Our six-person counselling team is based in our Wellbeing Suite in the heart of the School.

ContemPlace offers two different ways to support our girls:

• A Drop-In Service open to all girls during break and lunchtime or during a private study period.
• A One-to-One Counselling Service where ongoing support is provided to those girls with a greater level of need, which we discuss with parents if we think a girl would benefit from it.

A crucial seventh member of the team is Kanga, our Hungarian Vizsla therapy dog, who draws in those less sure about accessing the service as well as those who just need the comfort and warmth of physical touch which she so keenly offers.

Girls can be comforted in the knowledge that they can drop in any day for a chat with someone in the Wellbeing Suite.

The House system offers opportunities for girls to make friends in different year groups and fosters a sense of belonging and teamwork, as well as facilitating many fun activities! We have four Houses named after famous women: Ashcroft, Fonteyn, Franklin and Woolf.

House meetings are held one morning each Half Term during assembly time and Houses compete against each other on Sports Day, at the Swimming Gala, in Inter-House sports and in other non-sporting competitions, such as the House Drama Competition.  House points are awarded for other school competitions and for Stars and Commendations.

Each Year 7 girl is buddied with a girl in the year above.  The Year 8 Big Sisters meet their Little Sisters at the end of the Summer Term before the new Year 7s start.  Before they join, Big Sisters get in touch with their Little Sisters via letters or cards to ensure that each new pupil will feel she already knows someone who cares for her and who is able to reassure her about joining Francis Holland.

Big Sisters welcome their Little Sisters into the school in September and give friendly support and guidance throughout their first year, as well as jointly participating in many fun events such as Big Sister Breakfasts, Big Sister Cookie Decorating and the legendary Big Sister Christmas Party.

Similarly, each Year 11 girl is buddied with a Year 12 girl in the Spring/Summer Term in preparation for entering the Sixth Form.

The Sixth Form’s Student Leadership Team has two Pastoral Ambassadors who support the Pastoral Deputy Head at events, Open Events, Parenting Talks and with the induction of new girls and in other pastorally related areas. There is also a Lower and Upper School Ambassador within the Student Leadership Team.

Once a week, the Senior School meet for their Life Skills lessons. The programme is devised with a whole-school approach so that topics are age appropriate and readdressed when required.

These classes are delivered through a combination of external speakers, internal staff presentations and tutor-led activities. They cover the programme of Personal, Social and Health Economic Education (PSHE) which is required in schools. Relationship and Sexual Health Education (RSE) are an important part of these lessons and is led by an external specialist provider, Esteem (a branch of Acet UK), who is fully in line with our Christian ethos. There are also whole School sessions throughout the year, e.g. Black History Month in October and International Women’s Day in March.

Find out more about our Life Skills programme here.

Our school founder, Reverend Canon Francis Holland, was Chaplain to Queen Victoria and later Edward VII. Today, Francis Holland maintains its distinct Christian ethos. Reverend Lucinda van der Hart, our chaplain, seeks to teach and encourage girls in the Christian faith, as well as supporting girls of other faith backgrounds in our school community. We value a courageous, curious and respectful approach to the exploration of individual faith and the beliefs of others.

We recognise that the development of faith and the spiritual life forms a core part of human flourishing. Our chaplain is therefore a key member of the school’s pastoral team and girls and staff members alike are invited to meet with her to talk, reflect on or pray into the challenges that life throws our way.

Reverend van der Hart takes an active role in assemblies, leads school services in local churches and oversees prayer meetings in which Christian staff and parents come to together to pray for the school. She also runs confirmation classes.