Boarding Blog #3: Meet The Gap Students at SHS

Gap Students are a massive part of boarding and school life here at Swanbourne House School. They are a massive part of the boarding house, and will never be too far away. Find out more about our GAP students below!

Miss Flynn- Jones

Hello, my name is Miss Flynn-Jones and I am one of the new GAP students at Swanbourne. I have recently just finished my A levels and I am currently on my gap year. I help out a lot within the boarding house alongside Mr Henderson Miss Myers and Miss Blane. I love to help out with the evening activities in the boarding house and enjoy assisting within the sports department during the day. At the end of the day it is nice to be able to spend time with the boarders and listen to how their day has gone. I think as a GAP student we are lucky to see a different side to the children and build that close relationship. In my spare time I love to play hockey but it is nice to hang out with the other GAP students after a busy day. An interesting fact about me is that I am fluent in French! Having grown up in France all my life I know exactly how new boarders, especially international ones, can feel starting at a boarding school and how daunting it can be as that was me when I was 11. 

Miss Thompson

My name is miss Thompson and I am one of the new Gaps at Swanbourne. I’ve joined the team from Australia and intend on staying the full school year whilst getting some travel in around the UK and Europe during term breaks. Working with children is something I would like to pursue in the future, so for me Swanbourne is a great first step to get some experience in this  area before heading to uni. As a gap, I spend most of my days in manor house or in the sports department. Nights are spent mostly in the boarding house being there for the kids away from home and playing games, which is always fun especially now that we’ve gotten to know the kids and can all have a laugh together. Outside of boarding and day duties, usually myself and the other gaps are still not far away!

Miss Mornement

My name is Miss Mornement and I am one of the GAP students at Swanbourne. I work within various areas of the school helping out wherever I am needed. As a result of this I work with a range of year groups helping out with various jobs and activities. Previously, I worked at a boarding school in Yorkshire as a GAP so I have a bit of experience before I came here! I am really enjoying working with the rest of the team here at Swanbourne and it has been great getting to know and spend time with the other GAP students and staff at Swanbourne. When I am home in Australia I spend most of my time at the beach which is probably a very typical Aussie thing to do!! I mostly spend time with family and friends. An interesting fact about me is that I play Australian Football (AFL) at home, so it is taking me a while to get my head around rugby!

Mr Mitchell

Hi my name is Mr Mitchell and I am one of the new GAP Students at Swanbourne. Before starting my new role I studied History, Physics and Politics A levels at Bloxham School. I am looking forward to going to Oxford Brookes University next year to study law. At Swanbourne I really enjoy helping out with rugby  lessons and assisting in fixtures. Most of my time outside of the rugby pitch is spent within the pool as I am a qualified lifeguard. I also spend a lot of time in the boarding house and thoroughly enjoy taking part in the evening activities with the boarders. Being an Old Swanbournian is very helpful in my role as a GAP student as I have experienced it all myself when I was younger. An interesting fact about me is that I play for Buckingham Rugby club in my spare time. 

Miss Fielder

Hi my name is Miss Fielder and I am one of the new GAP Students at Swanbourne. I spend the majority of my time at Manor House as well as assisting the sports department. I have just finished my A Levels however over the past year I have been working as a nanny for young children so have some previous experience prior to this role. Working in Manor House is always great fun especially during break time where you can usually find me playing football or tag, this allows me the opportunity to get to know the pre-prep on a one to one basis. Working In the boarding house during the evenings is full of excitement and it is great to hang out with the boarders. I began boarding at the age of 9 so I understand the overwhelming feeling that younger boarders experience when they first start boarding. An interesting fact about me is that I used to play lacrosse and it’s something I look forward to continuing once I am at university. 

To find out more about being a GAP at Swanbourne House School Click Here