The Day House

The Day House is opening in September 2024. Our architects are sensitively remodelling a beautiful Seventeenth Century Manor House to meet the needs of our Twenty-First Century pupils.

Day House Website

The Day House will be named Li Kwok Po House, named after pioneering OU Dr the Honourable Sir David Li Kwok Po. It will be more familiarly known as Li House.

The house itself has a rich and varied history; believed to have been built in the 1600s and added to in the 1800s, the building was privately owned until it was bought by the School in 1966.

It housed our original Design & Technology Department – the first independent school DT department in the country - so it feels very apt that this much loved building will fulfil another important and pioneering role as our first Day House. The Day House is superbly located, close to the heart of the school campus, near other heritage buildings including the Chapel and Library.

The new Day House will be place of friendship, care and encouragement. With welcoming and thoughtfully designed spaces in which to unwind, refuel and check-in with the house family; a place to study, shower and store their essential things. It will be an environment where pupils are supported to achieve their full potential.

The House Family

The Day House’s family set-up is exactly the same as it is in our boarding houses, the only difference is that staff and pupils return to their homes in the evening.

Each House has a House Parent, supported by a Deputy House Parent, responsible for overseeing each pupil’s pastoral care, academic progress and co-curricular involvement in the school. Every pupil is part of one of Uppingham's traditionally small tutor groups. Tutors join the House for lunch twice weekly, supervise prep and regularly meet their tutees one-to-one.

Making sure there is always a friendly face to greet and support the pupils no matter what time of day, the day house will have two matrons who play a key role in pupil welfare and pastoral care.

Together, with the pupils, the House team create a caring and supportive community with a strong sense of House identity.

Housemaster: Nigel Breakwell
Nigel Breakwell will be the inaugural Housemaster of Uppingham’s first Day House, assuming the role from September 2024. Nigel is already well-known to Uppingham as a Business Studies teacher and tutor, as well as having supported his wife Christina in New House, one of our girls’ boarding houses, for seven years. Nigel’s journey to education was preceded by a successful tenure in sales and management, culminating in his role as Managing Director of a food importation and exportation company in 2002. In 2006, he returned to education to obtain his degree in Sports and Exercise Science at Loughborough University alongside a teaching qualification, having discovered a passion for training and education earlier in his professional career. Throughout his teaching career, Nigel has assumed various leadership positions in secondary academies, including Head of House, Head of Year, and most recently, Assistant Principal. His expertise in school leadership, gleaned from his extensive experience within School Extended Leadership Teams, has been insightful when supporting his wife in her role as Housemistress of New House. Outside the classroom, Nigel is a passionate sportsman, with his interests including squash, golf, rugby, swimming and Thai boxing. Nigel and his wife share a love of travel, and recently took a road trip through France, Italy and Greece, with Nigel making an effort to learn Greek in order to more easily communicate with Christina’s family. During time away from School, they also enjoy the cinema, dining out and going for long dog walks in the countryside.

Housemaster: Nigel Breakwell

Nigel Breakwell will be the inaugural Housemaster of Uppingham’s first Day House, assuming the role from September 2024. Nigel is already well-known to Uppingham as a Business Studies teacher and tutor, as well as having supported his wife Christina in New House, one of our girls’ boarding houses, for seven years.

Nigel’s journey to education was preceded by a successful tenure in sales and management, culminating in his role as Managing Director of a food importation and exportation company in 2002. In 2006, he returned to education to obtain his degree in Sports and Exercise Science at Loughborough University alongside a teaching qualification, having discovered a passion for training and education earlier in his professional career.

Throughout his teaching career, Nigel has assumed various leadership positions in secondary academies, including Head of House, Head of Year, and most recently, Assistant Principal. His expertise in school leadership, gleaned from his extensive experience within School Extended Leadership Teams, has been insightful when supporting his wife in her role as Housemistress of New House.

Outside the classroom, Nigel is a passionate sportsman, with his interests including squash, golf, rugby, swimming and Thai boxing. Nigel and his wife share a love of travel, and recently took a road trip through France, Italy and Greece, with Nigel making an effort to learn Greek in order to more easily communicate with Christina’s family. During time away from School, they also enjoy the cinema, dining out and going for long dog walks in the countryside.

Rebecca Kay, Assistant Head: Pastoral
Rebecca Kay, Uppingham’s Assistant Head: Pastoral, is overseeing the introduction of the new Day House. She will be pivotal in the recruitment of house staff and will remain closely involved in the Day House as it opens and becomes established. Rebecca Kay is a dedicated educator with a passion for fostering the growth and well-being of pupils. She joined Uppingham in 2021 after 15 years at The Forest School, a prominent day school in London. where was a Housemistress for nine years, Head of Wellbeing, and acting Head of Lower School.

Rebecca Kay, Assistant Head: Pastoral

Rebecca Kay, Uppingham’s Assistant Head: Pastoral, is overseeing the introduction of the new Day House. She will be pivotal in the recruitment of house staff and will remain closely involved in the Day House as it opens and becomes established.

Rebecca Kay is a dedicated educator with a passion for fostering the growth and well-being of pupils. She joined Uppingham in 2021 after 15 years at The Forest School, a prominent day school in London. where was a Housemistress for nine years, Head of Wellbeing, and acting Head of Lower School.