All About Boarding 3

ALL ABOUT BOARDING 3

Where everyone feels at home Westminster is the only ancient London school to occupy its original site and has a long history as a boarding school.

Welcoming both day and boarding pupils, it is a happy, busy and purposeful place with a lively boarding community of almost 200 boys and girls.

Living within the School’s premises has many benefits. It allows pupils to take full advantage of the extended evening programme of concerts, plays, sport and lectures, as well as the many supervised trips to academic and cultural events held across London.

Seven Superb Family Evening reasons to pastoral care atmosphere activities board at The Housemaster and Each House has a strong There is a wide variety Westminster a team of live-in Tutors sense of community, of organised evening are always on hand to allowing long-standing activities in the School’s support pupils, helping friendships to flourish. Sports and Music Centres them to become happy, with concerts, plays, fulfilled and independent. lectures and trips out.

“Because the School Prep Good food Friends No commute encourages diversity and Structured time for prep Breakfast, lunch, tea and It is relaxed and fun and Mornings and evenings every evening between supper are prepared and boarders spend a lot of are less stressful when praises independent thought, 7.15pm and 9.00pm helps served in College Hall time with their friends. no travel is involved. pupils to complete their and in the Purcell’s and They can also see their There’s more time to it feels like a very safe academic work in a quiet, Grant’s Dining Rooms. family at weekends socialise, to study and it is place to learn and to form studious and mutually There is plenty of choice and can go home for easier to be organised. opinions and ideas.” supportive atmosphere. to suit all tastes. special occasions. 4 5

Home from home A pupil’s House becomes like an extended “Pupils express delight family. It is the space in which pupils spend in how the School has much of their leisure time and provides the encouraged them to basis for many friendships. explore beyond the boundaries of what they might have thought Every Westminster pupil belongs to In addition to the activities of the they could do.” “Nothing is more one of the eleven Houses, named after wider School, every House has its people historically connected to the own community life. Either the House important than ISI Inspection Report November 2016 School. Boys join us at 13+ and both girls as a whole or smaller groups from my House’s family and boys can join the co-educational within it work together to stage atmosphere. It’s like Sixth Form at 16+. concerts, put on plays and musicals, compete in sporting competitions, or my second family.” Six of the School’s 11 Houses organise social outings and events. accommodate boarders, while the remaining five are for day pupils. 6 7

Where friendships form

The boarding houses provide House, all Houses have day pupils Boarding allows comfortable rooms and relaxed social too – boys and girls. All year groups pupils to make the spaces. Younger boarders share a large are represented in each House. room with two or three others. Pupils most of all the activities in the Sixth Form (Year 12) and Remove Like the day Houses, each boarding Westminster has to (Year 13) have their own rooms. There house has a Housemaster, responsible is a strong sense of community for the pupils’ welfare, and, in addition, offer, while enjoying between the Houses as well as within a Resident Tutor and Matron. Members more leisure time each House, because all the boarding of the House tutorial team are on duty buildings are situated around Little in the evenings. with their friends Dean’s Yard – with the exception of and getting to know Purcell’s just a minute’s walk away. Boarding is in term-time only and most of our boarders also go home at pupils from outside Purcell’s is a girls-only boarding house; weekends, although some of our over-16 their classes and College, Grant’s, Rigaud’s, Busby’s and pupils choose to remain at the School Liddell’s are mixed boarding houses. and make the most of all that London year groups. Apart from College, our Scholars’ has to offer on a Saturday and Sunday. Girls at Westminster, where equality is essential Girls have been valued members of the “I feel like we have Westminster School community since the a strong voice early 1970s. Now some 70 to 80 girls join at Westminster; “I was surprised by the the Sixth Form each year, with about a third the School is amount of freedom your living in as boarders. Housemaster gives you a very inclusive and the extent to which and welcoming they engage with and Like all pupils, each girl belongs a senior female member of staff, part environment. And to a House: this provides her with of whose responsibility it is to look respect you as an adult. a supportive and stable community after the interests of girls at the School. I think the boys It’s not about having for the duration of her time at In this way, girls are encouraged and really like having girls someone to look after Westminster, and allows her to get to enabled to play a full, vibrant and know pupils of different ages, genders equal part in academic and co-curricular around, especially the you, it’s about having and backgrounds. In addition to the life – from daily lessons, weekly younger ones – it’s people to look out for support of their Housemaster and societies and evening concerts, to like having a whole you, and there’s a world Tutors, girls also benefit from the termly sporting events and annual plays. guidance of the Head of Upper School, of difference.” lot of big sisters!” 8 9

