Mike and Claire Chatterley - Houseparents for Kiping House

Mike and Claire Chatterley are the resident Boarding Houseparents to the boys in Kipling House. Their children bring an additional familial dimension to the boarding community, as does Jespa, their Golden Retriever.
Mike is a Joint-Honours graduate from St. David’s University College, Lampeter, where he read History and Theology. He holds a PGCE and a Post-graduate Diploma in Education. Mike has more than twenty years’ experience of working with children in Junior and Senior boarding schools in the UK and overseas. He has taught History at Common Entrance and Scholarship levels and as a former Head of Religious Studies prepared students for GCSE and IGCSE. During Mike’s career at Junior King’s he has been Head of History, Director of Studies and Head of Boarding, and serves on the school’s Senior Management Team.
Claire joined Junior King’s in 1994 as a Boarding Houseparent and after completing her PGCE, she was appointed as Head of Girls’ Games and a teacher of General Subjects. She is an Honours graduate from Durham University and currently teaches English, Maths, Science and History to children in Year 4 and coaches Hockey, Netball and Rounders to children in Years 3 and 4. As a child, Claire was a full-boarder from the age of eight to eighteen. She has lived in Zambia, China and Kenya.
Mike and Claire believe the boarding community at Junior King’s constitutes the hub of the School wherein children are nurtured to use their individual freedoms and self-reliance to the corporate good. Respect and trust, common courtesy, initiative and teamwork lie at the very heart of what boarding is about. Modern boarding offers children a wealth of opportunities to have fun and to acquire a number of important life-skills. Mike and Claire hope that the children in their care will learn how to forge and develop friendships, how to appreciate diversity and difference, and how to become increasingly independent in preparation for their future lives.
Rudyard Kipling, who opened Junior King’s on its new school site in 1929, wrote of the importance of filling ‘the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run’. Time does not stand still in our thriving school community. Making the most of daily opportunities and challenges, in which time can be lived and experienced (not counted) and where endeavour and success are held in the highest regard, are just some of the defining qualities that make boarding such a rewarding experience for pupils and staff alike at Junior King’s.

Mark and Sarah Hammond – Houseparents for Juckes House

Mark and Sarah took over responsibility for the Girls’ Boarding House at Junior King’s in January 2011 after an enjoyable 18 months as Deputy Houseparents. Both believe that a boarding house needs to be first and foremost a place of respect, openness and trust.
They moved to the school after a number of years teaching in British Schools overseas, having lived in a variety of exciting countries including the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy. The experience of working overseas has given them hands on experience of the challenges and rewards of being far from home and they enjoy welcoming boarders into the warm, vibrant, family atmosphere of Juckes House.
Mark and Sarah are both trained and experienced teachers. Sarah studied at Cambridge University and taught as a Primary School teacher and Science Specialist before their two children were born. She loves singing and musical theatre, board games and arts and crafts. The children share her joie de vivre. Both attend Junior King’s and love playing with the ‘big girls’ in the boarding house. One wants to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps and become a nurse when she is grown up, whereas the other aspires to nothing less than becoming Peter Pan!
As well as teaching in both Primary and Secondary schools, Mark has a background in teaching English as a Foreign Language and takes particular interest in pupils from overseas. He currently holds responsibility for the Additional Educational Needs Department within the school, is a Year 8 Form Tutor and teacher of English and History. He holds a Masters Degree in Education and both Mark and Sarah are currently studying for the Boarding Development Certificate with the Boarding Schools' Association. In his rare spare time, Mark enjoys literature, creative writing and sport.
The Hammonds work very hard for the boarding girls at Junior King’s, who enjoy great friendships, achieve success in many areas of school life and develop an enjoyment of life in all its fullness. They are very proud of their extended family, and we are delighted to have them.