News

Boarding News: Spring 2023

Posted by: MPW Boarding Team - 13 April 2023 - Boarding - Read time: 5 minutes

Not many boarding professionals get the opportunity to open a completely new boarding house, let alone one in Central London. When the opportunity to do so popped up here at MPW London, I couldn’t resist. Opening a boarding house from scratch has been a great experience and all of our boarders (and our new boarding staff!) are to be commended on how quickly they have adapted and settled in.

Our brand new boarding house, Queen’s Gate House, has been carefully planned and configured, but of course the building itself doesn’t create the boarding community, it’s everyone inside who builds the right ethos. I have been very lucky to have found such a fantastic, experienced and supportive team of ‘Huddle’ House Parents and our fabulous college Nurse Justina, whose primary role is to support boarders pastorally. I am sure the students agree that they have been well looked after.

With so many attractions on our doorstep, we have been running at least one trip a week – to Central London, West End shows, the Royal Albert Hall, the London Dungeon, jazz gigs, Escape Rooms, climbing the famous O2 arena, and various other local trips. It has been great to see our students taking advantage of so many new opportunities and experiences.

We have a really international, diverse boarding house where we can celebrate cultural occasions like Chinese New Year and Nowruz, amongst various other occasions, which have helped to foster a sense of community. Our boarders are all represented by our Boarders’ Committee, who will be contributing feedback for our development planning.

I have found the process of developing our systems and considering how boarders and staff are well supported, to be a really enjoyable one. Thorough planning and preparation has helped students to be happy from day one, whilst starting to build a real sense of community and mutual support here at MPW London.

Below, each member of the boarding team recount their stories from our memorable first term.

John J. Taylor, MA (Hons), PGCE(S), FRSA, FTIOB
Vice Principal (Boarding)

From our House Parent Philip: Sunday trips in London

The new term at a new boarding house would not be complete without some great trips to destinations on our door step.

Our first adventure was a walking tour of the city centre, taking in the sights of the South Bank, crossing the Thames, then along to St James’s Park for much needed coffee and cake! The tour finished with a wander to Buckingham Palace and then back to Queen’s Gate House.

No Sunday afternoon would be complete without an excursion to the London Dungeon, seeing London’s history brought to life by very enthusiastic staff and displays. So, at the start of February, we caught a peek of London through the ages, it’s arcane ways, it’s skulduggery, methods of extracting a confession. We were even summoned to the dock and sentenced for crimes against the city. A great experience enjoyed by all.

A following Sunday the boarders and staff embarked on their trip to Camden town, a busy area which is full of life, with a huge variety of shops and food stalls, canal side views. That wasn’t enough though. We then went and tested our skills of escape at the Escape Rooms experience in the abandoned Underground station at Kentish Town. Here we battled with our wits and cunning to achieve our escape. Credit to our fantastic boarders who would let no puzzle or code left undone. Escape to victory was achieved by all and a great time was had too.

Philip Potter
Senior House Parent

From our House Parent Molly: In house activities

This term we set up the boarding house with various in-house activities. At the beginning of the term, we purchased a table tennis table and two badminton sets. The boarders have been playing music in the events hall, dancing, playing badminton and creating friendships whilst learning about each other through music and sports. Just Dance and Mario Kart have been big hits on the Nintendo Switch this term.

We also set up some in-house events. We created a Queen’s Gate House Taskmaster activity where the students had various locations around the event hall with two activities each worth different Queen’s Gate House pounds (each note with well known faces on them). We had challenges such as Choreograph a dance to a mobile ring tone. Choose a ringtone. All team members must dance. Best dance wins. It turns out that we have some amazing dancers!

We had some requests at the start of the term for some board games so the boarders put together a list of games that they would enjoy. Monopoly, Uno, and chess have been the favourites this term and it’s been lovely to see some friendly competition!

Royal Albert Hall

Just after the boarding house opened, we booked for some students to see Cirque du Soleil in the grand Royal Albert Hall. Situated at the end of our road, we only needed to take a short stroll to see this extravagant show. With a few of the boarders and House Parents not having been to the Royal Albert Hall before, we were all amazed by the building. The show was extravagant and eye-catching with fish doing backflips and bicycles flying through the sky. The boarders enjoyed being able to recognise their own languages and others from around the world.

Molly Keirle
House Parent

From our College Nurse Justina: Taking care of our boarders

As a new nurse here at MPW London, it has been a positive and fulfilling experience to settle into my new role. MPW is a school that prides itself on inclusivity and diversity which is evident in the variety of healthcare needs that students possess. Over the last few months, I have enjoyed supporting both the physical and emotional health and well-being of students. Developing positive relationships with students has been essential. Being approachable, friendly and available to students has been vital in establishing positive open relationships which allow them to feel comfortable to come forward with any issues they may be facing.

During the first few months, I conducted healthcare assessments with all of our boarders which ensured all staff were aware of their different medical and emotional needs and allergies. I have also communicated with parents to create an open-door policy. As the primary caregiver for students’ medical needs, it is essential to communicate and develop relationships with parents which allows them to be informed about their child’s healthcare. I look forward to continuing my journey with MPW and ensuring that all students are given the same learning opportunities regardless of their healthcare needs.

Justina Afranie
College Nurse

From our House Parent Jordan: New experiences

In February I had the pleasure of leading a fun trip with our boarding students to watch the ‘Back to the Future’ musical – a new experience for many of our boarders, and indeed, a new one for me! We set off with great enthusiasm to experience the adventure and excitement of the iconic sci-fi movie come alive on stage. The musical was a treat to the senses, with captivating performances, dazzling sets and breath-taking special effects. We laughed, we cheered, and we sang along as we immersed ourselves in the timeless story.

In March, we decided to take things up a notch by climbing the famous O2 arena which was a thrilling experience in itself. The overall trip was full of fun, laughter, and memorable experiences that we will cherish for a lifetime, not to mention amazing views over London’s iconic borough of Greenwich.

Overall, these two activities were a fantastic way to engage the students and create some lasting memories. They learned new skills, made new friends, and had a lot of fun along the way.

Jordan Gomez
House Parent

From our House Parent Frankie: Induction and support

And just like that … Queen’s Gate House has been ours for a whole term! We hope that you’ve enjoyed getting to know each other just as we have getting to know all of you. We’re really pleased that you are all here with us.

Those of you that were brave and ventured out into the city with John and Philip on that first weekend got to see just how blessed we are to be in such a fantastic location. And then we all got to eat Skittles with Molly, ask each other questions during my activity and stumble around an obstacle course with Jordan. Plus, who could possibly forget watching me immediately explode the events hall during John’s “BOOM EVERYONE IS DEAD” getting to know you activity. You are in safe hands, really.

While we’ve all been settling in together, please remember we’re not just here to knock on your doors and say goodnight, or remind you to sign in and sign out (but please actually do this) or try and encourage you to register on time every day – we are here to support you. We’re here to chat if you’re feeling a bit lonely or confused or sad, and we’re also here when you’re feeling happy or proud or looking forward to something. If we’re not the right people for you, we’ve got the lovely Nurse Justina and we can also help you contact the counsellors or your Director of Studies.

Frankie Mackenzie
House Parent