“Kindness is a key characteristic of A Boarder’s typical timetable the School’s ethos.” From 7.50am 4.15pm 6.00pm ISI Inspection Report November 2016

A Place of Breakfast is served for boarders Tea is available for boarders and day Supper in College Hall is served for Wellbeing in the medieval College Hall – pupils in College Hall or Grant’s Dining boarders and also for day pupils who originally the dining room of the Room. Between tea and suppertime, have an evening activity such as a play, Abbot of Westminster. Lower School Activities (LSAs) take concert or lecture. Boarding houses have place and meetings of school societies a dedicated Matron and are arranged. Every pupil in Years 9 and 10 is expected to do at least two all pupils have access LSAs every week. Options vary, but to our welcoming include Bookbinding, Bridge, Drama, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, Health Centre, run by Football and Robotics. an experienced Nursing Sister, visited regularly 7.15pm 9.00pm 10.00pm by the School’s GP and with the full- time support of the School Counsellor and independent listeners.

In addition to comfortable bedrooms, boarding pupils enjoy their own leisure spaces, study areas and dedicated places to relax, socialise and study. The combined support of a pupil’s Housemaster, Tutor, House and the wider school community is invaluable For boarders, study time or prep Prep ends, after which pupils may Pupils return to their Houses unless in helping them not only to make the commences in their Houses or the meet and talk, play snooker or table they have permission to attend a family most of their time at Westminster but to Library. It is a structured session of tennis, or continue their academic work. celebration or to go, with a group develop and flourish as individuals. independent learning, every evening, A programme of activities is arranged organised by a member of staff, to with the support of Housemasters every evening in the School’s Music a play or concert. Bed times vary and Tutors. Centre and Sports Centre. For many according to the age of the pupils. boarders the end of formal prep is not the end of study for the day. 10

“Pupils develop very high levels of self-confidence, self-reliance and resilience.”

ISI Inspection Report November 2016

Frequently asked questions

“I love the sense Q. Can I come on a tour Q. Can I express of having an of a boarding house? a preference for A. Yes, we are happy to arrange a tour a particular extended family, led by the Housemaster. There are boarding house? with whom you regular tours of the boarding houses A. Yes, we will always aim to respect and many families choose to visit more any preferences indicated. We cannot, share a huge than one House. Please note, it is not however, guarantee that a candidate will always possible to arrange a boarding be allocated the House requested. number of house tour on the same day as a general tour of the School. experiences Q. Can I board during the School holidays? regardless of how Q. Can I try boarding? A. No, unfortunately this is A. We host boarding taster evenings different you may not possible. during the year, so that boys can be intellectually, experience a typical evening in Q. Can I stay at School physically, or in a boarding house. at weekends? terms of interests.” Q. Do I have to decide A. All boarders in the Lower School, whether or not to apply up to the age of 16, go home every for a boarding place at weekend. Some Sixth Form boarders the time of registration? stay at School at weekends, but the School is very quiet on Saturday nights. A. For 13+ applicants, the answer is no. In fact, it is not unusual for the Q. Can I board at final decision to be delayed until a boy Westminster if my is in his final year at preparatory school. It is also possible for a boy to switch parents live abroad? to boarding having started at A. Westminster is not a suitable Westminster as a day boy – and the boarding school for pupils below reverse is also possible. the age of 16 whose parents live 16+ (Sixth Form) applicants must overseas. We do welcome overseas notify us whether they wish to apply boarders in the Sixth Form, but they for a day place or boarding place must have guardians with whom when registering for entry. they can stay at ‘Exeat Weekends’ or when they are unwell. How do I apply?

Boarding is popular and pupils are strongly encouraged to board from the start of their time at the School. If you did not indicate a boarding preference on your registration form, just let the Admissions Department know by email that you would like your child to board.

For more information or to arrange a tour, please contact the Admissions Department on 020 7963 1003, or email [email protected]

THE REGISTRAR WESTMINSTER SCHOOL LITTLE DEAN’S YARD LONDON SW1P 3PF

+44 (0)20 7963 1003 [email protected]

@wschool westminstergram—