Official Opening of Year 13 Boarding House

Published on isbi School News dated Thursday 8th of December 2016

The Mayor and Mayoress of Dudley, Councillor Mohammed Hanif and Mrs Zabeda Khanam officially opened the new OSH Year 13 boarding house on Friday 21 October. Foster House, which opened to students in September, forms a major part of OSH’s Year 11-13 initiative preparing students to move onto the next phase of their lives, whether it be university, apprenticeships or the work place. Students have their own space, helping to develop greater responsibility and independence. The House is one of the School’s oldest boarding houses and has been modernised to create single and twin en-suite rooms for 60 students. A lightweight atrium has been constructed to create a central common room with links through to a study area and kitchen. The internal refurbishment and conversion give the house a modern and open look on the inside, whilst retaining its historic façade. Commenting on this new development, Headmaster Paul Kilbride said “Research has shown that a person’s work or study environment can have an impact on their performance. This recently refurbished house is bright and modern. There are spaces for individual and group study, as well as recreational areas, making it an ideal environment for students in their final year at OSH.” To commemorate the opening of the new house, The Mayor and Mayoress, Councillor Mohammed Hanif and Mrs Zabeda Khanam, also planted an apple tree in the grounds of the School. The Cox’s Orange Pippin is the 128th tree to be planted as part of the Boarding Schools’ Association’s (BSA) ‘Boarding Orchard’ which aims to have the largest orchard by distance, in the UK. Over the past two years 125 boarding schools have planted trees in their grounds. The trees symbolise ‘the tree of knowledge’ and demonstrate each school’s commitment to growth and caring for the environment.