarders feel welcome, safe and valued at all times. They will encourage all pupils to appreciate the values that are essential for a successful boarding school life: tolerance, integrity, respect and trust. Life in the Boarding Houses will be structured so that pupils are able to complete their homework, enjoy a range of evening activities and spend time relaxing with friends. House staff will ensure the right balance of work, rest and play so that pupils get the most out of their time at school.
ACCOMMODATION Our boarding houses have been designed to meet the needs of the boarding community. With brand new, purpose-built accommodation, our boarders will be able to enjoy living in attractive, comfortable bedrooms and make use of superb communal areas for working, socialising and relaxing. When completed, the College will have two large boarding houses, located on the upper floors of the teaching blocks. Each house will provide bedroom accommodation for boys and girls in two separate wings, while the communal areas of the houses will be shared. When they first join the College, younger pupils will share rooms in groups of three or four, and will move into two-bed rooms on the top floor of each building when they enter the Sixth Form. The rooms have been designed to be light and contemporary, with generous storage and living space. Each floor of the houses will provide modern showers and bathrooms and wifi access will be fitted throughout (but will be turned off overnight). At the heart of each boarding house, there will be large, multi-function communal rooms spread across two floors, providing comfortable sofas, desks for working, library areas and other recreational areas. In addition, each of the separate boys and girls houses will have a TV room with sofas and a fully equipped kitchen, in which boarders can make themselves hot drinks and snacks or share a pizza.
FACILITIES Boarding pupils will have use of the extensive range of on-site recreational facilities at the College during the evenings and at weekends. As well as the multi-use games pitch (astroturf) for five-a-side football, hockey, netball and tennis, they will also be able to use the new indoor Sports Centre for team games, fitness classes, dance and martial arts. Other facilities that will be open outside normal school hours include: the drama suite, art rooms, music practice rooms and ICT facilities.
THE SCHOOL DAY The boarder s day starts with a healthy breakfast in the dining-hall and a chance to get organised for the day ahead. Boarders will then join their fellow day pupils for registration at 8.30am. After day pupils leave at 5.30pm, boarding pupils will complete a session of homework under the supervision of a member of staff. Older pupils will have greater flexibility, with the option to carry out homework assignments in their study bedrooms or in other quiet study areas in the boarding houses. Evening meals will be taken in the main dining-hall, enabling pupils to meet up with friends and enjoy supper in a more informal environment. After supper and after any additional homework has been completed, pupils will have a free choice of activities for the remainder of the evening. A full programme of activities, clubs and societies during the week will ensure that all pupils find something they are interested in or enjoy. Senior boarding pupils from Holyport will also have access to society meetings at Eton which are regularly attended by external high profile speakers. At any one time there are about fifty societies in existence at Eton, catering for a wide range of interests and largely run by boys. Those particularly active at present include: Joseph Banks (Conservation), Classical, Debating, Essay, Entrepreneurship, Geographical, History, Keynes (Economics), Law, Literary, Mathematical, Medical, Middle Eastern, Model United Nations, Modern Languages, Oriental, Parry (Music), Photographic, Political, Scientific, Slavonic, Sports, Theatre and Wotton s (Philosophy). At the weekend, those pupils who are staying in College will be able to take part in a varied programme of activities and trips, including culture, sports, outdoor pursuits and entertainment. Examples include: mountain biking in Swinley Forest; theatre trips to London; a trip to Thorpe Park; orienteering in the Chilterns; tickets to a major sports fixture or a visit to one of the London museums or art galleries. Some of the facilities of Eton College will also be available to enhance our own programme of activities.
PASTORAL CARE We consider the safety and well being of all our pupils, including our boarders, to be of the utmost importance. Boarding staff will include House Principals, Matrons and live-in tutors who have exceptional experience of work in a boarding environment. The pupil voice is very important to us, as are the views of parents. Boarders will be represented by the Boarders Council, which will be made up of boarders and senior staff. We also hope that many of our boarding parents will attend our Boarding Parents Forum. INTRODUCTION ACCOMMODATION FACILITIES SCHOOL DAY PASTORAL CARE WELL-BEING LOCATION FEES APPLYING FOR A PLACE
WELL-BEING At Holyport College we recognise the importance of all our pupils being able to enjoy healthy, appetizing, regular meals. We are fortunate that we will be able to provide nutritious, freshly prepared meals from our brand new kitchens. MEALS Main meals of breakfast, lunch and supper will be taken in our large central dining hall - just a few moments walk from the boarding houses and large enough to accommodate all our boarders and staff in one sitting. Meals will include a wide choice of options including hot meals, vegetarian choices as well as healthy snacks and drinks in between meals. SECURITY Our purpose-built boarding accommodation incorporates state-of-the-art security technology to ensure pupils safety at all times. Measures include CCTV, limited entry and exit points and use of biometric recognition systems to access certain areas of the accommodation. All our staff will undergo rigorous safeguarding checks so that we can be certain that all our pupils are receiving the very highest levels of care. MEDICAL CARE All boarding pupils will need to enroll with the local GP surgery. Each boarding house will be staffed by a matron who will be able to deal with minor ailments and first aid. Where it is necessary to move a child from their usual bed due to illness and it is impractical for him or her to go home, the Medical Centre at the College will provide alternative accommodation.
LOCATION Set in an idyllic semi-rural location, yet close to major transport networks, Holyport College is easily accessible. The College campus is only a few miles from the M4 motorway, 10 minutes from Maidenhead train station, which serves London Paddington, and 25 minutes drive from London Heathrow airport. Nearby, the towns of Maidenhead and Windsor provide a huge range of attractions and amenities, including theatre, cinema, ten-pin bowling, shops and restaurants.
FEES The fee for a boarding place at Holyport College for the 2015/16 academic year will be 3,850 per term, payable in advance of the start of each term. Boarding fees will cover the cost of accommodation, meals, on-site medical care and the programme of events for evenings and weekends. These fees do not include additional costs for uniform, sports kit, school equipment and school trips (undertaken with day pupils as part of the main curriculum). Once a place has been confirmed at the College, a deposit of 500 will be required to secure the place. BURSARY BOARDING PLACES Holyport College intends to offer up to four fully funded boarding places each year to children from disadvantaged backgrounds and for whom the Governors of the College believe a boarding place will have a transformative or life-changing impact. One of the bursaries will be allocated to a child from a family currently serving in the Armed Forces. Parents or carers who wish to apply for a bursary funded boarding place should complete our boarding application form and include any supplementary information which may be helpful to us.
APPLYING FOR A BOARDING PLACE If you would like to apply for a boarding place for your son or daughter for entry into Year 7 or Year 9, starting in September 2015, you will need to complete our boarding application form (attached) and return it to us as soon as possible, and no later than 31st October 2014. Parents should ensure that any information relevant for a priority place is included. Late applications can be considered but only after other applications have been processed. In addition, if you currently live in England you will need to complete a Common Application Form (CAF) through your home local authority. This can be completed online or as a paper application and should be returned directly to the local authority. The process for applications will open at the beginning of September and will close on 31st October 2014. Overseas applicants and those from outside England only need to complete the boarding application form and return it directly to us. All pupils whose parents have returned an application will be invited to attend an interview in the autumn term to assess their suitability for boarding at the College. This is not intended to be a stressful process and we very much hope that children and their parents will enjoy the experience. The interviews will be held between October and early December 2014.
CONTACT CONTACT If you have any questions or comments please let us know, ideally by email. Email: info@holyportcollege.org.uk Telephone: 01753 671092