Pastoral

Boarding and weekends out

At Sauveterre full boarding applies. However, parents may visit and take their children out for a long weekend once either side of half term. Weekends out are from 12:30 Friday afternoon until 10:30 on Monday morning. Pupils return to England for half term. However, in the Spring term there is also the option of spending a week skiing in the Pyrenees as part of the Sauveterre ski trip. This is strongly encouraged but not compulsory.

Boarding staff
The boarding staff are all English. Mr and Mrs Bailey are in overall charge of pastoral care and live in the main building of the Château with their family. The Assistant Directeur, Mr Stacchini, assists them at the weekends. Mrs Bailey takes care of all medical matters and will take children to the local doctor if it is required. There is also a team of English matrons and GAP students in residence during term time – many of who are old Sauveterrians. The matrons assist with pastoral care, supervision at night, changing and laundry. The male GAP students help organise sport, extra-curricular activities, and children’s duties (dining room tidying, lock-up etc). In addition, some evenings a member of the teaching staff stays on to help with activities.

Bedrooms
There are fourteen bedrooms in the main Château, and a flat for the Directeur and his family. There are a further ten bedrooms in the Stable Building (Les Communs). Rooms vary in size from 2 – 6 beds. Each child has a bedside locker and a set of drawers to keep clothes and personal possessions in, and there is also hanging space available. Adults supervise both buildings; the main building by Mr and Mrs Bailey and Les Communs by a senior matron assisted by other matrons in both cases. The rooms are allocated based on the children’s requests so each child will always be sharing with at least one person that they requested. The rooms are changed at Half Term.

Communication
Letters and emails are encouraged on a regular basis. A Sauveterre email account is set up or each child to which they have unlimited access. Letters are compulsory on Wednesdays and Sundays and are sent as a scan to parents. The telephone may be used for special occasions (birthdays etc) but for reasons of expense and practicality, is encouraged less than written word. Emails and other letters can be sent at any time.

Dress Code
Pupils wear the uniform provided (see separate list) during the week up to Saturday afternoon. Home clothes are worn on Sundays and if children are out with parents. A Sauveterre jumper is provided when children arrive in France.

Personal possessions
Personal possessions are kept in bedside drawers, wardrobes and in classroom lockers. Admission to bedrooms is restricted during the day, so possessions are not easily accessible. Parents and children are encouraged to label their possessions clearly before they arrive in Sauveterre.