Weekites
Housemaster
P R Stapleton BSc MRSC
Phillip Stapleton came to Charterhouse in 2000 after four years teaching Chemistry at Stonyhurst and before that studying a PGCE and Biochemistry at Durham University. His interests include most sports, ultra-running, music, theatre and mountaineering. He is officer-in-charge of the army section of the CCF, assists with all major sports and recently raised funds for a local charity through extreme running. Phillip is married to Julie who coaches netball at Charterhouse. Their son Luke was born in 2007 and they are expecting their second child in March 2009.
Phillip has been Housemaster of Weekites since 2003.
Mr P R Stapleton
Telephone: 01483 291560
E-mail: prs@charterhouse.org.uk
Housemaster's Statement
Weekites provides a happy and hard-working environment, which aims to develop responsibility, motivation and self-discipline. To help me towards this goal, there is a house Matron, a dynamic and well respected Tutor team and Assistant Housemaster, a Head of House and monitor team (2nd Year Specialists) and side-table (1st Year specialists). All pupils take responsibility for the smooth running of the house and they are all involved with its successes, too. The philosophy of Weekites is displayed on the House notice board and can be summarised as encouraging courtesy, consideration and strength of character.
The House provides a caring and happy environment for the development and education of approximately 66 pupils, and the emphasis is on effort and participation in House and School events. The House has enjoyed many recent successes in sport, music and drama and can celebrate great individual achievements in all arenas; however it is effort and attitude that is most highly prized in a Weekite.
All Weekites should be ambitious in the class-room and well occupied in their extra-curricular commitments. They should want to make the most of the fantastic opportunities available to them.
House Profile
Weekites is a fantastic house where everyone is friendly to one another. Each floor has its own buttery (kitchen) in which there is a microwave, toaster, sink, fridge, and toastie machine. The butteries are exclusive to each year group so it is a very social place to make toast and talk to your friends. One thing I noticed when I came to Weekites is that teamwork is essential to all aspects of life. This was first noticed when we went on a bonding trip to Dorset at the beginning of our first term, where we did a range of activities in which we had to cook meals for each other and work as a team. We have a good sense of responsibility in the first year when we have a few chores to help us settle into the routine and feel happy in the boarding environment. It is basically a very well crafted house with lots of spirit.
A Fourth (Year 9)
Weekites is what every house aspires to be. We are competitive in all sporting arenas, but Weekites are not just the team to beat on the games field; we always perform well in House Music and Drama. Despite its competitive spirit, strong relations will form between all year groups. This makes for a collectively strong unit and it is the reason why Weekites has achieved so much on the cultural and sporting levels over the past few years.
A Remove (Year 10)
Weekites is detached from the vibrant centre, situated in the more peaceful part of the School. Nonetheless, just because it isn’t located in the middle of the School does not mean that there is an absence of people swarming in. Friends always say that if they could go into any House other than their own, it would be Weekites. And to be honest, I’m not surprised. The wonderful interaction between the year groups means that Fourths need not fear approaching Second Years with a query. However, any soft side cannot be seen on the sports field, where Weekites has dominated in the last few years. Another admired aspect is the collective effort of the House in whatever needs to be done. Members from all years ensure that Weekites are always strong contenders whatever the arena. So, whether you focus on the friendly people or the talented and hard-working members of the House, there is no denying that Weekites is a great place to be.
A Fifth (Year 11)
It is fair to say we view Weekites as a successful House with the ability to compete in every competition. As Specialists, we have welcomed the freedom of self-motivated study that comes with the Sixth Form Curriculum and, of course, the introduction of girls. The energetic people in Weekites mean that it is hard to be bored and great friendships are struck up; it makes for an enjoyable home to return to after lessons.
A First Year Specialist (Year 12)
Weekites is a happy place that attracts an array of skilled and talented pupils, enabling the House to thrive in every aspect of school life. For both the boys and girls of Weekites, academic, sporting, musical and cultural standards are high due to the unconditional support of the Housemaster and tutors. Weekites focus on hard work and effort but it is the house spirit that begets its many successes. This year alone Weekites are proud to have the captain of football, rugby, netball and lacrosse numbered in their top year.
A Second Year Specialist girl and Deputy Head of House
Weekites has a long-standing tradition of being a House of success and spirit. This, in my opinion, is not because of who boys or girls are when they arrive in the House, but because of what the House moulds them into. A Weekite will learn that team spirit, open-mindedness and generosity are fundamental to growing into successful young adults, and key concerns in life as part of a community.
A recurring theme for any Weekite when asked about their House is its sense of community. In our comfortable common room, you can always find a sofa to collapse onto and a TV to watch in the evenings. Generally, these areas are deserted during the day when Weekites are outside playing sport, practising music or having fun with their friends. But, when people are found in here, it is usually with the rest of their year, if not the whole house. As well as the common room, you can find people playing ping-pong, pool, music or working in the computer rooms. Whether it’s a football match, house debating, or house music, the Weekites will show up en masse to support, regardless of who is representing the house. The sense that we are part of a whole is felt strongly by Weekites.
As coordinator of House music, I found that the best example was found in the unlikeliest of places. With limited musical prowess, I expected our entry to the house music competition to be fairly unsuccessful. But, the sense of house spirit pulled Weekites together, and we were ranked a credible second place.
Weekites is best known for its successes on the sporting field, but this is not to say that that sporting prowess is necessarily the key ingredient to being a member of Weekites. Instead, focus is placed on loyalty, team spirit and determination, and this is proven by Weekites’ attitude to the Tics and Colts teams. Weekites likes to give opportunity to those who do not get the chance to play as much sport as the others do, rather than just sending out the strongest side they can.
Our Housemaster, Mr Stapleton, and his wife Jules are a constant support to us. Through their encouragement everyone finds their niche in the House and School. As well as offering strong leadership for Weekites, the Stapletons’ sense of family makes us one of the more personal Houses in the School. Our matron, Sarah, and relief matron, Pam, bring two very diverse motherly roles to Weekites, both of them appreciated in their different ways. Parents themselves are encouraged to come and support House events (sport, theatre or music), and feel a very close relationship with the House. Once a year, Weekites like to put on an evening of entertainment so as to give something back to the parents who have put their sons into such a successful House.
The involvement of the girls is another positive factor of Weekites. If they are not playing sport or performing (musically or theatrically) for the House, they will always be on the sidelines spurring us on to do our best. As friends to the boys in their own years, and older sister-figures to those younger, the girls are very much a part of Weekites’ house spirit.
Mr Stapleton’s motto is that he wants to pursue a ‘three C plan’ of courtesy, consideration and strength of character. But I think Weekites goes far beyond that.
A House Monitor
The Boarding House
Originally one of the four outhouses located the far side of Chapel, Weekites was bought from its founding Housemaster, Mr Weekes, in 1896 then moved to its present site in 1973. The new building offers individual accommodation for each student with a mixture of single and twin rooms in the first year and private studies thereafter. It has been recently refurbished to provide a communal common room with pool table, plasma TV and social area, a music room with drum kit and pa system, a games room, 8 girls’ studies, computer and library room with 10 networked computers, wireless and hardwired computer network accessible throughout the house, a specialists’ (VIth form) common room, and separate butteries for each year-group. The House is conveniently located next to the CDR and sports fields.
