ANNOUNCEMENT
Boarding at School
Boarding is at the very heart of what makes The Doon School’s approach to boys’ education unique. Our two holding houses, Foot and Martyn, take in boys in their first year whilst they settle into their new school lives, adjust and make friends. There are approximately 40 boys per holding house. Our five main houses are called Jaipur, Oberoi, Tata, Kashmir and Hyderabad after the patrons who funded them at the school’s inception.
Approximately 80–90 boys live in each main house. Good pastoral care at The Doon School is central to every individual boy’s intellectual, physical, social, spiritual and emotional development. We have a comprehensive life skills programme for boys in each year group. This programme is supported by a tutorial system and one-to-one guidance provided by school counsellors. Every House is run by a Housemaster, an Assistant Housemaster and a team of Tutors, all supported by a matron or ‘Dame’ as they are known. The House experience forms the backbone of a boy’s life at The Doon School. It is his home, his place of work for toye (homework) and the foundation of his group identity. We have an astonishingly strong and highly developed inter-house competitive system that encompasses intellectual, sporting, cultural and other pursuits.
We operate a seven-day boarding schedule with an academic timetable with lessons from Monday to Saturday inclusive. Sunday is reserved for outings, activities and opportunities for pupils to catch up with themselves. The school’s curriculum is fully integrated. Pastoral care at The Doon School is not something that happens when things go wrong; it happens every single day. The pastoral support network here also includes a confidential and free counselling service for any boy who needs extra help, as well as an exceptional Wellness Centre which is very much in the heart of the school and offers 24-hour care for all boys. The theme of well-being is also interwoven into school life; the skills learnt enable pupils to think ahead, be resilient and resourceful and to develop strategies that they will carry with them long after they have walked out of the school gates.
The role of the prefect has existed since 1935. It is largely ceremonial in the vast majority of schools around the world, but at The Doon School it remains a strong and institutionalised part of our leadership programme. In addition, there are scores of leadership positions for boys to take on as they move up through the school. The leadership programme begins in D form (Class 7).
The Doon School creates an environment of mutual respect between the teacher and the taught, where each boy’s health and welfare are of paramount importance. Our discipline system is firm and rigorous but based on the principles of natural justice and fairness.There is zero tolerance of bullying.