I am very excited to join Camberlot House. I joined Bede's in 2022 as a teacher of History and Classics. Originally from  Northumberland and now very settled in my new life in the South East. I am a massive Star Wars fan and am a huge dog person. I am so excited to be starting in Camberlot and joining an excellent boarding house at Bede’s. I look forward to encouraging the Cambo boys to maximise every opportunity coming their way and seeing them grow into ambitious, respectful and authentic individuals.

So far, so good. 

in fact, so far it's be great!

The year officially begun when a myriad of new and nervous faces walked into Camberlot in August, but it only truly started once they were met by the more seasoned members of the House and they started to form the friendships that will hopefully be with them forever. As usual, the short first week was quickly succeeded by the first weekend in; it is during these 3 days that we truly bond and get to know each other. Therefore, the Camberlot house team organised a series of events that diffused a sense of nostalgia among those of us who had gone through the same experience in earlier years: barbecues in the back garden, team building activities on the sports fields, followed by a whole school ‘colour run’ and outdoor cinema. The atmosphere of the autumn term is difficult to explain as it often seems like an emotional rollercoaster, both for new and old boys. It begins with a passion, energy and curiosity that is difficult to rival at any other point in one’s life, as everyone looks towards new things, new friends, and new horizons. 

Very soon, it felt as though the new joiners had always been with us and although we faced some restrictions due to COVID, the Camberlot boys made the most of the first term and being back in the boarding House. The first set of House Competitions saw challenges accepted and the event was great to help form new friendships. Following this we had the hugely successful ‘Mr Sealey Quiz Night’ which included lots of carefully crafted and creative questions about the boys to help them get to know more about their Cambo peers. 

The autumn term drew to a close with our House outing which this year saw us travel to Crawley to play airsoft - a great opportunity for the boys to squeeze out the last bits of energy before the end of term whilst also getting the satisfaction of targeting some of the staff! Following this, we made sure that any calories lost were quickly replaced as we headed to an all you can buffet. The boys certainly made the most of it and with the number of plates consumed - I think that the restaurant underestimated the Camberlot appetite! The final event of the term was the House Christmas meal. A chance to reminisce about the past term and also enjoy the highlight of the evening……Cambo boys covering their face in shaving foam and trying to see how many cheese wotsits their friends can get to stick! 

The Spring term is always a favourite in Cambo and this time it was even more special as normality started to resume and the boys were also able to make the most of the longer days and better weather! For many, highlights have included the things that haven’t been able to happen for the past two years, whether that be House visiting, weekend trips or games of ‘one bounce’ in the House garden. However particular highlights were the pancake evening – which say Sarah, whip up pancakes, waffles and toppings for over 80 boys. In addition the recent cross country is one of my personal favourites of the year, not because of the competitive aspect, but because every boy does there bit, walk, run or sprint and the sense of community and enjoyment this year was greater than I’ve ever seen before.

The main event of the term was our Evensong and Formal Dinner – such a great celebration of the year with a wonderful speech from a former Housemaster, Mr Rimmington and a truly impressive speech from Freddie, our Head of House. The evening finished with the entire House singing a truly unique rendition of ‘Sweet Caroline’ – rumour is that it could be heard at the other side of the School site. A fitting way for our U6th to sign off! The evidence is still available on our House Facebook page. 

The summer term sees the focus turn to the external exams and an important period for many of the Camberlot boys. It is important that all of the boys have downtime too and we always ensure that there is still plenty to happening, whether that be sport competitions, House water fights or a BBQ. 

It has been another fantastic year in Camberlot and the boys should be commended on their efforts, resilience and spirit. We now look forward to building on this success and enjoyment as we enter the next year in Camberlot.