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Dolman House
Housemaster: Mr Ian Wright & Mrs Wendy Wright
Telephone: + 44 (0) 1759 321233
e-mail: wrightwendy@pocklingtonschool.com.
The husband and wife team of Mr and Mrs Wright assume responsibility for Dolman boys' boarding house from September 2011. They have two children, a girl and a boy who attend Pocklington and Lyndhurst Schools respectively.
Mrs Wendy Wright joins the school as Housemistress of Dolman in September 2011 and is a qualified and experienced secondary school teacher of Modern Languages. She is the primary contact for all matters relating to Dolman boys and will run the House with the support of her husband. In addition to her boarding house duties she also teaches English as an Additional Language and is the Overseas Student Co-ordinator for Pocklington School Foundation. Her husband Mr Ian Wright is Head of Lyndhurst School, a post he has held since joining the school in January 2009.
Resident House Tutors: Mr S D Ward, Mr S A Houltham
Resident Gap Assistant: Mr R Moore
Non-resident House Tutors: Mr J R Parker, Mr J Sykes, Miss L Gray
Day Matron: Mrs Angie Woodcock
Housekeeper: Mrs J Thacker
Dolman House Captain: Kaiser Cheung
Dolman Lower Prefect: Ben Dower
History of the House
Dolman boarding house is home during term time for up to 19 boys. The oldest parts of the house date back to the 1860s when it was built during Frederick Gruggen’s tenure as headmaster. His interest in restoration is evident in the various old staircases, mantelpieces, doorways, etc which can be found in the old part of the house and which lends the house its distinctive character. Recent refurbishment during summer 2011 has re-organised the living accommodation into two wings, one for junior boys aged 8-13 and one for middle school boys aged 13-14+. The two wings are referred to as Dolman Lower and Dolman Upper.
Accommodation
Bedrooms for Dolman Lower boys comfortably sleep up to four boys and are located adjacent to the Wright's family accommodation. Each boy has his own area within the room including storage facilities for clothes and personal belongings. In the Dolman Upper wing some bedrooms are designed for groups of three boys and include individual study areas. There are also a number of single study bedrooms. Each age group has its own common room for relaxation in addition to access to separate kitchen areas where they can prepare snacks. There is also a computer equipped work room. All meals including breakfast are served in the school Dining Hall on campus.
School and Academic Work
Dolman Lower boys are encouraged to improve their personal standard of academic work. Every weekday and hour of homework is closely supervised by a member of staff. on one day we have homework in the wonderful school library but for the other four days we are in our own homework room, making the most of our computers and using the monitored Internet for quiet research when required. The House Staff team give individual, regular encouragement to every pupil and liaise closely with the Head of Lower School and Head of Lyndhurst to ensure that both work and progress are on track.
Dolman Upper boys are expected to study quietly in their rooms; duty staff are on hand to ensure that a positive working environment is maintained. Boys may choose to do their first prep session in the school library which is staffed until 8pm. Mr and Mrs Wright, and the house staff, keep a close eye on academic work and progress which is regularly discussed with individual pupils. The house work room may also be used as a quiet retreat for reading or studying at times when the rest of the house may be more lively.
The school's Art and Design Departments are staffed and open to boarders on certain evenings. Boys who study these subjects for GCSE have an opportunity to get on with their coursework. The Music Department is also available for after school instrumental practive or exam study.
All Dolman boys are also attached to a day house at school. They represent this house in the many house events throughout the school year.
Rest and Recreation
For all Dolman boys there is a variety of activities on offer throughout the week and at weekends in addition to the varied after school extra-curricular activities offered at both schools/ Staff are on hand to support and encourage the boys to use their time wisely.
On weekday evenings house activities may include swimming for fun, football, trampolining, crafts, model making and cookery. Sometimes just being calm is a good idea too and we watch television, listen to music, read, email friends and family and just chat to staff and friends in the house.
Every Sunday Dolman Lower boys enjoy and exciting and varied trip away from school. Activities may include karting, laserquest, skiing, Aerial Extreme, the cinema and shopping trips.
Dolman Upper boys can choose to sign up for organised trips each Sunday. These may include a more adventurous activity such as paintballing, go-karting, skiing, theme parks or possibly something more chilled such as shopping or a coach trip to the cinema complex in York.