We are delighted to welcome you to Abbey House and hope you will be very happy here. With easy access to the Music School, Sports Centre, Library and Dining Hall, Abbey House will give you a real sense of being at the centre of the action.
Within this booklet, you will gain an insight into life in the House and how to get the most out of your time here, including House facilities, daily routines and the extensive support network. We all look after each other in Abbey House and there is a motto we all live by of ‘be who you are, work hard and play hard’.
No doubt there will be many questions that follow, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We wish you the very best of luck settling into life at Abbey House and we look forward to welcoming you in September.
Frank Taylor Head of House
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 permitted during the weekends
• When playing outside in the bargeyard 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 Tatham
You will have already met Mr Tatham a couple of times. He ensures that the House runs smoothly on a daily basis, and makes sure that you know what is happening and what is expected of you. He is an important link between your parents and the School; they will usually go to him first if they have a question or concern. Through your time at Sherborne, he will be the person who will get to know you the best. You will also get to know his wife, Mrs Tatham, their two boys and Inca the black Labrador.
Mr Tatham’s email is hugh.tatham@sherborne.org His mobile is 07850 653386 (you should add this to your contacts if you have a phone). The House office number is 01935 810561.
House Staff
Matron
Mrs Neave
Mrs Neave is very important in the running of the House and looking after the boys. She is always available for a chat and is a very good listener. She organises the housekeeping staff and laundry, ensuring that it returns to you as quickly as possible, and sorts out any medical issues you may have.
Assistant Matron
Miss Beardshaw
Miss Beardshaw deputises for Matron when she is off-duty and helps around the House. She is very important in ensuring that things like laundry run smoothly.
Assistant Housemaster
Mr Micic
Mr Micic's flat is next to the Junior dorm. He helps run the Tutor team and deputises for Mr Tatham. You will see a lot of him around the house.
Resident Tutor
Mr Hamm
Mr Hamm lives in the flat on the 6th Form corridor, and you will see him around the House a lot, helping Mr Tatham to look after everyone.
Domestic Staff and Prefects
Domestic Staff
You will learn to appreciate the work of the domestic staff who work hard to keep Abbey 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 just there to clean up after you.
Prefects
The Prefects are always available to give you advice. It is worth remembering that, like you they were new to the School once too. These are Upper Sixth boys who you’ll get to know well during your first year in Abbey House. They are ideally placed to give you advice on all aspects of life at Sherborne.
Frank Taylor (Head of House)
Herb Cornish
Henry Hardick
Harry Lines
Thomas MacCormac
William Pittman
Seb Quinlan
Alexander Sington
Oscar Thornton
House Facilities
Bargeyard
This is a large tarmacked area to the back of the House, which is used by all years, for a variety of sporting activities, such as basketball and football in the winter and cricket and tennis in the summer.
The Housemaster’s Garden
This is behind the house and is available for quiet relaxation and study as well as a social space on some occasions. In the summer, barbeques happen here and you can play croquet. You can also use the Theatre garden across the road, which is open to all years and is mainly used in the summer for relaxation and playing football.
The Dorm
This is where you will sleep during your first year.
The Laundry Room
This is where you drop off laundry and pick up your clean clothes. It is your responsibility to ensure that you take your laundry down every day. It has a kettle, toaster and a small hob and is an important social venue, as it is constantly used by people from all year groups. It is also where the newspapers will be.
The Galley
This is located very near the Oak Room and has a microwave oven, a toaster and a kettle which you are welcome to use throughout the day except during Hall.
The Common Room
This has a big screen TV with playstation and pool and table tennis tables. It is a good place to relax, and it has a great atmosphere during sporting events. However, you are not allowed to watch TV during the School day, but use is freely allowed after Hall. The Sixth Form also have their own Common Room with cooking facilities, a dishwasher and TV.
The Oak Room
This is where assembly and roll calls take place, and important notices are given in these assemblies. “Socials” with girls from other Schools are sometimes held here too. It is also a good place to relax, play board games, do some work etc. The House piano is also in here.
The Dayroom
This is the area where you will work during the first year. Each boy has a desk and space to store books, files, stationery and your tuck box. It also is a common room for the Third Form outside of Hall.
The House Library
This is a great working and quiet social space. It has several sofas, plenty of books, lots of board games and Netflix. There is also a small library in the dorm.
