Although many of you will be joining us in First Year, it is also very common for us to welcome new students into Lower 5th, Pre 6th and Lower 6th - in total we will welcome approximately 20 new boys into Camberlot this year. If you are joining an existing year group, although this may seem daunting at first, it can also be advantageous. You will quickly make friends who are familiar with the routines in School and they can help you to settle very quickly. The Cambo boys are very proud of the house and they are keen to welcome you and make sure that you find your feet and feel comfortable very quickly.

Try not to bring too much when you first arrive - you can always add things as the year passes. There is a school shop to buy essentials and there are also weekly trips to the local towns for you to go shopping. Typically, two suitcases is more than enough - you will have a wardrobe and some drawer space in your room. You must also clear your room fully for each main holiday, however you are able to leave one suitcase in storage at school.

Students need to limit the amount of luggage they bring into the boarding house as our ‘trunk room’ storage is limited and we can only store one piece of luggage and one standard box each. Therefore, your son really needs to consider what items are necessary and what they could live without. If more items than those stated above arrive at the boarding house, then we will have to send things back home at your own expense. Thank you very much for your co-operation and understanding with this.

You are bound to have a lot of questions and please do not hesitate to contact should you want to check something before your son joins us.

Below is some key information and some important School policies that will help to address some of the frequently asked questions.

Mini reports and assessments are due regularly and these are available to view on the parent portal.

The safety of your son is extremely important to us and I would draw your attention to the School’s Safeguarding Policy which can be found on the School’s website. It is a requirement that all students must sign out from the House and sign in at their destination. This enables House staff to know who is out in the event of an emergency. Students are also required to sign out from the House when leaving the school grounds.

Full boarders are able to visit friends and family at the weekend, however this must be organised and consent given in advance. Submitting an application to leave the House at the weekends needs to go directly to the Housemaster by 5pm on the preceding Wednesday, this is usually in the guise of an email. Please make sure that if your child is granted leave after Friday school that they do not have any other weekend school commitments. If your child is staying with a friend, the Housemaster will need permission from both sets of parents. In addition, if a weekly boarder would like to stay in during a weekend (for something other than a School commitment i.e. fixture), the request must also be made via email by the preceding Wednesday.

During the School holidays the House is completely closed. The dates and times of the term dates are published well in advance in order to allow you to make appropriate arrangements for your son’s travel safely to and from School. Please do not book an early leave at the end of term without permission from the Housemaster or Headmaster. The school travel coordinator can help with any transfers to airports. The School does not give permission for boarders to go out of School on week nights unless they are on an official School trip or staying with their own family.

The School values the opinions of all students. Everyone is able to raise concerns and make complaints without fear of being penalised or singled out. Each House has a House Council, House Prefects, School Prefects, Peer Mentors and other representatives on various student bodies. The House Council is specifically charged with gathering and representing the views of those in the House on the operation and running of the House.

If a boarder has a grievance, however big or small, he can approach any of the members of staff in the House (his tutor would normally be the person best placed to deal with the matter in the first instance) or indeed the School. For weightier matters, the School’s formal complaints procedure is explained on the School’s website.

Please note that an absence from school can only be granted by the Housemaster. Requests should be sent directly to him well in advance.

Parents should notify the House Staff in advance should they wish to visit the House (other than at the beginning and end of each term). Parents will be asked to sign in and out in the visitor’s book provided. Please be aware that the house has bedrooms off a central atrium. Parents are requested not to go to bedrooms without notifying staff members first.

Students are welcome to bring small speakers for their rooms, but powerful music systems are not really appropriate. Excessive noise or playing during Prep time or lights out will lead to confiscation. Televisions are not allowed but students should have access to a laptop or tablet. They should be used primarily for educational purposes. All equipment needs to be electrically checked and indelibly marked with the owner’s name. I would caution against allowing your child to bring anything particularly valuable or irreplaceable items to school. Each student does have a lockable space, so it is advisable to bring a padlock (coded rather than key).

Each student should have access to a UK bank account and a debit card is extremely useful. Large sums of money should not be kept in the house and each student has access to a lockable space to store small sums of cash. All students can obtain goods from the shop with orders signed by the Housemaster and then charged to the school bill. This saves the need for large sums of money to be carried around the School.

Parents are not always formally invited to attend plays, concerts and matches etc. but if there is a specific event that you would like to attend, please contact the house team. Events are listed in the school calendar and for seated productions, you are advised to book in advance.

(An important one in Camberlot!) Bread, butter, jams, spreads, ham, cheese, fruit, tea and coffee are available in the House. The school meals are perfectly adequate and no other food should be necessary. The House also operates a tuck shop.

All areas of the House are cleaned regularly and students are encouraged to keep their rooms tidy. Laundry is done in House and we would ask that students do not bring an excessive amount of clothing, as although wardrobes and cupboards are available, space is limited. Please ensure that all home clothes are clearly labelled as is uniform. The vast majority of clothing should be suitable to tumble dry as again space is limited.

Please be aware of bedtimes for the House and that mobile phone calls should not take place after these times.

All students are allocated a school email address, which is accessible to them throughout the day (and outside of school). During lessons, social networking and personal email sites should not be used. We encourage students to use their school email where possible. The House is serviced by a WIFI network and students may freely connect to the services offered by the school up to 23:00 (depending on their age). Independent devices which allow connectivity should not be used beyond this time, it is important for students to get adequate rest. First Year and Lower 5th students hand in technology each evening.

If you are unwell your first port of call would normally be the Matron in your House. (However, all of the boarding staff at School are trained in the delivery of first aid and administration of medicines and can give you treatment if necessary.) If Matron is unable to treat you herself she might refer you to the School Nurse. There is also a Doctor who visits the School twice a week. If you are taken ill in the night you can get help from your Housemaster / mistress or Deputy Housemaster / mistress. Matron can also arrange for you to see a dentist, optician and physiotherapist although these appointments would normally be arranged during the holidays. You must never keep any medicines in your room: they must be handed in to the Matron or the School nurse for secure storage and administration by them.