Sets

When your son starts at Pilgrims’, he’ll join a ‘Set’, our name for a House. The names of the five Sets reflect the history of the original settlement and buildings which now house the school: Monks, Normans, Romans, Saxons, and Wrens (after Sir Christopher Wren).  

Sets help boys get to know each other across all year groups and provide a further sense of belonging and identity within the school. They also create an additional layer of pastoral care, as well as an opportunity for friendly rivalry and competition as the boys earn (or lose) points for their Set. Each Set has a member of staff as Head of Set and two Year 8 boys as Set Captains, who work hard to look after and support the other boys. Your son will sit with the other boys and staff who are in his Set at lunch, and there is a special assembly for each Set twice in the term, which brings the boys together and gives them an opportunity to discuss important Set matters. 

The boys wear their Set coloured sports shirts for weekday games practices and inter-set matches.  Sets compete in football, rugby, cross-country, athletics, solo instrumental performances and quizzes.  

The Set Trophy is won by the Set with the most ‘Show-Ups’ at the end of the year.  A ‘Show-Up’ is an award given for good behaviour and effort.  Its counterpart is a ‘Show-Down’, for which there is no trophy. 

 

 

Leadership

Boys are given the opportunity to take on roles of specific responsibility as they progress through the school. All of these relationships are fostered through a variety of activities over the year, and ensure all boys are fully a part of the Pilgrims’ family. 

‘Shadows’  and ‘|Substances’ 
Each new boy is assigned a current Pilgrim to be his  ‘Substance’, a boy who will take special care of his ‘Shadow’ as he settles in. The substance will usually have contacted his shadow before he arrives at the school and will be a familiar face waiting for him on the first day of term. 

‘Cousins’ 
Every boy in Year 3 is a ‘Cousin’ to a boy in Year 2, which helps continue the link between the Pre-Prep and the Prep. We find these relationships stay the entire time boys are at school together.

‘Monitors’
In Year 5 boys can become monitors.  They take responsibility for specific areas of the school and look out for younger pupils.  

‘Listeners’ 
In Year 7, a boy may become a Listener.  A Listener looks out for boys who need help and is a helpful ‘brother’ figure. Of course, we encourage all boys to be good listeners. 

Prefects

Some become Prefects, the role with the most responsibility for a boy at Pilgrims’. Prefects meet regularly with the Headmaster, Tim Butcher.  It’s a chance for them to raise anything they think is important. It’s also a chance for boys to influence the strategic direction of the school and we value this input hugely.   

Others may be a Set Captain; they may Chair the School council – they may even be the boy who opens up NumNums, the tuck shop! 

Year 8 

In their final year, every Pilgrims’ boy is given a meaningful role of responsibility, encouraging initiative, leadership and a strong sense of community. All become “Uncles” to new Year 3 pupils, offering support as they settle into school life and helping build warm, cross-year friendships.

Year 8 is often seen as a golden year: boys are at the top of the school, growing in independence while preparing academically for senior school. Each boy takes on a specific roles, such as Prefect, Set Captain, Orchestra Leader or School Council Chair, contributing to the life of the school and creating lasting memories.

School Council

Our school council gives pupils a voice.  As well as being a vehicle for change and a forum for good ideas, it teaches responsibility and is democracy in action. Council representatives are elected from all year groups by boys in their tutor group.  

The boys set the agenda for meetings, which are chaired by a Year 8, and proposals are put to the vote. Key life skills are developed as boys learn the importance of negotiation and diplomacy while presenting their case on behalf of their peers.  They also see their proposals implemented by the school, giving them an encouraging further step towards becoming agents of change in the world. (How else do think we got the Air Hockey table?)  

The Pilgrims’ School Leavers’ Programme

The school year ends with a memorable Leavers’ programme of events. Each boy completes a personal project, often raising money for charity, alongside a mix of day trips and residential experiences where learning becomes exploration, helping prepare them for the challenges ahead.

Day trips include: 

  • Portsmouth Historic Docks
  • Thorpe Park 

Residential trips include a week at: 

  • An outdoors activity centre in Devon
  • A Bushcraft Camp where nature and survival skills are at the heart of the experience.   

Boys engage in a host of bonding activities,  a scratch drama, Parents/Guardians versus Sons cricket match, and a Social with Year 8 pupils from St Swithun’s.  Shirts are signed and after the summer concert and Prize-Giving, boys exchange their school ties for a Leaver’s one.