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Faircote House
Housemistress
and Housemaster: Helen and Tristan Alexander-Hymers
Telephone + 44 (0) 1759 321267
e-mail: Faircotehouse@pocklingtonschool.com
Mr and Mrs Alexander-Hymers take over as Housemaster and Housemistress of Faircote in September 2011.
Mr Tristan Hymers is a sports science graduate and qualified PE teacher and has over 10 years teaching and pastoral experience. Mrs Helen Alexander-Hymers is a business and IT graduate. Along with her Faircote role she is Head of ICT in the main school. She has over 10 years teaching experience, and since joining Pocklington has adopted a number of roles and responsibilities, including director of lower-school drama productions, green committee co-ordinator and was previously Sixth Form Gruggen Housemistress.
They will run the house as a housemistress and housemaster team and take on equal responsibilities in the house.
Assistant Housemistress: Miss L A Lamb
Telephone + 44 (0) 1759 321242
Day Matron: Mrs R Simpson
Telephone + 44 (0) 7756 260155
Resident House Tutor: Miss R Spencer
House/Evening Tutors (non-resident) Mrs J E Danby, Mrs J S Kilsby, Miss H S McNelly, Miss H Scott, Mrs L Lord, Mrs N Ward
Housekeeper: Mrs A Draser
History of the House
Faircote is home, during term time, for up to 45 girls. The original house is 110 years old, has rooms of assorted shapes and sizes and is quirky and warm. A modern extension was added in 1995 to accommodate more girls, develop common living and kitchen areas and provide further storage space.
Accommodation
The facilities are modern with single and double senior study bedrooms alongside more traditional 3 and 4-bedrooms for the Fourth Form girls. Each girl has her own area within her bedroom with study facilities as well as bedroom furniture. Fifth Year and the Lower Sixth girls share double rooms while Upper Sixth Formers have their own study bedrooms. The house has a wi-fi facility; girls can access their personal files on the school intranet and gain filtered access to the internet.
All girls joining the house are allocated a “big sister” from the sixth form to act as her mentor, and help with everything from school work to domestic chores.
School and Academic Work
The boarders are happy, friendly, easy going and enjoy a good balance of academic work, recreation and activities. Prep (homework) time runs from 6.45-8 p.m. and then 8.15-9 p.m. for year 11 upwards. Girls are expected to study quietly in their rooms; duty staff and prefects are on hand to ensure that a positive working environment is maintained. Sixth formers are expected to be responsible enough to organise their own work at other times as well, e.g. in private study lessons. The school library is staffed until 8pm, so boarders may choose to do their first prep session there. The housemistress keeps a close eye on daily academic work and progress which is regularly discussed with individual pupils. There are separate house library, music and IT rooms which serve as a quiet retreat for reading or study at times when the rest of the house may be more lively.
The school’s Art, Design and ICT Departments are staffed and open to boarders after school and boys who study these subjects for GCSE and A level have an opportunity to get on with their coursework. Boarders can also access the Music Department after school in order to practise instruments or study for exam coursework.
All Faircote girls are also attached to a day house at school. They represent this house in the many house events throughout the year and have a separate day house tutor who is responsible for their daytime tutorial sessions in school.
Relaxation
The house has two common rooms - one for fifth and sixth formers, one for fourth years - where girls can relax and entertain their guests. Each room is equipped with a number of sofas and easy chairs as well as a range of leisure facilities including TV, DVD/video, filtered internet access, and kitchen areas. Each of the two kitchens is equipped with fridge, kettle, toaster, microwave, toasted sandwich maker and cooker, providing a space where girls can prepare snacks or indulge in more daring culinary pursuits if they wish!
Activities available during weekday evenings include swimming, trampolining, art and craft, beauty evenings (!) and baking as well as the varied extra-curricular programme of the main school.
Girls can sign up for organised trips at weekends. Often this would be a coach to the cinema complex in York, while at other times we undertake more adventurous activities such as paintballing, go-karting, skiing, theme parks, or even shopping!