Page 2 - Boarding House Handbook_Portway

PORTWAY

WELCOME TO

PORTWAY

This is a warm welcome to Portway. We are delighted that you will
be joining the Portway family in September. We are really looking
forward to getting to know you all, students and parents alike.

Myself and my partner Sam are Houseparents at Portway and we
enjoy the job immensely! I have worked at Millfield since 2016 in the
physical education department and was Assistant Housemistress in
Acacia from 2017. I took up the Housemistress position at Portway
in 2022. On the extracurricular side, I have a keen involvement in
hockey, netball and athletics.
My better half Sam is master in charge of the BBQ, pizza oven and
most importantly stocking the tuck cupboard. He also coaches
sports here at Millfield. Sam qualified as an architect and then
competed as a professional athlete for a number of years but is
currently working as an engineer. Our cats Lou and Marie are well
loved by the girls in the boarding house.

Our aim at Portway is to provide a relaxed and caring environment
which allows the girls to feel secure and respected. We are keen
to ensure that the girls have every opportunity to get as much as
possible from Millfield, and the priority is to provide a home away
from school that the girls look forward to coming back to at the end
of each day.

As each girl joins us at Year 10 or Lower Sixth, we focus on
developing independence and confidence through celebration
of their achievements, responsibility, and a real sense of house
community.

Transition, during all phases of one’s education, is a vital aspect of
a successful boarding programme, during which students should all
expand and build friendships, maintain a positive interest in school
and embrace the opportunities presented to them. We do all that
we can to help prepare our girls as they move into higher education,
whether that be university, GAP years or employment. Our work
at Portway is very much in partnership with parents, and as such
communication is vital in both directions to ensure that we work as
a team to support the girls in our care.
It is always a balance knowing when to make contact. We want
you to enjoy the summer holidays but also want to give you some
relevant information so that you can have time to think about next
year. You will be naturally excited, anxious and experiencing a range
of other different emotions too about joining Portway in September.
We are here to give you help, guidance and support - not just now,
but through the next four years of your Millfield career and beyond.
Lydia Chamberlain, Housemistress

HOUSE HANDBOOK 2