Severn

Hello! We are Mrs and Dr Fantham and we are so excited to be joining the Severn Family as Houseparents in September 2023.

We moved from Sheffield (the city!) to Kingham at the start of 2022, and whilst I (Mrs Fantham) have been teaching Music and looking after the Upper Sixth boarding girls as Lodge Warden, Dr Fantham is an engineer working on battery systems. Outside of school, we have recently developed a passion for paddleboarding, when we can get to an appropriate body of water to float on. We also love cooking outdoors, ideally in a garden full of things we have grown.

When I first arrived at Kingham, a highlight of my week was being the ‘Thursday Tutor on Duty’ in Severn - getting to know the girls, and usually witnessing a bit of the happy boarding life chaos that goes on towards the end of these long Kingham weeks. It’s a privilege to look ahead and imagine all of the wonderful ways that the Severn Girls will grow, develop and learn together over the coming year.

Severn benefits from an amazing team of house staff, who will be working together to support the girls of Severn as they grow into resilient, competent and kind young women, whether it’s over a quick breaktime biscuit, or during a weekend trip. We want to ensure that we know each individual as exactly that - unique individuals who experience different battles and joys, and have different roles to play within the larger family of the house and school.

We long that Severn really does feel like home to each of the girls - a place where they are able to find somewhere to relax and be the very best version of themselves, regardless of how their day at school has been. We hope that there will always be someone in the house ready to celebrate in the best times, and listen in the tough times - whether that’s myself, our Pastoral Assistant, or an older pupil looking after a ‘little sister’. Above all, we’d love Severn to be a place where we all care for one another, as each of us navigate the inevitable ups and downs of school life - and we’ll have some real fun along the way too.

Mrs and Dr Fantham