Houseparents Tracy and Zachary Jones
Assistant Houseparent Mathilde Herrbach
Under Houseparent Amelia Strath
Matron Emily Riley
We became houseparents of Nugent in 2019 and enjoy running the house as a family with our two children and golden-doodle, Rufus. We both studied at Loughborough University, where Zak read Sport Science and I studied French. I joined Stowe in 1996 as a Teacher of French & Spanish and became Head of Modern Languages in 2002 and then Faculty Chair of Languages. I played table tennis for England as a junior and hockey for England U16 through to U21, as well as England Students and club hockey in the England Premier League. Hockey coaching has been a consistent part of my time at Stowe. Zak taught PE and Geography at RGS High Wycombe before becoming Director of Hockey at St Edwards, Oxford for 19 years. He was Captain of the Wales Men’s Hockey team and has over 100 caps. Zak then turned to coaching and was Head Coach of Wales between 2008-2020 before taking up his current role as Assistant Coach to the Great Britain and England Men’s Hockey team.
Nugent prides itself on a strong sense of family for the girls. Kindness, effort, empathy and respect are at the heart of the House. Nugent girls are encouraged to the best that they can; to be resilient, independent in thought and to seize every opportunity that Stowe will offer them. Pastoral support and well-being are central to creating an environment where the girls feel secure, happy and valued and one in which they can therefore thrive, flourish and be themselves.
Nugent opened in 1985 with 26 Sixth Form girls as the first girls’ boarding house at Stowe. Situated in the heart of the School and in the west wing on the mansion, Nugent has a rich history running through its beautiful exposed beams.
In September 2012 Nugent was converted from a Sixth Form house to welcome girls from 13 and is now home to 70 girls (55 full boarders and 15 Day in boarding aged 13-18). Nugent’s history, architecture and location create a homely feel in the centre of School life and within easy access of everything. The layout of the house means the girls remain incredibly close throughout their five years in Nugent.
"Nugent House is the epitome of a 'home away from home' with its empathetic and affectionate ethos created by the true feeling of connection between all five year groups. Nugent girls strive to make the absolute most of their time at Stowe, whether that be in House or in the wider Stowe community. Getting involved and doing everything to the best of one's ability is at the core of everything the Nugent girls are encouraged to do with highly supportive members of staff and fellow peers on hand to provide invaluable guidance. Strong inter-personal relationships between year groups are created by the House families, which provide peer support in all aspects of wellbeing, especially pastoral and academic. In addition, compassionate staff are always on hand to help with any problem, no matter how big or small. I feel very privileged to have been a member of the Nugent family for the past four years and part of the welcoming community that is Nugent House."