Peterhouse Boys
Boarding
Our boarding experience is more than just living with your friends, it is a whole new family. House life is at the heart of your son’s Peterhouse journey: pupil mental, emotional and spiritual health are our priority. Relationships form the basis of our dynamic modern living systems.
Housemasters, matrons and in-house tutors form the core of a “second family.” Your children have left home and entered another. Our pastoral care structures lead the way. Professional staff are present, visible and play a role in their day-to-day life with an emphasis on relationships and support where all members of “the House” matter.
Peterhouse boarding has six houses and a “growing place” for our D block boys but they all come together to eat, learn, play and pray!
“We are growing”
Tinokura
HOUSEMASTER – MR SIMON ALLOTT
Head of House – Tawanda Gusha (M)
Tinokura Prefects – Kayden Bhana (P) – Head of Sport
Matthew Gratwicke (P)
Tanatswa Ndimutseyi (E)
Moving to a new school, beginning boarding for some, getting used to not being ‘the big kids’ anymore, travelling miles between lessons, accommodating eight or nine different teachers, trying new sports and cultural activities, learning to navigate the rules and traditions of Peterhouse … these and many more are an integral part of the exciting journey at Peterhouse!
While this move to Peterhouse is exciting, it can also be challenging at times for new students.
At Peterhouse, our D Block (form one) boys spend their first year in Tinokura. First opened in 1988, with Allen French as the founding housemaster, Tinokura means “we are growing up!”, and the transition from primary to secondary school is certainly a key milestone in our boys’ growth and development.
To help the boys manage the transition, Tinokura provides a safe space at the end of each day, where the boys can return to down tools a bit, re-group after a tough day and have some breathing space from the full routine of lessons, cultural activities and sport.
Tinokura provides the opportunity to learn the ropes and grow into the privileges and responsibilities of being part of the Peterhouse community before the boys move up to their House at the end of the first year.
In Tinokura, the boys are placed into their six different Houses, arranged in six dormitories of usually 14 – 16 boys each, where they start forming the bonds that will be their mainstay during the six years of high school.
There is a secure system of pastoral care, consisting of six tutors, members of staff who are responsible for the academic and social well-being of the boys, each tutor overseeing one House in Tinokura. These tutors report to the Housemaster, so that the boys are well cared for.
For day to day management of Tinokura, the Matron ensures that basic levels of hygiene, cleanliness and order are maintained, through educating the boys about our laundry and other systems, and reporting to the Housemaster and Prefects about the state of affairs in the dormitories. The Matron works closely with the Housemaster and the Prefects to ensure standards are high and issues are followed up where needed.
Prefect selection at Peterhouse is an important and deliberate process, and particularly so for Tinokura, where the demands on our Prefects differ from the demands in the Houses. We have four Prefects, one who is domiciled between each of three pairs of dormitories, and the Head of Tinokura, who is overall responsible for the way the Prefects manage their responsibilities with the D Block boys. The Housemaster and Prefects maintain very close communication to ensure that the boys are being properly looked after and integrated into Peterhouse.
“The Originals”
Ellis
HOUSEMASTER – MR WINSTON HOLMAN
Assistant Housemaster– Andrew Cumming
Head of House – James Watt
HISTORY
Ellis House was the first boarding house built at Peterhouse in July 1954 and the foundation stone was initially laid in its incomplete walls by Sir Ellis Robins, a Rhodes Scholar, the resident director of the British South Africa Company, Chairman of Ruzawi Schools Limited and the first Chairman of the founding governors of Peterhouse.
It was opened in 1955, initially known as “House No 1” and officially named Ellis House in 1956, together with Paget and Grinham Houses.
Its first Housemaster was Mr Hugh Hodgkinson.
STRUCTURE
Ellis is a double storey building housing a maximum of 73 boys. When full, C and B Block boys are accommodated in dormitories but work in ‘toyes’. A Block boys sleep and work in ‘super-toyes’ housing four boys each, whilst 5th and 6th year seniors have their own single rooms. There are presently 63 boys resident in Ellis and a further 13 D Block boys at Tinokura.
A common room is shared by all Ellis boys and contains a table tennis table and its own satellite television reception. “Corridor Cricket” and four-a-side soccer are daily occurrences within the House. The House was completely gutted and refurbished in 2010.
“The Initiators”
Founders
HOUSEMASTER – MR DANIEL TANSER
Assistant Housemaster – Tendai Baudi
Head of House – Takudzwa Dhafana
STRUCTURE
Founders was completely gutted and refurbished in 2011 and a separate Common Room was built between the House and the Housemaster’s house. Since its original construction the House has had many modifications made to it. Founders has a pool table, a table tennis table, wide screen television set, new curtains and the chairs have been reupholstered and bean bags added.
HISTORY
Named and dedicated to all the people who helped in the creation of the Group of Schools, Founders opened as a full House of 61 boys on the 27th of January 1959 with Mr N A Davis, as House-Master (1959-1963), Mr D M Howarth as House Tutor and Mr J W Greenacre and Rev. Mackay as Residents.
