House Staff - Oakham School

Clipsham House
2013 – 2014
Pupil Handbook
House Staff
Housemaster
Mr Alastair Speers.
Design Technology
e-mail:
[email protected]
Office:
01572 758670
Your Housemaster is responsible for running the
House and for looking after your day to day needs
within the school. He will oversee your
development in all areas of school life throughout
each week and term. Your tutor is primarily
responsible for your academic progress; however
you can expect that your Housemaster will also be
involved in monitoring your academic studies.
Mr Speers has been at Oakham since 2006 and the Housemaster of
Clipsham since 2009. Mr Speers studied Engineering at university
and then had a spell in industry working as a consultant Mechanical
Engineer before gaining his teaching qualification from Cambridge
University. He teaches Design Technology and coaches the school
sailing team as well as U14 rugby and cricket. He has been involved
in a number of school ski trips and led one of the early school trips
to Kenya. Mr Speers is married to Alice and they have a young
daughter.
Senior Tutor
Mr Tim Dixon-Dale.
Business Studies & Economics
e-mail:
[email protected]
The Senior Tutor assists the Housemaster in the
running of the House and will deputise in the
Housemaster’s absence.
Mr Dixon-Dale joined Oakham in 2007 as a Business
Studies and Economics Teacher and was a Resident
Tutor for three years in Wharflands House before
joining Clipsham as the Senior Tutor in September
2011. Prior to entering teaching, Tim worked in Asset
management within the Financial Services industry.
He is the 2nd XV Rugby and 2nd XI Hockey coach and
his other interests include snowboarding, cricket, and downhill
mountain biking.
Tutors
Tutors will be on duty every night in the House until 7.30pm. Often
this is an excellent time to spend 10 minutes talking through your
progress and areas for further improvement. Alternatively it is simply
just a time to chat.
3rd form
Mr. James Clarke
Sports Science
Mrs. Cathy Smith,
Art
Mr. Tim Dixon-Dale
Business Studies
Miss Ellen Cusworth,
Languages
4th form
5th form
Mr. Frank Hayes
Physics
Mr. David Harrow,
Maths
6th form
Mr Alick Brown
History
Mrs Caroline Lomas
Classics
Mrs Camilla Darwin
Maths
The House Prefect Team and
House Leadership
Head of House
Prefects
Stuart Ralston
Henry Boddy
Gregory Sale
Tom Gorman
Ifor Cook
The prefects play an important part in the running of the House and are
always a useful first point of contact if you are unsure of something.
We have a Head of House, and four House prefects. All of the prefects are
selected from the sixth form and there is always the opportunity for the sixth
formers to be appointed as prefects throughout the year.
The prefects have a weekly meeting with Mr Speers and Mr Dixon-Dale
where they work together to discuss the running of the house.
Welcome from your Head of House
The step up to middle school is awesome.
An exciting transition, which will reveal hard
work, increased responsibility and a great
amount of fun. Whether you are a current
Oakhamian or joining us this year, real
school life has not begun until you have
been welcomed through Clipsham doors.
You may find the prospect of sharing a
house with older boys a little unnerving but I
can assure you they are all pleasant lads
who are looking forward to meeting you.
The Clipsham community is one that feeds
upon affability and respect. We take pride in
congratulating
effort
and
not
just
achievement. This is one of the great virtues of the house, which
supplements the ever-burning house spirit. Clipsham is a unique house in the
middle school as it is renowned for the close bond between the boys and
house staff, which creates the awesome sense of community.
Clipsham is a house like no other at Oakham, so I am sure you will have no
problem settling in. However, any problems that may arise, do not hesitate to
come and chat to one of the prefects. The team is always around to help and
we are here to make your lives as easy as possible. We were all third formers
once and if your finding things hard please come and find myself, Henry, Ifor,
Tom or Greg. I am sure we’ll be able to help.
Looking back after three years in Clipsham, I must urge you to grab every
opportunity that is thrown in your direction. Get involved in something
unusual; something that your average Oakhamian does not do. This will open
new doors, which behold incredible experiences that you will forever cherish.
I have no doubt that you will thoroughly enjoy your time here at Oakham.
Stuart Ralston
Clipsham Head of House 2013-14
House Ethos.
The Clipsham House Ethos is:
Challenge yourself
Respect each other
Celebrate Effort and Success.
So what actually does this mean?
Challenge yourself: Do everything to the best of your ability and look
to step out of your comfort zone. Work hard to achieve your
individual and collective goals.
Respect each other: Respect the individuality and interests of all
boys and staff. Uphold the values and morals that we stand for
ensuring that you look after both yourself and your fellow
housemates.
Celebrate Effort and Success: Support and take an active role in
House competitions and events.
School pastoral principles
Oakham is a school where ambition, enthusiasm, initiative and hard
work are rewarded. Our houses provide opportunities to support our
key principles of mutual respect, seizing opportunities and service.
They are communities where the compassionate and consistent
pastoral support enables pupils to develop as individuals whilst
fostering a sense of tolerance and respect. We endeavour to help
pupils have an awareness of their environment and the wider world
we live in with a genuine confidence to play a positive role in its
future. This comes through allowing opportunities to lead and be led,
and developing young people who are comfortable in leadership
positions, happy to accept responsibility but not assume privilege as
a result.
Daily Routine
Mon-Sat.
The House is opened at 0730.
Roll-call is at 0820.
Lessons / Chapel begin at 0840.
The House is locked at 1930. (earlier on a Sat depending on
sporting commitments)
Sunday
Closed.
