‘Pembroke House is not a typical school.’
Pembroke House is not a typical school. However, if we had to describe a ‘typical’ day in the life of Pembroke Pupil then this is what it might look like;At sunrise, the children wake up in Scholes or Mackie House, dress and then enjoy breakfast in the dining hall with warm bread, fresh from the oven.
Early birds might head off for Swim Squad training or go to exercise their ponies in the paddock even before breakfast.Following this, there are inspections in the boarding houses with great rivalry over who has kept their dorm the tidiest.
Before formal lessons begin, the bell rings at 07:50 and children might head to Chapel for assembly, have a House meeting, sit down with their Tutor to review their week or do letter writing to friends & family in Form time.
Morning lessons then begin from 08:15 with four academic lessons before morning break. A science experiment in the lab; declining declensions in Latin or mastering maths.
Following a homemade snack at morning break, the children have time to jump on their skateboards, hang out on the climbing wall or just find a cosy cushion in the library to read a new chapter by their favourite author.
Three more lessons before lunch, might mean play rehearsals in the theatre, getting creative in the art room or learning new vocabulary in French.
Following lunch all together, the children return to dorms for rest time. Every day, the children take 30 minutes to nap, quieten their minds and escape the heat of the day.
Re-energised, afternoon lessons start again from 14:00 with three more periods of formal learning before tea. This might include Kiswahili and Citizenship learning about Kenyan heritage; writing poetry in English or discussing the remarkable landscape around them in Geography.
The later part of the afternoon, is spent either out on the sport pitches in Games, hosting visiting teams for competitive matches or enjoying Free Time. This is when the children can be found throughout the campus, getting out on their bike (mountain or motor!) building dens in Shack Land, having a jumping lesson on the ponies or performing with the Martlet school band.
From 17:20, the children begin showers and change into tracksuits ready for Prep. Children complete their homework in a silent environment so that they can focus and take responsibility for getting their studies finished for the day. A delicious supper follows Prep, with all the children eating as a ‘family’ in the dining hall and practising their table manners.
Before lights out, the children might spend the rest of their evening chatting with friends, reading, playing ping-pong, watching a movie or listening to ‘Pembroke Presents’ where children put on a lively presentation on a subject of their choosing.
And in their own words “We then go to bed so the we can recharge our energy for another great day at Pembroke’