“The Communicators”
Grinham
HOUSEMASTER – MR IAN BROOKE
Assistant Housemaster – Mr NI Whitcomb
Head of House – Mukudzei Mutyatyu
STRUCTURE
Grinham is a double story building housing 75 boys and was completely refurbished in 2015. We have two dormitories to accommodate 16 boys in both ‘C’ and ‘B’ Block and we have two Super Toyes that can House 8 boys.
We also have 30 studies which vary in size which can accommodate 33 boys. Vth and VIth form boys have their own studies. There are three Toyes for the juniors to do their prep with 30 desk places.
A common room is shared between all boys in the House where there is the facility to watch DSTV on a flat screen T.V. There is a mini soccer table and two pool tables. The House boasts a tumble dryer, two fridges, a microwave, kettle and toasting machines.
HISTORY
The House was named after the Reverend Cannon Robert Grinham who, in 1921 shared an idea with Maurice Carver of building a school somewhere in Southern Africa. In 1925 he moved to South Africa and taught at Ridge school in Johannesburg and would travel each holiday in search of a place to start his own school. He searched as far north as Zimbabwe (formerly Southern Rhodesia) and at the end of 1926 he was called by Bishop Paget who suggested a school be built within his diocese on a property in Marandellas ( Marondera ), called Ruzawi Inn.
The conditions of starting up a school in the area were that the Diocese of Southern Rhodesia should start a senior school as soon as the number of pupils justified such a step. Little did he know it would be 25 years later before this became a reality.
In 1953 Springvale School was opened and in 1955 Peterhouse. Cannon Grinham was Founder of both Ruzawi and Springvale. In 1957, the year of both Cannon Grinham and Maurice Carvers retirements, Grinham House came into being. The first Housemaster was Mr Bryan Curtis and in 1959 the first recorded Head of House was Norman Reynolds.
“Fulfilling your potential”
Malvern
HOUSEMASTER – MR FORTUNE MUKUCHA
Assistant Housemaster – Mr NI Whitcomb
Head of House – Blessed Matsikidze
STRUCTURE
Malvern House was opened in September 1957 under the leadership of Mr Bruce Fieldsend who later became the second Rector of Peterhouse. It was the fourth House to be built after Ellis, Paget and Grinham. The second Housemaster was Mr George Martin who took over in 1968.
There are 65 boys in Malvern House at present. Malvern boys have particularly excelled in cultural activities boasting the largest number of boys in the school choir and school play. Fundraising is done on a regular basis.
Fortune aims to ‘touch the lives of all the boys in my care in a very positive way. With an academic background myself; I would like to lift that profile of the House as well as the sports and culture. I would like to assist the boys to fulfil their potential in these areas. I hope to earn the respect of every boy who is in my care as this is mutual. A home away from home is what I hope establish. The boys need to interact with each other in a respectful manner. The House needs to be a place of order and discipline’.
“The Strategists”
Paget
HOUSEMASTER – MR EDSON BANDA
Assistant Housemaster – Mr Prince Chavunduka
Head of House – Felix Machado
HOUSE STRUCTURE
The House has 57 boys, broken down as follows: 6th Form – 10, 5th Form – 10 in each group, A – 11, B – 12 and C – 14. The complete refurbishment of the house in 2015 has brought a new dimension to the school.
There are two common rooms. The senior common room has a 46 inch flat screen colour TV, carpeted and modern lounge suite. The junior common room is equally carpeted, with a 50 inch flat screen colour TV and a pool table. Both common rooms have Wi-Fi. The boys use these facilities for their relaxation mainly during the weekends.
A kitchenette is situated in each common room, equipped with a fridge, microwave and a hot and cold water dispenser for teas and coffee.
HISTORY
Paget House was opened in 1956 as House 2 and was given its current name in the third term of that year.
It was named after Edward Paget, Bishop of Southern Rhodesia who in September 1951 wrote to the Rector of Michaelhouse in Natal, offering him a headship of a school that did not exist. The first Housemaster of Paget was Mr Charles Fisher.
“A sense of home”
Snell
HOUSEMASTER – MR SCOTT WALRAVEN
Assistant Housemaster – Mr Allen Chakumhara
Head of House – Makanaka Musikavanhu
HISTORY
Snell House was named after Fred Snell and being the only single story House opened in 1984. The first Housemaster was Mr Andrew Hall (an old boy of Paget House).
STRUCTURE
Snell House has had several developments in recent years such as the Common Room with lounge suite, DVD player, surround sound, wall to wall carpeting and display boards. An unused room was renovated to create a kitchen that now has a microwave, two-plate stove, toaster, snackwich-maker and coffeemaker. The old laundry room was emptied to create a new games room. A pool table was donated as well as a dartboard. The table tennis table was also put in the new room.
The unused volleyball court was removed and goal post set up to create a new soccer pitch and a new pizza oven was built next to the braai area.