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
7.05am Wake up bell
7.15am – 7.45am Breakfast
7.45am Registration
10.55am – 11.25am Break – snack in the Laundry Room
6.00pm – 6.25pm Senior supper
6.30pm – 6.55pm Junior supper
7.00pm Roll Call and Assembly in the Oak Room
7.00pm – 8.45pm Hall
9.15pm Phones in for Third and Fourth Forms
9.30pm Third Form up to dormitory and lights out at 10.00pm
10.00pm Phones in for Fifth Form
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)
Sundays: 10.45am-12 noon Roll Call and Hall
7.00pm Roll Call, Assembly and 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 Hutchings - 01935 810539
Mr McGuire - 07850 653 394
DSL@sherborne.org
Mrs Kershaw - 01935 8 c
Independent perso
SUPPORT, GUIDANCE
are willing to help you. All boys can use these services, but, in some cases, people to check on availability. School Doctors Drs Nickinson, Armitage and Nickinson 01935 872530
House Activities
House Charity
Abbey House is well-known for its charity work. Last year, we did a walk in aid of ‘Help for Heroes’, a sleepout for 'Ski4Cancer' and a Mums and Dads v Lads Cricket match for the 'Ruth Strauss Foundation'.
House Socials
and Trips
On most Saturday evenings and some Sundays the School and House organise activities. This could be a cinema trip, a disco, a rugby or cricket match, magic show etc. These are usually organised along with Sherborne Girls.
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)
• 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
• 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
• School Shop – You can buy school uniform, sport equipment, stationery, cards and other essential items.
• 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
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.
Can I bring things from home to make my room feel my own?
Yes — please do. The boarding House is your home, and we'd strongly encourage you to bring along the things that make your space feel comfortable and personal, whether that's posters, photographs or a few favourite belongings from home.
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.
When can I phone or message my parents, and how does my phone work in the House?
You'll have your phone for 30 minutes each evening, which gives you a good chance to call or message home. This is the same right through the junior school, from Third to Fifth Form. At weekends you'll have your device for a little longer, within clear, set time frames. Of course, if you ever need to speak to your parents or family outside those times, you'll always be able to — just have a word with a member of the House team. And if your family live in a different time zone, we'll make sure suitable arrangements are in place so that staying in touch is never a problem..
When can I visit friends in other Houses, and at Sherborne Girls?
You can visit friends in other Houses, and over at Sherborne Girls, outside of lesson times — at break, lunch, after School and at weekends. This is something we really encourage and value, and boys from other Houses are just as welcome to come and see you. When you visit, simply sign in and out and make yourself known to the Matron or Housemaster; the same applies when friends come to your House. You'll get to know more of the girls over the course of the year through socials, and you can visit them in their Boarding House Common Room in your free time outside the normal working day. Wherever you go, you're expected to display the highest standard of conduct.
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.
How do I know when my team practices, fixtures and other commitments are?
Everything appears on your School 'Socs' calendar, which you'll have access to in your first week. It brings your whole timetable together in one place — lessons, team practices, fixtures and all your other cocurricular commitments — so you'll always know where you need to be and when.
What is there to do at the weekend?
There's always plenty going on. On Saturday, lessons finish at 11am and the afternoon is given over to a full sporting programme, followed in the evening by a social programme with Sherborne Girls — discos, house swaps and a range of other activities. Sunday is more relaxed: you get a lie-in, and there's usually a trip on offer, whether that's a water park, a sports fixture or somewhere further
afield. The 'Sherborne menu' is available too. You'll also have full access to the Sports Centre, Music and Art, as well as plenty of time to relax and see your friends, either in town or over in another House.
What do I do if I feel homesick, unwell, or I'm finding things hard?
The most important thing to know is that you are never on your own. Our boarding Houses are hugely supportive places, with help on hand 24 hours a day. Whatever you're facing — feeling homesick, feeling unwell, or simply finding something difficult — there is always someone to turn to.
If you're homesick, it's really important not to bottle it up. It's nothing to be embarrassed about and it happens to far more boys than you'd think — and it almost always passes. If you're feeling unwell, go and see Matron, who will give you the care you need or send you on to the Health Centre, where a doctor visits every weekday morning. And if something else is on your mind, however big or small, you can always talk it through.There are
so many people here to look after you and for you to lean on: your Housemaster, Matron, your Tutor, the House Prefects, the staff at the Health Centre and the School Counsellor are all here to support and nurture you.
Whatever it is, please do speak to someone — that is exactly what we are here for.
How do I find out about, and sign up for, clubs, sport, music and drama?
The House staff are there to help you with this and oversee the sign-up process, so you'll always know where to start. There's a huge range on offer — clubs, activities, sport, drama, music and outward-bound opportunities — and you won't be disappointed. The key thing is to get involved and give things a go. Your Tutor is on hand to help you strike the right balance, so that you make the most of everything the School has to offer.
Abbey House
Abbey House
Abbey Road
Sherborne
Dorset DT9 3LD
United Kingdom
+44 (0)1935 810561
sherborneboys.group
PART OF THE SHERBORNE SCHOOLS GROUP
Sherborne Schools Group is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, No. 4002575 and registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, No. 1081228
