A welcome letter from the matron team 

We are your house matrons, Helena, Wendy and Antoinette.

Helena has been house manager at Camberlot for a year, but has spent more than 25 years working in schools, both in England and overseas, and has lived at Bede’s for 11 years.  Wendy has been matron in Cambo for ten years, helping hundreds of boys on their journey through Senior School.  Antoinette has been a matron in Cambo since last year, but also has a background in education. 

Our role is to make Cambo feel like a real home from home for everyone.  You are always welcome to come into our room for help, advice, or just a chat.  The information below will make your transition to being part of the Cambo community as smooth and easy as possible.

The Cambo Kitchen

There is a house kitchen that is open to all three times a day: break time, after afternoon activities, and after dinner.  Everyone is welcome to use the kitchen until 9pm, after which the 6th form can use the kitchen until 9.50pm.

There are hot and cold drinks available every day, as well as cereal, fruit, biscuits, bread, cheese and ham.  There is a cooker, microwave, toaster, toastie machine and fridges and freezers available for everyone to use.  There is also a tuck shop, which is usually open every break time.

You are expected to clean up after yourself. Everyone will be on kitchen duty at least one day per term.  This involves tidying away when asked by house staff, and staking and unstacking the dishwasher.  There are usually at least two people on duty every day, and you will be shown how to do this important job.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

We come and check your bedrooms every morning.  We ask you to keep your bedroom tidy, making your bed every morning and turning off the lights when you leave.  Please do not leave chargers switched on and on beds as this is a fire risk.

Each person has a desk, hanging space, a large shoe box, drawers and a named dirty washing bag and box.  You also have a small named toiletries basket for the bathroom.  Please keep all toiletries in this basket and not on the floor, in the shower or on the shelf.

When we come and check your rooms we also look for anything that needs fixing.  If you have something in your room that is broken, please come and check with us as we can report it to the maintenance team.

Washing

Personal washing is done every day, although on Thursday and Sunday there is no guarantee that you will get it back the same day.  The rest of the week you may bring your washing at any time during the day, but if you want it back the same day you must bring it to us by breaktime.  Please try and collect your washing promptly.

Please ensure all of your clothes (especially school uniform) are named.  If you do not have naming labels, we have a supply of permanent markers and will be happy to help you name your clothes.  Clothes which are lost and are not named are extremely hard to locate, and can be expensive to replace.

Bedding

All bedding is washed on a Thursday.  You will be reminded at roll call to strip your bed and bring it downstairs to the bins outside matron’s room before breakfast.  New bedding will either be left on your bed or on the sofa in matron’s room, and you will need to make your bed before evening prep.  A record is kept of every bed that has been changed, so if you forget to strip your bed, you will get a reminder at breaktime.

Some people like to bring their own bedding.  If you want to bring yours, please ensure everything is clearly named, and not white.

Regular medication

If you take regular prescription medication, we will give you this either straight after roll call in the morning, or last thing at night, depending on instructions. Any prescription medication brought from home needs to be signed in with a covering letter from your GP.  You are not allowed to keep any medication in your room unless the school nurse has filled out a Self-administration of Medication form with you.  Every term you will be asked to sign a form stating that you either have no medication with you or that you have handed all medication in to matron.  This includes things like vitamins, minerals and supplements.

Although we will keep the medication and hand you your daily dose, it is your responsibility to remember to come and take it.  We will give you a gentle reminder though, so don’t worry too much!

Illness

If you feel unwell during the school day you can come to see the matron on duty.  We will assess you and contact the nurse if necessary.  We can give you simple medication, such as pain relief and antihistamines, and either send you to bed or you can go back to class.  If you feel unwell at night, please ring the doorbell of the member of staff on duty, and they will help you.  If you are really unwell, you may go and stay overnight with the night matron on duty.

If you need to see the school doctor, we can make an appointment for you to see her on a Tuesday or a Friday morning.  For anything like hospital appointments and dental appointments, one of us will take you to your appointment.

Taxis and making plans

If you need a taxi, the matrons can book one for you once Mr brown has given his permission.  If you have made plans and they change, please let the matron on duty know so that everyone is aware of where you are.  When emailing plans or requesting help/taxi bookings please always email camberlot.matrons@bedes.org as well as Mr Brown as that will ensure that you always get through to the matron on duty.  

You may have more questions to ask us.  Please drop in and see us and have a chat.  We are looking forward to getting to know you, and we hope you have a wonderful time as a part of the Camberlot community.

Best wishes to you all from the Matron Team