A strong start in a boarding house is not, despite appearances, achieved simply by ensuring everyone owns the correct shoes for House Football and knows where Prep takes place. Before boys can perform well, they need to feel that they belong. Research increasingly supports a simple pastoral truth: belonging comes before performance. Our first job in Forest, therefore, is to make sure every boy feels known, liked and valued, and feels that they belong here.
This matters particularly in the first few weeks, when even the most outwardly confident student may privately be wondering where he is supposed to sit, whether everyone else has already made friends and, quite possibly, why his mother is suddenly several thousand miles away. Homesickness, uncertainty and the occasional sense of being completely bewildered are not signs that things are going wrong; they are a normal part of settling in, and each student is on their own journey.
We have therefore taken a deliberately gradual approach, what we might grandly call pastoral scaffolding. Week One was about belonging and basic routines: learning names, finding rooms and taking part in House Competitions. Week Two focused on settling into wider school life, including CCAs and Prep. By Week Three, once everyone had found the dining hall and started settling into lessons, we turned more firmly to raising our expectations of behaviour, manner and professionalism. This pastoral scaffolding allows our Foresters to settle their roots before they start to spread their wings and grow as people.
The boys have also made a splendid start competitively. Forest won Inter Cross Country, with Yaromir S. finishing 2nd, Shota Y. 5th, Arjan P. 6th, Umar K. 8th and Aiden X. 9th. Our Seniors finished 2nd overall, with strong runs from Steven L. (5th) and Yuhin L. (9th). Better still, Forest won Senior Football, beating Propert on penalties in suitably dramatic fashion, with captain and goalkeeper Jack L. playing a decisive role. Peter Z., Kyle L., Arman P. and Jaehoo K. also secured a very respectable 4th place in House Quiz.
Meanwhile, House Music rehearsals are well underway, ably driven by Head of House Arman S., Deputy Head Kyle L. and our House Captains, who are discovering that persuading teenage boys to sing in public is one of life’s hardest tasks.
But the best signs of a strong start are quieter: a boy including someone new, helping a roommate, admitting a mistake, inviting someone sitting alone to join his table, lending kit, stationery or a charger, or cleaning up a mess they did not make. It is when I see these things that I know Forest has made a strong start.
Trophies are excellent. Character, kindness and integrity are better still.
Mr Harry Hughes
Housemaster, Forest House