The School Day:
Monday and Friday
Wednesday
Tuesday and Thursday
Saturday
0820-1800
0820-1710
0820-1600
0820-1225
On top of this, a school or House match is a school commitment. Therefore if
you are selected for a team on a Saturday afternoon then your school day
ends at the end of that sporting commitment.
You’re advised to get into school around 0800 which will allow you enough
time to get your books ready for the morning lessons before the 0820 roll call.
In the Case of Absences:
If you are going to be absent for the day due to illness please phone Serena
Potter (01572 758671) or from 07.30 to 08.20 phone Mr Speers (01572
758670).
Lateness:
If you do arrive late there are three options:
• Check in with the Housemaster on arrival if only slightly late.
• Report to Serena Potter if unable to report to the Housemaster in
person. (01572 758671).
• If arriving after 10.20 when the receptionist goes off duty, please report
to the main reception at Chapel Close.
If you need any help during the day.
There will always be a teacher in the House during the major breaks (i.e.
between lessons, morning break, lunchtime, afternoon break and after
school). If you are unable to contact a
teacher in House, then you should go to the
Barraclough or in an emergency to the
Medical Centre where there will always be
an adult on hand.
When not teaching, the Housemaster is
normally in the House. If you need to contact
a member of staff or your tutor, the best way
is by seeing them at the start of break in the
Barraclough or by e-mail.
Roll Call.
The 0820 roll-call meeting is important
because it is often the final opportunity to
pass on messages for the day. Do not be
late for roll call as there is often a significant amount of information that needs
to be passed on in a short time frame.
We also have an afternoon roll call and the time of this varies dependent on
the House lunch time
Form Rooms.
Your form room is your day to day work base. Each pupil will have a locker
where you will be able to store your work bags and files. It is also the area in
which you are expected to complete most of your work. Use it well and
please, respect others who may be working there.
Please do not enter the form
rooms of other year groups, as
each student needs to be
confident that his ‘space’ is not to
be invaded by older/younger
students.
As well as your own form rooms
you will have access to the House
computer room with 7 networked
computers and a printer. There is
also a House quiet room which
provides a real chance to work in
peace.
Looking after each other.
The school has an anti-bullying policy
devised by the School Council and
described in the Redbook. In
Clipsham we do not tolerate a
bullying sub-culture. Physical bullying
is rare. However hidden kit, name
calling, damaged work/equipment and
withdrawal of friendship is equally
wounding although can be less
obvious. Mr. Speers and Oakham
School will not accept bullying in any
of its forms and will deal with it
accordingly.
House Duties.
The 4th form is required to fetch drinks
and snacks provided by the
Barraclough bringing them to the
House kitchen for the entire House.
Your role in the 3rd form is to tidy the kitchen and run a cloth over surfaces at
the end of break and at the end of the day before going home. It is a task that
everyone has to do.
Boys in the choir are excused from House duties.
Breakages.
Accidents will inevitably happen. Please let Mr Speers or the tutor on duty
know immediately if something has been broken.
Absence from lessons.
If you are likely to miss a lesson due to music, drama or sport, you should
endeavour to see the teacher of that lesson a minimum of 24 hours prior to it.
There are several reasons for this above and beyond common courtesy.
Firstly, the teacher may be able to give you any work you are missing and
secondly, they may need to re-arrange their lesson because the work you are
missing is critical.
Telephone.
Many of you will have mobiles, but if you do not, you may use the phone in Mr
Speers’s office.
E-Mail.
E-Mail is now a common means of communication around school. It is
important that you check your e-mail at least once a day. It is not acceptable
to say you haven’t received an e-mail because you haven’t been near a
computer.
E-mail etiquette is very important. Although often an e-mail is used as an
informal means of communication, it is difficult to communicate your tone
through e-mail. If you are in any doubt that anything you write may cause
offence then do not write it. Tongue in cheek comments often do not translate
well via e-mail.
It is school policy that all e-mails written to members of staff need to be
written in a formal manner. Therefore they should start with “Dear Sir” or
“Dear Mr X” and end with “Yours Sincerely”.
Visitors.
The House has a large
Common Room with easy
chairs, coffee tables, Pool
table, Table tennis table and
Table Football. Feel free to
invite any Oakham student
from any other House to
socialise there at sensible and
appropriate times. Visitors are
not permitted beyond the
Common
Room
though,
especially not in year rooms.
If you wish to have a visit from
someone not currently at Oakham School, (including OO’s) then this should
be cleared in advance with the Housemaster.
Medical matters including Leave-Off sport.
If you are taken ill during the day you should go to the Medical Centre. The
Medical Centre will inform your parents of your condition and arrange for
families to transport you home or to the family doctor.
If you have an injury or illness which prevents you from taking part in sports
or Service activities, your parents must write to your Housemaster stating the
nature of the problem and the duration of leave-off sport required.
No medication may be kept in House unless kept with the Housemaster.
Chapel and Spiritual Life.
Pupils are expected to attend a weekly chapel session which is timetabled on
either the Wednesday or Friday morning.
Pupils are expected to respect and care for each other and it is important that
they understand and respect others views and religious beliefs.
Security of Personal Equipment.
You must mark your clothing and personal equipment indelibly and obviously.
You will each have a personal locker in the year room large enough to take a
medium sized school / sports bag and a good selection of files and books.
Your equipment is your own responsibility; if in doubt lock it up.
Mr Speers is happy to look after cash and valuables in his study for short
periods if requested. Try to avoid carrying large quantities of money or
expensive equipment around for too long. Fragile items such as musical
instruments can be vulnerable to damage and should not be left where others
may meddle with them. Please note that the school does not have insurance
cover for your personal property so you must ensure it is covered by personal
policies.