Pupils joining Marlborough College do so by becoming members of one of fourteen boarding houses. These form communities of between sixty and seventy pupils under the leadership of a Housemaster or Housemistress (HM).
HMs are “in loco parentis” and are directly responsible for the welfare and progress of those in their care. Also serving the Houses are Resident House Tutors and teams of visiting Tutors. These, alongside the Dames, Sanatorium, Chaplaincy and Senior Management Team form the heart of the pastoral care structure within the school.
Different Types of Boarding House The Boarding Ethos Living in a Boarding House
Of the fourteen Houses, four (Morris, New Court, Millmead and Elmhurst) are all-girl houses, five (C1, C2, C3, Barton Hill and B1) are all-boy houses and five are "Mixed Houses", in that they take boys from ages 13-18 plus girls who join Marlborough from other schools at aged 16.
The mixed houses are situated slightly further from the centre of the school campus and are called “out-College” houses. Four of these - Preshute, Cotton, Littlefield and Summerfield - have their own catering arrangements: pupils eat breakfast in house daily, as well as supper on four evenings each week. The fifth, Turner, uses the College’s central dining room, Norwood Hall, for all its meals.
Living communally in a boarding house engenders terrific spirit and sense of comradeship. This is borne out in the broad range of inter-house competitions that take place throughout the year, ranging from traditional sporting competitions to public speaking; from debating and general knowledge to tug-of-war and drama. The energetic House Song Competition concludes the first half of the Michaelmas Term.
Living in House also fosters a sense of compassion, tolerance, mutual respect and an appreciation for others' talents. Older pupils have a vital role to play in welcoming and caring for younger pupils.
Primarily, it is through their boarding houses that pupils experience Marlborough. The House is the base for independent working, sleeping and relaxation. Pupils keep all their possessions, including games kit and musical instruments, in their dorms or bedsits and return to their Houses, which are always open to them, several times each day.
During the day Dames take care of the housekeeping side, often running mid-morning break in House and enabling pupils to return to the security of “base” to change books, meet up with friends and catch their breath before returning to lessons.
As pupils move up their House in age they go from shared dorms to double or triple and then single bedsits. By the Sixth Form, within the security and comfort of the House, older pupils are prepared for university life with responsibility for their own space, work patterns and time management.
Houses form the basis of friendship groups throughout a pupil’s time at Marlborough and beyond. Relationships with the adults in the House are critical to informing and guiding pupils as they become young adults. Parentally, throughout a child’s time at Marlborough the HM is the first point of contact with the school.