11th September 2023

Dear Parents,

It gives me great pleasure to introduce myself to you as the new Houseparent of Mary Windsor. I would like to thank you and your daughters for the warm welcome I have received since my arrival. We have had a very busy first week settling in the new boarders and welcoming the returning members of the House, and it has certainly been tiring for everyone, including staff!

We have welcomed eleven new boarders to the House, and we are looking forward to getting to know them over the coming weeks as they establish new routines in the House and at School. There has already been a boarders’ trip to the cinema this weekend, and there are more trips planned for this term, including Alton Towers next weekend.

Each pupil has been assigned a tutor who oversees their academic progress and pastoral welfare and we are lucky to have a very experienced tutor team in Mary Windsor. We are also fortunate to have our Housemother, Mrs Andrea Watson, who will look after our boarders in the House during the daytime. We have a team of Upper Sixth House Monitors who are looking forward to their positions of responsibility within the House, helping to organise a range of events and activities and, perhaps most importantly, offering support and mentoring to the younger students.

My experience as a teacher and various pastoral roles I have held over the years have shaped my belief that a nurturing approach and a welcoming environment are important in making the students feel safe and secure, happy and settled in order to perform to the best of their abilities. This House has a special ethos and I would like to continue the tradition of ensuring that everyone feels part of the Mary Windsor family and is able to be themselves, feel happy and supported and confident here and in the wider School community. We respect each other, and value kindness and tolerance above all else.

If you have any concerns or issues that you think I should know, please do not hesitate to contact me, as the partnership between School and home is key. The best way to contact me is via email and I will reply as soon as I am able to. My email address is cmatthews@bromsgrove-school.co.uk or alternatively you can ring the Mary Windsor Office o1527 579679 ext 213 and speak to our Housemother, Mrs Watson (awatson@bromsgrove-school.co.uk) during working hours on weekdays, or a member of the tutor team during the evening or weekend.

Please may I ask you to let us know weekend exeat arrangements and travel arrangements in plenty of time, which allows us to confirm that the plans are in line with School and visa rules – just a reminder that pupils below the Sixth Form are not permitted to travel by public transport for weekend exeats and end of term travel.

Regarding trips and outings, if you have not already done so, please can you complete the Special Permission Form that has been sent out electronically as soon as possible. This allows me to give the girls permission to do the following things:

• All year groups to sign up for boarders’ trips (there will be a charge added to the school bill for some trips)
• All year groups to visit Bromsgrove during their allocated ‘down town’ time
• All year groups to visit selected local restaurants for pre-organised birthday meals before 7pm
• Lower/Upper Sixth weekend visits to the cinema or Birmingham
• Lower/Upper Sixth travel by public transport
• Upper Sixth breakfast in House
• Upper Sixth pub visits

We will in time be updating the Mary Windsor page on the School website, so do look out for that, but in the mean-time, I wish you and your daughters all the best for the new academic year and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind regards,

Catherine Matthews
Houseparent