28 May 2025
It’s immediately apparent that Doug is happy here. He takes me on a tour like a proud parent, past rooms that are on par with university standards. We share a laugh at how little the students use the lovely living room - thank you, phones. Then we settle down for a chat in a sizeable room where the international students have their tutoring. It doubles as the boys’ laundry area and is surprisingly organised and kind to the nose, considering.
Doug hails from the UK and comes with a long background of teaching and boarding house experience. Some of the latter was as a boarder himself, and while it’s a period of life he holds dear, there are elements he doesn’t wish to repeat.
'I was born in Lancashire and then moved south, to Herefordshire and then Kent. It was a privilege to attend Epsom College as a boarder, and I was determined to make the most of it. It was an outstanding education and I had the opportunity to play rugby, which is my sport, and soccer. But the relationship with my housemaster was very different than the one I like to create. We were much more subordinate and his presence was far less frequent. I’m here every day, present every day and available every day. I want to create an environment that’s nurturing.'
Thankfully for Doug’s family he lives adjacent to the Boarding House, so they still get to see him too. Doug has two children, both day students at Pembroke, and his wife is also a teacher. Since leaving the UK they have worked in Western Australia and in New South Wales, able to promote themselves as a package. Doug is keen to emphasise that he has plenty of support in his role, including an education system that now puts much more focus on helping students transition through new stages.
'Michele Bond is the Assistant Head of Boarding and she’s been here for 17 years. She worked previously as a Boarding Supervisor. Supporting us are six supervisors. There is a supervisor present 24/7 in the Boarding Houses and I can’t overstate their cultural understanding of how we operate. The relationships they create are very strong, both with students and parents.
And then we have a series of Boarding Assistants coming on at different times of the day. One of them helps supervise the Year 11 and 12 boys over in the adjacent DDH Wing, two of them are here in the main building and another is in our recently reopened Turner Boarding House on Girton Campus.
Many of our assistants are well qualified academically, and the kids know their specialisms and seek them out. We also have a series of tutors who come in to support the students across a range of subjects, as well as members of academic staff. Students in Years 7 to 10 do prep in the Middle School Resource Centre with access to academic staff for assistance.’
School is about more than just books, of course, and Doug points out that giving the boarders the same experience that day students have is something he’s very, very mindful of. This includes the opportunity to participate in co-curricular activities like sport and music, as well as getting out and about on weekends. What’s also important to Doug is connection.
'Being a boarder helps you become an excellent communicator. You’ve got to be adept to and accepting of people from different walks of life. It’s certainly a skill that I developed and something that I love to continue exercising. I do it by getting involved, whether it’s cooking a barbecue, doing surf lessons, going rock climbing or any other recreational activities. Taking part in activities that have nothing to do with school and nothing to do with boarding leads to some great conversations, connection and relationships.'
These are exciting times for boarding at Pembroke following the reopening of Turner House at the start of 2025. Doug explains that it provides the chance for the older girls to practice even greater independence.
'We want Turner House to be a stepping stone between secondary school and tertiary education. There are more breakout areas and the girls are able to prepare their own dinners if they want to. Our ambition is to have senior boys join them at some stage. Two of the biggest challenges of being a boarder are being independent and organised. I really hope ours leave with the ability to be both.'
One thing our boarders can all be grateful for is that they’ll never wake in the night freezing and find a complete snowman alongside them in bed. Yes, that very thing happened to Doug.
Kate Holland (1992)
Old scholar