Community

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SVS is structured in such a way as to create a caring environment where pupils can be challenged, where they can be given the confidence to be curious and above all where their contributions can be harnessed to the benefit of all.

Every person is valued as an individual with their own distinct sense of worth and potential. Consequently, our School strives to provide the seedbed to allow these gifts and talents to grow, develop and flourish.

House Structure

Day Houses

All our students, whether day or boarding, are allocated to one of our four day houses. These houses form an important part of our School community, providing both a student support structure and a competitive rivalry. The four houses are as follows:

Clothworkers’, which reflects the School’s original association to the Clothworkers’ Company;
Founder’s, the oldest of the day houses, recognising the significance of the School’s founder, William Lambe;
Holdgate, named after a previous headmaster and, subsequently, a junior boarding house;
Lambe’s, which, as well as being named after our founder, is also the name of the School’s oldest building.

All four houses are split into tutor groups, each consisting of around 15 students, which meet every morning. The tutor groups are vertically structured meaning that each one contains a mixture of students from the Third Form through to the Upper Sixth. This system encourages the mix of ages to come together to support one another, with the older students providing mentorship to the younger ones.

All of the competition houses have their own housemaster or housemistress who oversees the development and progress of all of the students within the House. In addition, each House benefits from a designated day room for the students to socialise during break and lunchtimes.

The Juniors

We have a separate house, The Juniors, for our First and Second Form students as they become accustomed to life in a senior school environment. Although each student is still associated with one of our four day houses, The Juniors house allows the students their own specialised care with smaller tutor groups and a separate social space for them to enjoy at break and lunchtimes.

Our team of junior tutors work hard to encourage the students to become independent thinkers, develop leadership skills and prepare them for their journeys through the School.

Community Recognition – The Blue

Our reward system at the School is called The Blue. Achievable by all students, the system is designed to reward those who successfully contribute to any aspect of the School’s community. Students accumulate points over the course of their time at the School and this leads to various levels of reward.

The number of points needed for each award level are:

30 pts – Certificate, awarded during Assembly by their housemaster/housemistress, along with a prize and a postcard home;
60 pts – Certificate, awarded during Assembly by their housemaster/housemistress, along with a prize and a postcard home;
90 pts – a Blue lapel badge, awarded during the Headmaster’s Assembly, along with a prize and a letter home.

Any student who earns two Blue badges during their School career will be awarded a dark blue gown (similar to a Prefects’ gown) to wear in Chapel and on special occasions.

Our Christian Ethos

Our Chapel, located at the entrance of the School, forms an important part of SVS life. As a member of the United Westminster and Grey Coat Foundation, the School places great value on the moral framework and ethos that Christianity provides.

We have a liberal and open-minded approach to faith and we embrace diversity. Our Chaplain gives talks about all walks of life, multiple different faiths and encourages healthy, respectful and thought-provoking debate.

With weekly Chapel services, Headmaster’s Assemblies and a termly Eucharist, the Chapel is an important congregational space for our community. In addition, the termly hosting of formal music concerts and special events, such as the Carol Service, allow us to open up the Chapel to parents and the School’s wider community.

Promoting Meaningful Change

TIDE – Team for Inclusion, Diversity and Equality

The School’s TIDE initiative was born out of the School’s commitment to enact real, tangible change to the way we move forward when addressing issues of race and diversity in all its forms. As such, our student-driven TIDE Committee is focused upon raising awareness and educating the whole School community on its responsibilities to be more inclusive. It is an initiative that is open to all students, both in the Preparatory and Senior School, and forms an important part of our fundamental desire to make the students at SVS more globally aware and empathetic to societal issues.

Sustainability

As a rural school with an emphasis on proactive change, we endeavour to make more conscious choices to ensure that we are as environmentally friendly as possible. Our student-led Eco Committee meet regularly and encourage students to think of ways in which we can run the School more sustainably. Recent campaigns have seen a reduction in the amount of paper used on site, new tree schemes and changes to our catering operation to minimise waste. To support this, we have taken the decision to no longer produce printed prospectuses, and instead provide digital-only copies.

Charity

Charity is something very close to our hearts, and something we actively pursue throughout the academic year. Our Sixth Form Charity Committee is responsible for the selection of four charities to support each year; one international, one national, one local and one personal to a member of the School community. Beyond that, the committee schedules and organises fundraising events throughout the year and encourages the whole community to get involved and build upon the School’s strong philanthropic ethos.

You can view our JustGiving pages and donate to our chosen charities below:

Hedgehog Ward, Pembury Hospital

Hile School, Nepal (UWS)

Sepsis Research FEAT

Community

In this Section

Community

House Structure

Day Houses

The Juniors

Community Recognition – The Blue

Our Christian Ethos

Promoting Meaningful Change

TIDE – Team for Inclusion, Diversity and Equality

Sustainability

Charity

Welcome

Academic

Sport

Boarding