Michell is located away from the main school building, in its own extensive grounds. It is well suited to the diversities of sixth form life, having a well equipped kitchen and adjacent dining area for the girls' use, a laundry room, a large TV sit, and a quieter living room. In addition to the main computer room, the building also has two separate working areas, both of which contain extra computing facilities. Girls can also access the wireless network on both the house and their personal laptops. Michell has a Housemistress, a House Tutor, an Assistant Housemistress, and 2 gap assistants, all of whom live in; a Housekeeper provides additional pastoral support during the day.
Each year, a Head of House and Deputy Head of House are elected from the girls to support the Housemistress in some aspects of the running of the house. This might include, for example, helping to organise a house event, or drawing up duty rotas. We have weekly house meetings, which all girls and house staff attend. These sessions offer the opportunity both for the house staff to pass on information to the girls, and for the girls to offer suggestions and opinions.
Any sixth form girls who choose to stay in over the weekend are able to take part in a range of activities organised centrally for all Queen Anne's girls. In addition to this, Michell offers a number of events and activities each year which are open exclusively to the upper sixth. In the past, these have included dinner parties with the Oratory, a wine-tasting evening, a car-maintenance course, barbeques, and an evening boat cruise on the Thames. We also have a ‘chill out' night every Friday, when the girls can relax and watch a DVD.
Michell is very much a ‘bridge to university', and the girls are consequently able to enjoy an increased sense of independence when they join the upper sixth. They are expected to carry out a small number of chores around the house, and in return are granted a range of privileges. They may go shopping in Caversham at lunchtime, and are able to visit Reading to shop or see a film after school on Wednesdays and at the weekends. On a Saturday night, they are allowed to go out in groups for a meal; a privilege which is extended to weeknights in the case of an 18th birthday celebration. Girls are welcome to invite guests over on Wednesday afternoons and at the weekend.
Michell is a day and boarding house, and the girls are able to mix informally during the day – in the many communal spaces that the house has to offer – and at more formal occasions such as organised house activities. Some day girls share a room with a boarder, whilst others are allocated a space in our new workroom. Day girls also have the opportunity to flexi-board, whereby they can choose to board occasionally during the week, particularly in the run-up to exams.