Day Students

Senior Boys' Day House

Housemaster: Mark Frost
Assistant Housemaster: Kathryn Smith-Halliwell

House Spirit

Mill House is a very friendly and supportive place, located alongside the girls’ day houses overlooking the Sir Gareth Edwards Pitch. It is a large house, with a talented group of boys. We have a range of excellent academics, international athletes, and wonderful performers in the arts, music and drama. The house is built with facilities including a kitchen, study room with computers, art displays and games. Mill House provides it's boys with a great sense of camaraderie, belonging and friendship. There is a terrific mix of personalities and the house is focused on developing responsible and resilient young men. Mill House recognises the endeavours of its students every year with the Cookson and Davies awards for excellence.

Housemaster

Mark started at Millfield in January 2020 as a mathematics teacher. He has coached rugby, football and cricket in Years 10 and 11, has recently starting a surf club and yoga classes for staff and students and provides sessions to senior rugby players as part of their post-match recovery. He has worked as a Head of Maths, both in the UK and abroad, as well as a Deputy Head of an alternate provision academy, providing education for students excluded from mainstream education. Having grown up in South Africa, he loves the outdoors, surfing, and braais. Mark is engaged to Georgina, and father to Ruby, Dusty, and Sunny.

An interesting fact...

Mill House takes its name from a former boarding house and its current form came to be when Mill House absorbed Rookery – another day house – in 2010.

Senior Boys' Day House

Housemaster: John Bishop
Assistant Housemistress: Chloe Sinton

House Spirit

Great House is a friendly and welcoming Day House, situated by the main gate on campus. Our students reflect the diversity of talent, both academic and sporting, at Millfield School. The sixth form students are encouraged to take part in leading and mentoring the younger students and they relish the opportunity to take on any roles of responsibility.

Housemaster

John Bishop is Housemaster of Great House and has been since 2008. As well as being a Senior Day Houseparent, John is Head of Italian and is also a football and tennis coach.

An interesting fact...

Great House is housed in what used to be the old concert hall and was named after a former boarding house in Meare.

History

Great started in 2008 – formerly Skinner House – since 2008 we have some students who have gone on to achieve incredible things: Lando Norris (Formula 1), Mohammed Elshorbaggy (squash), Josh Bayliss/Sam Nixon/James Dunn (Bath and Bristol rugby), James Guy, Cameron Kurle, Brodie Williams (swimming) and George Bartlett (Somerset cricket).

Girls' Day House

Housemistress: Joy Gray
Assistant Housemistress: Jen Turnbull

House Spirit

Our girls are deeply mindful of looking after one another and our senior girls come alongside our younger girls to mentor. We are fiercely loyal and our house spirit is nowhere more evident than in annual house-matches. Lakes girls are caring, undertaking several charity projects each year such as shoeboxes for those in need at Christmas. A Lakes girl is one whose focus is relentless in pursuing, achieving and celebrating her personal best, in every area of her life, as well as helping others to achieve their best too.

Housemistress

Joy is Housemistress, having spent several years as a Lakes group tutor. She has been teaching English for over 25 years, of which 18 have been at Millfield. She has worked in both boarding and day houses, across all year groups. Joy is second in the English Department, as well as running the school’s public speaking and debating programme. In addition to this, she tries to find time for home life with her husband, two children, dog and cat. Holidays usually involve a visit to Stratford-upon-Avon to catch up with some Shakespeare, as well as a stay in Ireland to reconnect with family and friends - and restore her Irish accent!

Facilities

The Lakes provides the girls with a large common room in which to socialise, study or rest - with comfy sofas, a kitchen area to make snacks or breakfast, fresh fruit and a tuck shop run by the Matrons. There are also changing rooms with lockers, toilets and showers, and space for students to store books and kit.

There is a great sense of community and the girls are encouraged to look after one another. The mentor programme also works very well, with each new girl to the house being allocated a senior student to help them settle in. With the further advantage of being situated next to Overleigh (our sister girls' Day house), The Lakes girls can easily mix and enjoy close relationships with their neighbours.

History

The Lakes is named after one of the original off-site boarding houses and we adopted this name several years’ ago. As a day house, we moved to repurposed buildings around 6 years’ ago, which place us close to all the upper campus locations and we are very handily positioned near to the dining hall. The Lakes is known as a friendly house, with many of our girls rising to positions of leadership and responsibility in school, in roles such as prefect and Heads of School. Academically, musically and on the sports’ fields, The Lakes girls historically have been very gifted. Last year, Isabelle Barber won the Millfield Musician of the Year competition, whilst Katie Maddock secured a place at Oxford University to read Physics and Hannah Passmore was selected to play for Team Bath as a professional netballer.

Girls' Day House

Housemistress: Tanya Baughan
Assistant Housemistress: Juliette Lorandel

House Spirit

Overleigh is one of two girls' Day houses in the school. Located behind the dining hall, the house is a place for girls to spend time before and after school and during breaks in the day. There are plenty of areas to relax, with spaces to study and a kitchen area to make tea and toast. The house also has changing and shower facilities and each girl has their own locker to store possessions during the day. Overleigh girls are known to be very confident and among our numbers are many excellent musicians, sportswomen and academics. On the hockey pitch we are a force to be reckoned with and the Overleigh girls will always turn their hands willingly to house events and matches. The standard of the girls is reflected by the fact that we regularly have a good number of school prefects within our ranks.

Housemistress

Tanya has been the Housemistress since 2024, having previously been Assistant Housemistress since 2019. Tanya has been a business teacher at Millfield for a whole lot longer, having joined in 2009. Married with two daughters both at the senior school, she understands the journey the Overleigh girls go through. She coaches hockey and enjoys her summer sport of volleyball. When not at school she enjoys travelling, reading and cooking. 

Year 9 Mixed Day House

Housemistress: Chloe Sinton
Assistant Housemasters: Damian Barry, Bob Bonney and Georgina Jenkin

House Spirit

We are the only co-ed house in the school, and the only Year 9 day house. This makes us unique and the environment provides a wonderful opportunity for our young people to really get to know each other before they move into their vertical houses in Year 10. We love the diverse mix of boys, girls, personalities and talents. Ivythorn students have so many opportunities to immerse themselves in the myriad of sports and activities available to them in Year 9 and they are a busy bunch. This all takes place within an especially supportive environment with an experienced Year 9 pastoral team who are able to guide and support throughout the year.

Housemistress

Chloe joined Millfield in September 2017, having previously taught predominantly German for eight years in mixed comprehensive schools in Newport, Cardiff, and the South Wales Valleys. She has been Head of German at Millfield since 2019, teaches English and has experience teaching both the CELS programme and the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). She coaches basketball in the Autumn and Spring Terms, and girls’ cricket in the Summer Term. Her partner, Toby, works in Higher Education and she has three children, aged 19, 17 and 12. In her spare time, Chloe enjoys reading, gardening, playing cricket, swimming, cycling, and keeping fit.