Free time
As well as enjoying the array of after-school clubs and activities (known as Commoners), it is important that the boys also have free, unstructured time to read, relax and to create their own entertainment, just as they would at home.
There are always friends close by each evening and at the weekends for a game of football, cricket, basketball or table tennis, or simply for company while watching a favourite television programme or a film in the boarders’ Common Room. There are also plenty of benches, bean bags and sofas dotted around the school to spend some time out with a good book.
In the summer months, the boys prefer to be outdoors, enjoying the lighter evenings and the good weather. The Puddle, our outdoor pool is popular in the sunshine, as are the cricket nets. The boarders may use the whole of the school grounds, and supervised evening activities can be down on the fields or by the river.
In the winter, when the evenings are darker and chillier, activities become more school-based. The winter favourite is a mug of hot chocolate, freshly made popcorn and watching a film in the boarders' cinema room, perhaps snuggled up under a duvet.
WEEKENDS
It is important for the full boarders to spend some time away from school and we all very much look forward to our trips out each Sunday. This may be a mountain biking adventure in the New Forest, a train up to Twickenham for the rugby, a tour of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, a trip to the beach for an afternoon of surfing, an energetic session of trampolining - or a lazy day with a walk along the river, chatting, relaxing, eating ice-cream and simply enjoying a pause from the busy week. Boys may also choose to go home with a friend for the weekend, with prior parental permission. The term’s trips are publicised in advance so that families can plan their weekends.
#weloveboarding
Just before half term, while the older boarders were away on a residential trip, we welcomed many new boys for a taster experience of the wonderful world that is boarding at Pilgrims’.
Where are we going on Sundays this term?
Sunday boarding trips
|
When? |
What, where? |
|---|---|
|
8 Sept |
Paultons Park |
|
15 Sept |
Bake Off |
|
22 Sept |
New Forest Water Park (booked in advance £15) |
|
29 Sept |
Exeat (Choristers in) |
|
6 Oct |
Blackwood Forest |
|
13 Oct |
British Basketball All-Stars Championship (booked in advance £15) |
|
20 Oct |
Laser Quest |
HALF TERM
|
When? |
What, where? |
|---|---|
|
10 Nov |
Spinney Hollow |
|
17 Nov |
Portsmouth Harbour cruise |
|
24 Nov |
Exeat, everybody out! |
|
1 Dec |
Christmas shopping & hot chocolate |
|
8 Dec |
Cinema |
'BOARDERS ONLY'
The boarding year gets off to an exciting start with the All In Weekend. The whole boarding community stays in school for the first weekend to get to know each other. The boys take part in lots of fun activities before we all end up at Paultons Park theme park as an amazing finale to our first weekend together.
Another highlight is the black-tie dinner and cabaret at the end of the Christmas term, exclusively for boarders, with boys and staff performing hilarious songs and sketches. At the end of each summer term, the boys are taken on a ‘Boarders Only’ trip to mark the end our year together. For some of the boarders, this will be their last night with us before they move on to their senior school. It is very special, and it is marked by a party with activities spread across the whole of the school grounds, ending with a midnight swim for the Year 8. Throughout the rest of the year we enjoy a variety of special treats, such as the boarders' summer BBQ, ice skating on the outdoor rink (right here in The Cathedral Close), themed suppers, karaoke nights, film nights - it's quite a list and all good fun.
