The Packet Ships

When children join Marlborough School, they also become members of one of our six Packet Ships:

​These are a bit more than the usual school house teams.  Not only do they compete in our annual sports day and other inter-packet tournaments (foootball, basket-ball, infants multiskills and tag rugby, etc) but they also gather together in these mixed-age groups for assemblies rather than sitting in lined classes.  Reception class children join in with their Packet increasingly through the year: brothers and sisters thus meet and learn with each other regularly.  We have found that the packet ships underpin a natural and supportive pastoral structure where younger children know that they can turn to older friends for help and that as they move up the school they take care of others through their developing sense of responsibility.

The names of the packet ships were taken from six surviving pictures by Nicholas Camillieri, painted as they each entered Valetta harbour in Malta in the early 19th century.  They are represented by the primary and secondary colours of the spectrum and can be seen in the school's extended logo as well as followed on the Packet Point board displayed in the school hall.

Marlborough School itself is named after a packet ship, The Duke of Marlborough, captained by John Bull who owned Marlborough House.